A Letter Regarding Education Funding, and Jason Carter's Proposal for a Separate Budget for Education

Dear Voters of Georgia,

During this year's gubernatorial campaign, Jason Carter has claimed that if elected he would significantly increase funding for K-12 education. Over and over again he has said that he would create a separate budget for education that would have to be approved by the General Assembly before another separate budget for everything else would be considered. As a twenty year veteran of the Georgia House, an eighteen year member of the House Appropriations Committee, the Ranking Republican on the committee the last four years the Democrats controlled the House and later a Vice Chairman of the committee, I have learned a good bit about the Appropriations process. I know that Jason Carter's idea for a separate budget for education is illogical and not well thought out.

The very first thing those education lobbying groups and parents who want more funding for K-12 education should be aware of is that Governor Deal and the General Assembly have, in fact significantly increased K-12 funding. The facts and the statistics are very clear, and anyone can visit my web site at www.donparsons.org where I have the numbers posted.

When we Republicans gained a majority in the Georgia House in the 2004 elections and then for the first time assigned chairmen and committee members in the 2005 session, the process for reviewing and approving the appropriations acts in the House, from where all revenue and spending bills must originate was reformed and greatly improved. Separate subcommittees within the House Appropriations Committee were created for the main functions of state government, each with its own chairman whose position is the equivalent of the chairman of any standing committee. There is a House Appropriations subcommittee for K-12 education in which the K-12 education spending in the General Fiscal Year Budget and the Fiscal Year Amended Budget is carefully formulated after much deliberation, review of the Governor's recommendations, input from state agencies and input from the public.

The entire budget for the state, whether it is the General Fiscal Year Act or the Amended Fiscal Year Budget cannot exceed the revenue projections submitted by the Governor. Those projections are based upon careful and precise analysis of revenue streams, anticipated state expenditures and economic forecasts. The K-12 spending that is approved by the K-12 House appropriations subcommittee must at some point in the House Appropriations Committee process be reconciled with the rest of the budget. It must be done. The budget cannot go one cent beyond the revenue projection. Healthcare, transportation, Medicaid, public safety, higher education, the judicial system and other state government functions must be funded also, and it all has to be funded within the revenue projections for that particular appropriations act. Unlike the private sector, the state cannot borrow money when revenues shrink, except for some capital expenses and that is very limited by law. Unlike the federal government, the state does not and cannot spend money it does not have.

The appropriations process is not easy and it is not quick. After approval by the House, the appropriations acts must then go through a similar process in the senate. Both acts end up in conference committees which usually meet for weeks. There have been many sessions when the final votes were not taken in both chambers until the last night of the forty day session. This brings me to another problem with Jason Carter's proposal of a separate budget for education that would, as he envisions it, have to be approved before the state budget for everything else could be considered. There is not time in a forty day session to do what he proposes. It would be entirely likely that this separate budget for education could not be approved through the entire appropriations process in both chambers of the General Assembly in time for the budget for everything else to be formulated, debated, deliberated and approved before Sine Die. This would result in the failure to pass a budget for the state, and the failure to fund education along with all other state agencies for the state. It would also result in special sessions and the spending of more taxpayer money. I know that is not what the parents and grandparents of children of our state want.

Governor Nathan Deal cares deeply about the education of the children of our great State of Georgia. I am very proud of the work he has done to increase funding for education, and for K-12 education in particular. I am very honored and proud to support the reelection of Governor Nathan Deal for his second term. I ask that you support him also with your vote.

Sincerely,

Don Parsons

State Representative, HD44