K-12 Education
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K-12 education
is the largest single expenditure in the budget, totaling $9.6 billion,
or 44.1% of the state general funds budget.
Keeping in mind that the legislature cannot write a budget that is even
one cent above the projected revenue estimate for a fiscal budget year,
the challenge was particularly tough this year with
a revised revenue estimate that reflects an 8% decline to state general
fund revenues.
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After much hard
work in the House Appropriations Committee, the Quality Basic Education
(QBE) formula and corresponding grants were adjusted upwards from the
original recommendations to reflect the decline in state revenues.
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Due to the
reduction in the QBE formula, Local Five Mill Share (LFMS) is capped at
$2.058 billion to fulfill the 80% state/20% local requirement.
The original FY 2021 formula
calculation for LFMS was $2.138
billion, therefore, the cap provides school systems an additional $79.5
million.
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The FY 2021
budget reflects $457 million in federal funds for the Elementary and
Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund that was authorized by the
‘Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act’. Of the
total funds, $411.5 million was sent directly to school districts based
on Title I formula allocations.
Of the remaining $45.7 million retained
by the Department of Education, some funding has already been allocated,
including $1.5 million to Youth Camps, $2 million to Georgia Virtual
School, $324,091 to Residential Treatment Facilities, and $1.1 million
to state schools. The State School Superintendent indicated the
remaining balance would be sent to districts based on need.
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The conference
committee version of the budget provides the Department of Education
with $141.7 million for enrollment growth and training and experience.
The majority of funding is for training and experience, reflecting 1,438
new teachers and corresponding health insurance costs. The budget also
includes $32.7 million for growth in charter system grants and State
Commission Charter School supplements. In the bond package, $335.5
million in new bonds are provided for local school construction,
renovations, and additions statewide.
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No reductions
are made to Equalization or Sparsity grants. HB 793 provides an increase
of $32.1 million in growth to Equalization grants, providing additional
funds for school systems that have property tax wealth per FTE below the
statewide average. The budget also reflects $1 million in growth to
Sparsity grants, providing additional funds for schools that have a
student population smaller than the base school size and, therefore, do
not earn enough QBE funding for personnel and operations.
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The FY 2021
budget does not reduce funding for the Nutrition and Pupil
Transportation programs, both of which have been instrumental in
ensuring students have access to healthy meals during the COVID-19
pandemic. HB 793 includes $927,142 in additional formula funds for pupil
transportation based on the formula implemented in 2019 that recognizes
student growth. The budget also includes $20 million in the bond package
for school bus replacement and $1.25 million to incentivize the purchase
of alternative fuel school buses; for FY 2020, DOE approved the purchase
of 176 propane buses and 2 electric buses in 15 counties across Georgia.
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The final FY
2021 budget significantly softens the reduction to state schools, from
$2.05 million in the governor’s recommendation to $500,000 in the final
budget.
State schools provide direct
instruction to hearing- and visually-impaired students in Georgia.
State schools also receive $3 million
in the bond package for maintenance and rehabilitation priorities at
each of the three schools.
•
The budget, as
agreed in conference committee, softens the reduction to Residential
Treatment Facilities due to declining enrollment.
The reduction adjusts from $1.15
million in the governor’s recommended budget to $324,091 in the
conference committee version of the budget.
The
softened reduction, as well as ‘CARES Act’ funding granted by the
department, allows time to restructure educational personnel based on
fewer students.
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HB 793 provides
$150,000 for a program specialist at each youth camp. Youth camps also
receive $5 million in bond funds for the renovation of the Daisy Lewis
Cabin at Camp John Hope and the renovation of the Mobley Hall at the
Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center.
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HB 793 includes
an additional $303,780 for projected growth of one AP exam for free and
reduced-price lunch eligible students, and one science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) exam per student.
Early Childhood Education
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Reflecting
continued growth in lottery revenues, the FY 2021 budget maintains full
funding for Georgia Pre-K, including 84,000 slots and a full school
calendar.
The budget also includes $1.6 million
for teacher supplements, which is comparable to training and experience
in QBE; the supplement provides pay parity between pre-k and k-12
teachers.
•
The Fiscal Year
2021 budget reflects $144.5 million in federal funds for the Child Care
and
Development
Block Grant as authorized by the ‘CARES Act’. The Department of Early
Care and
Learning
(DECAL) has determined most of the funding will go to childcare
providers to recover
lost revenues
in at least two phases. In the first phase, to stabilize the market, $50
million will be sent to all childcare providers based on February
enrollment data. The second phase will include the Carl Vinson Institute
of Government conducting a survey of childcare providers to collect
information on how phase one funds were spent and to determine the
additional needs of providers to create targeted payments. Beyond
stabilizing the market, the funding is also to be used for cleaning and
sanitizing, to maintain or resume operations, and provide child care
assistance to essential workers.
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The budget
reflects funds for a State Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Coordinator position at DECAL, as recommended by the House Study
Committee on Infant and Toddler
Social and Emotional Health (2019 Session).
The position will work collaboratively
with other state agencies that provide behavioral and mental health
services to children and collaborate to expand those services to the
state’s youngest population, children ages zero to three, while
recognizing the importance that prevention, early intervention, and
treatment of behavioral and mental health issues have on a child’s
future potential.
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The study
committee also heard positive results regarding inclusion and behavior
specialists at DECAL that work with childcare providers to promote a
positive preschool classroom environment.
The FY 2021 budget includes $160,000
for two behavioral and classroom support specialists to work exclusively
with lead and assistant teachers in Georgia pre-k classrooms.
Other Education Budget Highlights
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HB 793 restores
funds for one filled ethics investigator position and redirects funds
for an ethics paralegal position at the Professional Standards
Commission in order to address the backlog of educator ethics
investigations in Georgia.
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The final
version of HB 793 reflects a reconstituted budget for the Governor’s
Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) that is aligned to budgetary and
statutorily-assigned responsibilities.
GOSA’s budget now includes $1.7 million
for the Master Teacher Leadership Academy; $1.6 million for the
Governor's Honors Program; $1.5 million for Growing Readers; $1.8
million for GA Awards; $900,175 for research and academic audits; and
$1.3 million for personal services and operating expenses.
LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Charter Schools
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HB 755 (Rep. D.C. Belton, 112th)
amends O.C.G.A. 20-2-2068.1(c.3) relating to charter school funding to
require local boards of education to provide itemized allotment sheets
to local charter schools. Under the provisions of this bill, a local
board of education must provide each local charter school an itemized
allotment sheet itemizing the state, local, and federal allocations for
the upcoming fiscal year within 45 calendar days after receiving its
preliminary allotment sheet from the Department of Education. If a local
board of education determines an adjustment must be made to the
allocation to a local charter school, the local board of education must
provide the local charter school with 30-days' notice before the
allocation is amended.
House Bill 755 further amends O.C.G.A. 2-20-2131
relating to intradistrict enrollment of students attending schools
outside of their resident school within the school district.
Information relating to the acceptance of
intradistrict students must be posted on the website of the local school
system in a prominent location, easily visible to parents.
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HB 957 (Rep. Jan Jones, 47th)
amends O.C.G.A. 20-2-880 to clarify that teachers at charter schools are
eligible to participate in state health insurance plans. Section II of
House Bill 957 amends O.C.G.A. 20-2-2066 to allow charter school
governing boards to require proof of residency either at the time of
application or enrollment. Under the provisions of this bill, the term a
State Charter Schools Commission member serves will increase from a
two-year to a four-year term. HB 957 further creates a new Code Section
20-2-2088.1 to require closing state charter schools to retain records
for one year so educational records can be forwarded to former students'
new schools. After one year, the state charter school will transfer all
records to the State Charter Schools Commission.
Performance Evaluations
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HB 86 (Rep. Tommy Benton, 31st)
amends O.C.G.A. 20-2-989.7 to allow teachers to appeal a summative
personnel evaluation of 'Unsatisfactory' or 'Ineffective' to an
independent third party or an administrator in the system office. Local
units of administration must develop a complaint review policy for
teachers to appeal an evaluation by July 1, 2021, and submit the policy
to the Department of Education.
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SB 431 (Sen. John Wilkinson, 50th)
amends O.C.G.A. 20-2-210, relating to annual performance evaluations, to
allow for an on-time graduation rate. The on-time graduation rate will
be a parallel graduate rate that only includes the four-year cohort of
students that attend a school continuously the previous four years.
Dual Enrollment
HB 444 (Rep.
Albert Reeves, 34th) renames the 'Move on When Ready Act' as
the 'Dual Enrollment Act’. House Bill 444 limits the number of credit
hours the dual enrollment program will fund to 30 hours. The 30-hour cap
applies to current students who have taken 18 course credit hours or
less. Students who have taken more than 19 hours may receive an
additional 12 hours. Under the provisions of this bill, grade-level
participation is limited to 11th and 12th graders; however, to continue
producing a skilled workforce, 10th grade students may participate in
dual enrollment courses provided by the Technical College System of
Georgia. Furthermore, 10th grade students who have obtained a Zell
Miller Scholarship score on the ACT or SAT or a ninth grader enrolled in
dual credit courses may take core courses at a postsecondary institution
during the student's 10th grade year.
HB 444 limits the type of course allowable
under the 'Dual Enrollment Act' to core subjects. An eligible core
course is an English, math, science, social studies, or a foreign
language as calculated for HOPE purposes according to O.C.G.A. 20-2-157.
There are 2,613 eligible core courses and 4,592 CTAE or career technical
agricultural education courses available under O.C.G.A. 20-2-157.
Other Education Legislation
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HB 855 (Rep. Marcus Wiedower, 119th)
creates O.C.G.A. 20-2-152.2 relating to the evaluation of foster care
students to determine whether the student has been exposed to trauma
which adversely affected the student's educational performance or
behavior. No later than August 1, 2021, the Department of Education will
provide guidance to local school systems on procedures to immediately
and deliberately evaluate foster care students when the student enrolls
in the school.
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SB 68 (Sen. Freddie Sims, 12th)
increases training requirements for local boards of education by adding
financial management training, and it requires all previous annual
training requirements to be completed before becoming eligible for
re-election. Newly-elected board members will receive guidance and
training specific to his or her local school system's most recent audit
findings and the risk status of the local school system.
The Department of Audits and Accounts shall
designate local school systems with irregularities or budget deficits
for three or more consecutive years as high-risk local school systems,
and school systems with one year to two consecutive years of
irregularities or budget deficits as moderate-risk local school systems.
The local school superintendent must submit a corrective action plan to
the Department of Education within 120 days of receiving notice of the
risk designation from the local board of education. The local school
superintendent of a high-risk or moderate-risk local school system is
required by Senate Bill 68 to complete financial management and
financial governance training.
SB 68 requires specific contractual obligations
to be made relating to maintaining or achieving financial stability of
the local school system when entering into a flexibility contract with
the State Board of Education. If a system is designated as a high-risk
local school system, there must be a written corrective action plan in
place.
The Department of Education will monitor the
financial stability of each local school system and provide support and
guidance to high-risk and moderate-risk local school systems.
Part II of Senate Bill 68 amends multiple
provisions of the Code relating to the Chief Turnaround Office by moving
the oversight of turnaround schools from the State Board of Education to
the Department of Education.
Part III of Senate Bill 68 amends O.C.G.A.
20-2-989.7 to allow teachers to appeal a summative personnel evaluation
of 'Unsatisfactory' or 'Ineffective' to an independent third party or an
administrator in the system office. Local units of administration must
develop a complaint review policy for teachers to appeal an evaluation
by July 1, 2021, and submit the policy to the Department of Education.
Part IV amends O.C.G.A. 20-2-58 by
requiring local boards of education to hold a public comment period
during every regular monthly meeting. Local boards of education shall
not require individuals to give more than 24-hours' notice before the
meeting to participate in the public comment period.
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SB 367 (Sen. P.K. Martin, 9th)
amends O.C.G.A. 20-2-281, relating to assessments, by reducing the
number of state assessments given to students. SB 367 eliminates the
fifth grade end-ofgrade social studies assessment and reduces the number
of end-of-course assessments in high school from eight to four. School
systems must administer the state required end-of-grade assessment for
grades three through eight within 25 school days of the last day of
school. The Department of Education is authorized to conduct an analysis
of locally implemented assessments and provide guidance to eliminate
redundant assessments to improve student achievement.
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SB 430 (Sen. William Ligon, 3rd)
creates O.C.G.A. 20-2-319.5, which allows home school or private school
students to enroll in a college and career academy in the student's
resident school system if space is available. The State Board of
Education shall create rules and regulations to effectuate the
provisions of the Code section. The local board of education will earn
FTE funds for each student participating in one or more courses at a
college and career academy under the Code section that has a charter
with the local board of education.
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