Governor Brian Kemp signed over 2 billion dollars’ worth of budget cuts into law yesterday as he approved the state budget for the 2021 fiscal year. 242 million of those cuts will come from the University System of Georgia, which Georgia Public Broadcasting reports could result in “downsizing and elimination of programs, instructional site closures, and the elimination of student success initiatives.”
The budget also accounts for an 11 percent cut to agricultural programs like the Cooperative Extension Service, which offers workshops, programs and other educational resources that largely benefit rural Georgians.
House Bill 444, which will cap dual enrollment hours at 30 per student and limit available courses, is expected to provide an 11 million-dollar cut.
Finally, a million dollars will be added to the needs-based Georgia REACH scholarship, which provides mentoring and academic coaching in addition to financial aid. However, all other state-funded scholarships will be cut 10 percent.
The new budget goes into effect today, July 1.