Georgia Governor Brian Kemp released a $32.5 billion fiscal 2024 state budget proposal Friday that is heavy on spending for education, but also includes more raises for teachers and state employees.
Kemp's plan spends more than $2 billion more than this year’s record budget, and is built on an all-time high state surplus of more than $6 billion.
Among the highlights:
- Fully funding Georgia’s Quality Basic Education funding formula, with n additional $745 million going into school funding this year and more than $1.1 billion in FY 2024.
- $115 million to provide a $50,000 school safety grant to every K-12 school in the state.
- $26.9 million to increase funding for school counselors to help address student emotional and mental well-being.
- $25 million for learning loss grants to public schools.
- Fully funding the HOPE Scholarship program for the first time since then Governor Nathan Deal and the legislature cut HOPE benefits more than a decade ago due to growing demand for scholarships combined with rising tuition costs.
- A $2,000 raise for Georgia teachers, other certified educators and state employees.
- A second $1 billion state income tax rebate on top of the refund Georgia taxpayers received last year.
- $1.1 billion in property tax relief to homeowners.
The state House and Senate Appropriations committees will kick off the legislative review of Kemp’s budget recommendations with three days of hearings this week.
