The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute held its annual budget primer and Town Hall for the Fiscal Year 2024 budget Wednesday evening. The organization is a vocal critic of spending at the state level. GBPI wants to see greater spending on operations at state agencies annually instead of a large surplus. Ife Finch Floyd, director of economic justice at the organization, says one agency in particular that needs to receive an influx of funds is the Department of Family and Children's Services, or DFCS. The agency has lost about 16% of its total workforce since 2017.
GBPI also wants more money for education at all levels in the state, including an increase in pay for assistant Pre-k teachers, who have a base salary is about $20,000 a year.
The $66 million cut to higher education was also questioned. The state’s purse strings may be loosening. Wednesday, the Office of Planning and Budget told agencies that they can ask for three percent spending increases for the coming year and another three percent next year.
The state’s surplus could top 10 billion dollars.
