Study: Education savings account program in Georgia could result in nearly $16B in long-term benefits | THE CENTER SQUARE

by Corey Burres | Feb 1, 2021

Study: Education savings account program in Georgia could result in nearly $16B in long-term benefits | THE CENTER SQUARE

Giving parents the ability to choose what school their children attend could save Georgia taxpayers money and generate billions of dollars in economic benefits, according to a new study.

Released this week by conservative think tank the Georgia Public Policy Foundation (GPPF) in conjunction with National School Choice Week, the study said establishing a statewide education savings account program that serves 5% of the student population would provide at least $15.7 billion in long-term economic benefits….

Buzz Brockway, vice president of public policy at the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said education scholarship accounts could increase opportunities for low-income families.

“Our No. 1 priority should be giving parents as many options as possible for their child’s education, particularly for our low-income and minority communities who lack the resources to change school environments without our help,” Brockway said.

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New Hope For ALL Georgian Students With Special Needs

by Corey Burres | Jan 29, 2021

New Hope For ALL Georgian Students With Special Needs

New legislation is being introduced that could help expand support for parents of special needs students.

For the past 14 years Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship Program (SB 10) has provided support to parents with special needs. This support allowed parents access to state-allocated funds to help find educational services for their child.

Now the state of Georgia is considering updating and reforming the program to expand accessibility.

Specifically mentioned in the legislation is the impact of the pandemic on educational access. The COVID-10 pandemic has highlighted the need for widespread educational reform, as parents with limited resources or special considerations seek to get adequate education services for their children.

In fall 2020, GCO highlighted one story of a parent struggling to find services and support to help her special needs child during the pandemic.

What the legislation plans to do

The bill currently is in its early stages but is intended to reduce the hoops parents have to jump through to access these funds. This would help reduce much of the red tape and limitations originally placed on the funds over the last fourteen years.

The bill also would expand availability to families who need the support during this crisis but were not eligible prior to.

More specifics will be released in the coming days and we will continue to update families on the measures being taken.

Overall more Georgia families deserve the same access to quality education that is enjoyed by the most privileged. Our desire is to ensure that this happens.

Infrastructure investment essential to economic mobility | THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE

by Corey Burres | Jan 25, 2021

Infrastructure investment essential to economic mobility | THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE

Georgians believe strong political leadership on transportation issues is a critical component of our economic success. According to polling from the Georgia Transportation Alliance, 93% of Georgians use automobiles as their primary source of transportation, 43% believe our road network is our greatest asset, 49% believe the state has primary responsibility for transportation infrastructure investment, and 51% are more likely to reelect a politician who votes to increase transportation funding…

The Georgia Center for Opportunity recently noted that there are 250,000 working-age men not working or looking for work in Georgia. By 2027, 87 Georgia counties will have lost jobs and, by 2030, 74 counties will see population loss. There is still a significant gap between where our planning and funding are today and where it must be to protect our future economy and quality of life. In 2014, Georgia had 1,600 deficient bridges. In 2019, Georgia still had 1,600 deficient bridges.

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A true second chance | THE LAGRANGE DAILY NEWS

by Corey Burres | Jan 20, 2021

A true second chance | THE LAGRANGE DAILY NEWS

In July 2020, I wrote a column about Senate Bill 288 (SB 288). At the time, the governor ended up signing the bill that can help many Georgians remove the stigma of having a criminal conviction…

More than 4 million Georgia residents had a criminal record in 2016, according to the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO)

“It is vital that we continue to reform Georgia’s criminal justice system so that reformation and reintegration is the goal, and not just punishment,” said Corey Burres, GCO’s vice president of communicaitons. “With SB 288, we are making real efforts to help past offenders access opportunities that may not be available to them due to their criminal record.”

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Agency puts families first in new effort to build resilience | AJC

by Corey Burres | Jan 20, 2021

Agency puts families first in new effort to build resilience | AJC

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic would come to bear down upon us, DePriest Waddy was sitting in his office at Families First when a mother and father stopped in with their two young sons in tow.

There’s no polite way to put this, but they were a mess…

They won’t do this work alone. Using the data they collect, Families First will collaborate with dozens of local nonprofits, including WorkSource Atlanta, the Westside Future Fund, Georgia Center for Opportunity, and Good Samaritan. Together they will provide the support a family needs, when they need it.

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