NEWS & OPINIONS
GCO signed coalition letter urging policymakers to prioritize high-speed broadband in rural Georgia
The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) has signed on to a coalition letter urging policymakers to prioritize the use of federal emergency dollars for high-speed broadband in rural, underserved areas of Georgia.The letter makes four recommendations: Target funds to...
GET BUZZ’D AT THE STATE CAPITOL
A focus on the state legislature and the policies effecting Georgian’s everyday life. Buzz Brockway, VP of Policy, is in downtown Atlanta at the state Capitol building, and walks us through the the last day or sine die of the legislative session. Our state...
Educating our educators on Senate Bill 47
We have some great news to share! Lawmakers in the Georgia House are likely to take up Senate Bill 47 as soon as today. SB47 makes vital improvements and updates to the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important...
Aidan’s story: How a private school saved a young man’s life
“Every day was truly a dark day.” That’s how Tiffany Pearce describes life during the hardest weeks of trying to care for her son, Aidan. Diagnosed with bipolar with mania, on top of an earlier diagnosis of autism and sensory integration disorder, Aidan couldn’t do...
Drive-Thru Job Fair Comes to Gwinnett
Drive-Thru Job Fair Comes to Gwinnett The current pandemic has made a massive impact on America’s workforce and wreaked havoc on certain business sectors. While we’re beginning to see a dip in the number of active COVID-19 cases around the country, parts of the...
Get Buzz’d At the state Capitol
A focus on the state legislature and the policies effecting Georgian's everyday life. Buzz Brockway, VP of Policy, is in downtown Atlanta at the state Capitol building, and walks us through the proposed changes to The Special Needs Scholarship,...
Many Special Needs Students Have Struggled with Virtual Classes
For some students virtual classes during the past year have been fine. Some have even thrived. But for many special needs students, it has not gone well, as a parent tells the Georgia Center for Opportunity: A virtual classroom worked fine for Jennifer’s two older...
Buzz Brockway is a Guest on the Erick Erickson Show | WSB 95.5
On March 4, 2021 Buzz Brockway, VP of Policy, was a featured guest on WSB 99.5's Erick Erickson Show to discuss legislation (HB 60) that would allow parents and students more education options. Unfortunately, HB 60 will not come to fruition this year, but we're not...
Key GCO priority bills make crossover deadline
The Georgia legislative session is halfway over, and already we’ve made some important progress in breaking down barriers to work and expanding opportunity for all Georgians. We reached a key legislative mark on March 8: The crossover deadline. That means that any...
Benefiting Low-Wage Workers without Minimum Wage Laws
Strategies to help everyone If it is a bad idea to raise the minimum wage, or even have a minimum wage law to begin with, where does this leave the low-wage worker? We already examined the empirical evidence showing that minimum wage laws reduce employment among the...
Why the Minimum Wage is Bad News for Small Business
Why that’s bad for everyone else, and how raising costs can have disastrous economic consequences. In a prior blog, I explained how empirical research supports the side of the debate asserting negative consequences due to minimum wage laws. Now we’ll look under the...
Magnifying Positivity
Maginifying Positivity My husband and I only had her in our care for two-weeks. She is a seven-year-old full of spunk and sass at the same time! We adore that about her and looked forward to providing some stability and positivity in her life for the time she spent...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Kemp signs school-choice expansion bills in Georgia | CENTER SQUARE
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a trio of bills Thursday to expand education options in Georgia. Senate Bill 47 expands the state's Special Needs Scholarship program to students with 504 Plans. The program offers scholarships for students with individualized education plans to...
Foster children, homeless students to get free tuition in Georgia | JOHNSON CITY PRESS
Foster children and students who are identified as homeless will be able to attend Georgia public universities and technical colleges for free, starting July 1. Senate Bill 107 was part of a legislation package signed Monday by Gov. Brian Kemp aimed at improving the...
Georgia nonprofit joins coalition pushing to use federal aid to expand broadband access | CENTER SQUARE
A Georgia nonprofit is among a group of organizations calling on state lawmakers to prioritize improving internet access with federal relief money. The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) joined a coalition of 13 other organizations across the country urging state...
Poll: Support for school choice increases after COVID shutdowns | KULR8
After states shut down schools and forced families into virtual learning, parents and families found new ways to provide K-12 education to their children. While doing so, support for school choice options soared, a new poll from Real Clear Opinion Research found....
Resilience and Equity | SAPORTA REPORT
The challenges of the last year have impacted all of us. From social injustices to racial inequality and COVID, our communities are suffering. We have also seen great acts of heroism with our front-line workers who have continued to serve our communities. A common...
Georgia Center for Opportunity to host drive-thru job fair in Gwinnett County Thursday | GWINNETT DAILY POST
The Georgia Center for Opportunity will host the Better Work Gwinnett Job Fair Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Infinite Energy Center parking deck in unincorporated Duluth. During this drive-through job fair, job seekers will have an opportunity to meet...
Big Drive-Through Job Fair In Gwinnett This Thurs April 1st | CBS Atlanta
The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is proud to announce a collaborative effort known as the Better Work Gwinnett Job Fair occurring April 1, 2021, from 10am to 2pm at the Infinite Energy Center Parking Deck. During this drive-through job fair, job seekers will...
Need a job? Drive-thru job fair to offer hundreds of positions | AJC
More than 20 employers are looking to fill hundreds of jobs and are making the interview process as safe and easy as possible. Jobseekers will have the opportunity to meet employers from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday at the Infinite Energy Center Parking Deck during a...
