NEWS & OPINIONS
New GCO Report: Fortifying Pathways
While education plays a tremendous role in shaping individual life outcomes, the number of students in Georgia who do not advance beyond K-12 remains astronomically high. Over 1 in 5 young adults in Georgia are not attending school, not working, and have no degree...
Michael Bowers’ Religious Freedom Contretemps
I used to admire and respect Michael Bowers, Georgia’s Attorney General from 1981 to 1997, but his recent intervention in the debate over the religious freedom bills ought to embarrass him. To be sure, losing my respect won’t cost him any sleep and the mainstream...
Gov. Deal “Banned the Box” in Georgia
It's official. Governor Nathan Deal signed an executive order on February 23rd to "ban the box" on applications for state employment in Georgia. This order will remove the question about felony convictions from the initial job application and postpone it to a later...
Religious Hiring and State Religious Freedom Legislation
In a blog post, the AJC’s Jay Bookman tried to use a case in Kentucky to raise the spectre of what might happen in Georgia if the legislature passed the “Preventing Government Overreach on Religious Expression Act,” its version of the Religious Freedom Restoration...
New GCO Report: A High Price to Pay
GCO's latest report provides solutions that aim to minimize the role debt has in driving recidivism rates. Offenders often leave prison owing tens of thousands of dollars in debt, creating serious obstacles to a successful reentry. The state expects returning...
A Real Chance to Prosper Event Recap
Georgia Center for Opportunity’s annual fundraiser, a Real Chance to Prosper, on December 4th was a great success. It brought together around 200 people at the newly opened College Football Hall of Fame for a night celebrating the legacy of the late Jack Kemp and...
Sajan George Schools Local Leaders on Education Turnarounds
Over the past year, Georgia Center for Opportunity has hosted a series of luncheons aimed at encouraging local educators and business leaders to think outside of the traditional education reform box. Past keynote speakers have shared ways educators can work within...
FEC “Dark Money” Search Could Hurt Nonprofits
The following is a special report for Georgia Center for Opportunity by Mike Klein. Mike's other work may be found here. Video from the Atlanta session may be seen here: While voters fixate on an election next week that could change Washington’s balance of power, some...
Fundraiser special guests: Jeff and Jimmy Kemp
GCO is thrilled to have Jeff and Jimmy Kemp join us at our annual fundraiser on December 4, 2014 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Jeff and Jimmy will be with us to share recollections of their father, the late Jack Kemp, and discuss why his legacy...
Breakthrough Ambassadors College Campus Tour
Visit Duke and UNC Chapel Hill on 11/23/14 - 11/24/14 with Breakthrough Ambassadors. The tour is open to parents and 10th - 12th grade high school students. Check out this fantastic opportunity through Breakthrough Ambassadors to visit UNC Chapel Hill and Duke for an...
Breakthrough Showcase – Business Community
Click the link to register for the event: secure.foropportunity.org/breakthroughshowcase
Save The Date: Reception and Annual Fundraiser
Join us at the College Football Hall of Fame on December 4, 2014 to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Jack Kemp. Register to Attend
MEDIA MENTIONS
AJC – Parental paid leave makes inroads in Georgia after years of resistance
Three months of paid leave, maid service and a year of free diapers. Those are among the parental perks the Midtown software firm SalesLoft is using to lure top talent through its doors — and keep them there. SalesLoft is an outlier among companies in Georgia, which...
Georgia earns high marks for career development, but workforce lags, labor commish says
Georgia’s workforce development program has been selected as the best in the South Atlantic Region by business publication, Site Selection Magazine. Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement a day after Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said workforce numbers are lagging......
Georgia earns high marks for career development, but workforce lags, labor commish says
Georgia’s workforce development program has been selected as the best in the South Atlantic Region by business publication, Site Selection Magazine. Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement a day after Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said workforce numbers are lagging......
Why should you care about the ex-offender in your community?
Local coalition works to reduce recidivism rates and replace stigmas with compassion When it comes to tackling deep-rooted social issues, no single organization can do it alone. The Greater Gwinnett Reentry Alliance (GGRA) is a coalition of service providers in...
Joyce Mayberry Leads In New Role As Vice President of Family Formation
Joyce Mayberry will be moving into a new role as the Vice President of Family Formation. In this position, Joyce will continue to develop new ways to strengthen families in the communities we serve through our many partners. This move in position reinforces three...
Poll: Half of Georgians don’t want budget cuts
Most Georgians don't want to see state budget cuts, according to a poll released Thursday, but critics say the language used in the survey was overly suggestive. The survey conducted by the left-leaning Georgia Budget & Policy Institute found that about half of...
Georgia recoups about as much money in food stamp fraud as it spends
Georgia officials spend about as much investigating claims of food stamp fraud as they recoup for the state. In the 2019 fiscal year, Georgia investigators spent more than $7.2 million to look into claims of fraud. Investigators found that $8.4 million in food...
Georgia Senate committee votes to maintain felon rights restrictions
The Senate Study Committee on Revising Voting Rights for Nonviolent Felony Offenders decided Wednesday to keep Georgia’s constitution as it is. The members voted 3-2 in favor of continuing to restrict nearly 250,000 convicted Georgia felons from voting. According to...
