Group says Georgia lawmakers missed a chance to expand educational opportunities

by Buzz Brockway | May 26, 2023

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

Group says Georgia lawmakers missed a chance to expand educational opportunities

Georgia lawmakers missed an opportunity to expand educational opportunities for Peach State students when they failed to pass a bill to establish state-funded education savings accounts, a nonprofit said Thursday.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity pointed to Indiana and South Carolina, which passed measures recently to create education scholarship accounts. The accounts generally allow recipients to use the money for educational expenses, including tuition for private schools.

“We’re seeing an increasing tide of states choosing to give all students access to the best education for their unique needs,” Buzz Brockway, GCO’s vice president of public policy. “It’s a shame that Georgia didn’t join that list this year.

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Utah’s ‘One Door’ Policy Shows the Way Forward on Safety-net Reforms

by Buzz Brockway | May 26, 2023

Utah’s ‘One Door’ Policy Shows the Way Forward on Safety-net Reforms

By Buzz Brockway

The April unemployment report shows that job opportunities remain at historic highs across the country. In fact, the report came in better than expected at a 3.4% unemployment rate, exceeding expectations for the resilience and strength of the labor market.

In this environment, no work-capable person should be without a job. But the sad reality is that the very safety net system created to help people who are struggling is the same one contributing to keeping them mired in generational poverty. I’m talking about America’s social-safety net system.

As it stands, our nation’s welfare system is a fragmented hodgepodge of programs. The dozens of programs that make up “the system” have different and, at times, competing goals, inconsistent rules, and overlapping groups of recipients.

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Indiana and South Carolina join a growing list of states expanding educational opportunity in 2023

by David Bass | May 25, 2023

Media statement, in the news, Georgia news, ga news

Indiana and South Carolina join a growing list of states expanding educational opportunity in 2023

Indiana and South Carolina have joined a growing list of states that have expanded educational opportunity in 2023. The mechanism is Education Scholarship Accounts, or ESAs, that empower all families to choose an educational option outside their locally zoned public school, if that is their choice.

Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “We’re seeing an increasing tide of states choosing to give all students access to the best education for their unique needs. It’s a shame that Georgia didn’t join that list this year,” said Buzz Brockway, GCO’s vice president of public policy. “If Georgia lawmakers had passed Senate Bill 233 this session, eligible families would have had access to $6,500 to find the best educational option for their child. As it stands, these kids will remain stuck in schools that aren’t the right fit for them. Even so, we have hope for the 2024 short session with lawmakers will have another chance to advance education opportunity for all.”

For more on the ways ESAs would help kids in Georgia, check out these resources:

‎Leland Conway: Josh Crawford Talks Robbery, Homicide, Pro Criminals and more on Apple Podcasts

by Kimberly Sawatka | May 22, 2023

‎Leland Conway: Josh Crawford Talks Robbery, Homicide, Pro Criminals and more on Apple Podcasts

Josh Crawford Talks Robbery, Homicide, Pro Criminals and more with Leland Conway.

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As Juvenile Crime Skyrockets to Record Levels, States Seek to Crack Down – Tennessee Star

by Kimberly Sawatka | May 9, 2023

As Juvenile Crime Skyrockets to Record Levels, States Seek to Crack Down – Tennessee Star

As juvenile crime has skyrocketed across the nation following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, state lawmakers are looking to pass laws to curb rising youth violence and lawlessness.

Juvenile homicides nationwide increased by 44% from 2019 to 2020 and increased by 83% from 2013 to 2020, according to data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, as school closures and police reforms have contributed to rising youth crime. Lawmakers in Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and New Jersey have introduced bills to implement measures such as penalty enhancements for juvenile gang members, as well as mandatory holding periods for juveniles charged with violent crimes, to address the rising violence.

“The year 2020 saw a reversal of decades-long reductions in juvenile violent crime,” Josh Crawford, Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives at the Georgia Center for Opportunity, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Kids not being in school due to government shutdowns and reductions in proactive policing during COVID-19 played a role.”

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As Juvenile Crime Skyrockets to Record Levels, States Seek to Crack Down – The Minnesota Sun

by Kimberly Sawatka | May 9, 2023

As Juvenile Crime Skyrockets to Record Levels, States Seek to Crack Down – The Minnesota Sun

As juvenile crime has skyrocketed across the nation following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, state lawmakers are looking to pass laws to curb rising youth violence and lawlessness.

Juvenile homicides nationwide increased by 44% from 2019 to 2020 and increased by 83% from 2013 to 2020, according to data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, as school closures and police reforms have contributed to rising youth crime. Lawmakers in Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and New Jersey have introduced bills to implement measures such as penalty enhancements for juvenile gang members, as well as mandatory holding periods for juveniles charged with violent crimes, to address the rising violence.

“The year 2020 saw a reversal of decades-long reductions in juvenile violent crime,” Josh Crawford, Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives at the Georgia Center for Opportunity, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Kids not being in school due to government shutdowns and reductions in proactive policing during COVID-19 played a role.”

Read the full article here