Opponents of school choice in Georgia Senate exercise it in their own families | The Lion

by Corey Burres | Mar 10, 2022

Opponents of school choice in Georgia Senate exercise it in their own families | The Lion

Georgia lawmaker Jodi Lott has a quick and easy answer for why she supports school choice.

“Because it already exists,” the Republican state representative told The Lion. “School choice exists every single day for the wealthy. Sadly, most Democrats and some Republicans are fighting to stop the less fortunate from having those same options.”…

The Georgia Center for Opportunity, a nonprofit that promotes school choice, hailed a Senate committee’s approval of SB 601 on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, members of both political parties have a track record of practicing ‘choice for me but not for thee’ — sending their own kids to private schools while denying that same access to lower-income families,” Buzz Brockway, vice president of public policy at GCO, said in a statement to The Lion. “It’s sad but true. The bottom line is that underserved kids are suffering because they don’t have access to the same opportunities available to wealthier kids. Programs like Promise Scholarships would break down those barriers and create better equity in education.”

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Georgia Senate committee advances school-choice bill | The Center Square

by Corey Burres | Mar 9, 2022

Georgia Senate committee advances school-choice bill | The Center Square

The Georgia Senate Education and Youth Committee has advanced legislation that would allow Georgians to put taxpayer money toward the cost of private school tuition.

Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Educational Freedom Act, would create state-funded Promise Scholarships of up to $6,000 a year. Families of the roughly 1.7 million K-12 students in Georgia could use the money for private school tuition and other education expenses, such as tutoring and homeschool curriculum…

“Promise Scholarships step far beyond a typical voucher by fully putting parents in the driver’s seat when it comes to their child’s education,” Buzz Brockway, vice president of public policy for The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO), said in a statement after the Senate committee approved the bill Tuesday.

“The funds could be used for private-school tuition, but there is added flexibility depending on each family’s unique needs, extending to paying for things like tutoring, specialized therapies, or homeschool co-ops,” Brockway said. “Passing Promise Scholarships would put Georgia at the forefront nationally of giving all children the opportunity for a great education.”

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Could guaranteed basic income replace the welfare system? | Daily Citizen News

by Corey Burres | Mar 1, 2022

Could guaranteed basic income replace the welfare system? | Daily Citizen News

Georgia is the latest state to experiment with something called a “guaranteed basic income.” It will be interesting to see if these pilot projects can avoid the same pitfalls as the welfare system they’re intended to supplement — and might be better off simply replacing.

The premise of the guaranteed basic income is that there should be a minimum level of income for all Americans. Those who fall short with what they earn from their job would receive a monthly supplement funded by taxpayers…

My friends at the Georgia Center for Opportunity have done as much work on this particular topic as anyone I know. They call the traps built by our system “welfare cliffs,” because of the sudden, sharp drop people experience when they take a small financial step forward.

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Resilience and Equity | Saporta Report

by Corey Burres | Feb 28, 2022

Resilience and Equity | Saporta Report

The challenges of the last two 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 thread that has emerged is the power of resilience. At Families First, we believe that resilience is the foundation of building strong communities…

We recognize the cycles of poverty are not broken by one program or service alone, so we offer a combination of services and supports with community partners, virtual services and locations throughout the state of Georgia. This holistic, comprehensive, results-driven approach results in awareness of the barriers to prevent families from achieving success and social equity, partnerships with community leaders to reduce barriers and increase advocacy for change and baseline assessment of the family to determine each member’s unique needs, care plan, check in timelines, and aftercare plan to measure improvement. Working with partners like the Westside Future Fund, Georgia Center for Opportunity, The Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Goodwill of North Georgia, Raising Expectations and more, Families First is helping our families create a personalized approach to take their families from surviving to thriving.

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The Water Tower will soon make Gwinnett County a hub for water innovation and research | Gwinnett Daily Post

by Corey Burres | Feb 27, 2022

The Water Tower will soon make Gwinnett County a hub for water innovation and research | Gwinnett Daily Post

Gwinnett County’s new center for water-related research and innovation development is close to opening its doors after years of planning and construction.

The Water Tower property in Buford is set to welcome tenants in March, and officials from the center and Gwinnett County government will hold a ribbon cutting for local officials on March 30. The center’s “industry” grand opening, where water industry businesses and professionals from around the world will be hosted, will then be held nearly a month later on April 22…

A ground breaking for The Water Tower was held in 2018 and several partners have signed up to team up with the center.

Those partners include Georgia Tech, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia State University, the Georgia Association of Water Professionals, the Georgia Center for Opportunity, Science for Georgia, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Global Water Works, Siemens, Mueller, JEA, Gresham Smith, Wade Trim, Kamstrup, AECOM, Ardurra, OnSyte Performance, Infiltrator Water Technologies, Municipex, Reeves + Young, HL Strategy, Safe-T-Cover, Aqaix, GWWI, Resilient H2O Partners, go:hub and McWane.

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Public policy expert explains education voucher bills | Access WDUN

by Corey Burres | Feb 27, 2022

Public policy expert explains education voucher bills | Access WDUN

Two bills proposed in the Georgia state legislature, House Bill 60 and 999, would give selected families a $6,000 subsidy to apply towards homeschooling, private school tuition or tutors. However, some parents and educators think that these bills will divert money from public education.

Buzz Brockway, the vice president of public policy at the Georgia Center for Opportunity, spoke on WDUN’s “Newsroom” to explain the purpose and need for House Bill 60 and 999.

“The idea is that the money should follow the child and parents can direct that,” Brockway said. “These two bills would give parents that opportunity to use them for things like private or homeschool tuition. Parents of special needs children might be able to have some additional therapy or tutoring for other parents. It puts the parents in control of the money that is spent on their child’s behalf.”…

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