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.

Read the full article here

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.”

Read the full article here

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.

Read the full article here

New legislation would expand school-choice opportunities for Georgia parents | THE CENTER SQUARE

by Corey Burres | Jan 20, 2021

New legislation would expand school-choice opportunities for Georgia parents | THE CENTER SQUARE

A Georgia lawmaker has proposed legislation that would provide more education choices for parents by allowing public education funds to be used for private school tuition.

The Georgia Educational Scholarship Act, introduced by Rep. Wes Cantrell, R-Woodstock, would create educational scholarship accounts for Georgia students. Cantrell, a former public school teacher, said doing so would expand learning opportunities for students in the state…

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

“The pandemic has shown us firsthand the importance of access and options in education. For many of us, that importance has come into focus for the first time,” Brockway said. “But these struggles have always been faced by low-income and impoverished communities in our state, who lack access to the same opportunities as most of us enjoy.”

Read the full article here

Private school vouchers back on the state legislative agenda | AJC

by Corey Burres | Jan 14, 2021

Private school vouchers back on the state legislative agenda | AJC

Pandemic precautions have set the stage for an unusual legislative session, but one thing hasn’t changed: the years-long feud over public funding of private education in Georgia.

For several years, some lawmakers have pushed to spend more state money on private educational expenses, including tuition, and this year Rep. Wes Cantrell is back with his proposal to give certain parents access to more state tax dollars….

The conservative Georgia Center for Opportunity, meanwhile, supports the legislation, saying it ensures “equal access to quality education options,” regardless of factors such as race or socioeconomic status.

Read the full article here

Investment’s key to Ga.’s economic mobility | AJC

by Corey Burres | Jan 11, 2021

Investment’s key to Ga.’s economic mobility | AJC

Over the last decade, Georgia has experienced remarkable progress in developing our transportation and infrastructure network. We stabilized our roads and bridges in 2015 with HB170, regional transit systems in 2018, and invested over $300 million in state money in the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. Since 2012, over 70 communities have passed local option sales taxes for infrastructure…

And Georgia still has economic challenges. 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.

Read the full article here