Joshua Crawford Featured on The Steve Gruber Show

by Josh Crawford | Jun 17, 2024

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

Joshua Crawford Featured on The Steve Gruber Show

Josh Crawford, director of Criminal Justice Initiatives at the Georgia Center for Opportunity and a public safety policy leader, recently appeared on The Steve Gruber Show. In his interview, he explores the growing crime divide between Americans and politicians and how voters are responding. Don’t miss this insightful discussion.

Listen here

Unraveling the Damage Done by Our Welfare System

by Randy Hicks | Apr 30, 2024

Unraveling the Damage Done by Our Welfare System

Education, employment, and family formation are “the building blocks for a flourishing life,” says the leader of the Georgia Center for Opportunity.

But, unfortunately, America’s welfare system includes penalties for both work and family formation, Randy Hicks says.

Although the safety net may not intend to punish work or the family, Hicks says, it does that through policies that reward Americans with financial benefits for earning less or remaining single.

Among all the states, Utah has created a model for a strong welfare system, he says. Utah integrated its workforce services with welfare services in the 1990s, so when an individual seeks government assistance, the first step is to help him re-enter the workforce, if he is able, before providing monetary benefits.

But around the year 2000, the federal government passed a law that made it almost impossible for states to integrate workforce and welfare services as Utah did.

To change this situation, Hicks says, the Georgia Center for Opportunity and the Alliance for Opportunity advocate congressional legislation to “give states the flexibility to do what Utah did: integrate workforce and welfare so that we’re not compartmentalizing someone’s life but viewing it holistically and viewing it all as simply a means to a flourishing life that includes work.”

Hicks joins this episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the path to restoring the value of education, work, and family in America.

Listen to the full podcast

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs ‘Promise Scholarships’ Bill

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Apr 25, 2024

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs ‘Promise Scholarships’ Bill

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure to allow families to spend taxpayer money on private school tuition, which school choice proponents lauded, though critics worry it will cut resources from strapped school systems.

Senate Bill 233, the “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act,” which lawmakers passed after killing the proposal last year. Under the measure, students who attend a public school that ranks in the bottom 25% in terms of academic performance are eligible for annual $6,500 scholarships.

The bill’s signing “is a great step in the right direction,” Lt. Governor Burt Jones, a Republican, said in a statement. However, “there is still more work to be done to give parents the choice and resources that can meet their child’s unique educational needs,” and the lieutenant governor vowed to work with policymakers to “ensure educational freedom in Georgia.”

Georgia families can use the money for “approved educational expenses,” including private school tuition. The program prioritizes families earning less than 400% of the federal poverty level — around $120,000 a year for a family of four — and students from families earning more are eligible for any leftover funds.

“It recognizes that Georgia is a diverse state with a diverse set of needs for education,” Buzz Brockway, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s vice president of public policy, said in a statement. “After years of work, this bill is a positive step toward shaping an education system that honors every child’s unique situation and prevents a lack of quality education from locking children and communities into poverty.”

Read the full article here

Opinion: Governor’s signature on school choice bill is good first step

by Kimberly Sawatka | Apr 24, 2024

Opinion: Governor’s signature on school choice bill is good first step

Education is one of the most powerful ways that kids connect with positive role models, ideas and skills that enable them to imagine and pursue meaningful, prosperous futures.

At the same time, these futures are evolving — and fast. Modern technology, new industries and new skills required for work mean that Georgia can no longer skate by having only 34% of fourth graders showing proficiency in math and 32% in reading on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Read the full article here

Georgia governor signs bill to launch ‘Promise Scholarships’

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Apr 24, 2024

Georgia governor signs bill to launch ‘Promise Scholarships’

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure to allow families to spend taxpayer money on private school tuition, which school choice proponents lauded, though critics worry it will cut resources from strapped school systems.

Senate Bill 233, the “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act,” which lawmakers passed after killing the proposal last year. Under the measure, students who attend a public school that ranks in the bottom 25% in terms of academic performance are eligible for annual $6,500 scholarships.

“It recognizes that Georgia is a diverse state with a diverse set of needs for education,” Buzz Brockway, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s vice president of public policy, said in a statement. “After years of work, this bill is a positive step toward shaping an education system that honors every child’s unique situation and prevents a lack of quality education from locking children and communities into poverty.”

Read the full article here

GCO applauds signing of Promise Scholarships bill, says more work needs to be done

by David Bass | Apr 23, 2024

GCO applauds signing of Promise Scholarships bill, says more work needs to be done

PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA—Today, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) applauded Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia legislature for ushering into law the Promise Scholarships bill that will bring much-needed relief to the over half-a-million low- and middle-income kids stuck in low-performing schools.

“We are thankful to Gov. Kemp and the many House and Senate lawmakers who recognized the urgency of the moment and advanced a bill to provide much-needed opportunity to bolster academic options,” said Buzz Brockway, GCO’s vice president of public policy. “Passing Promise Scholarships is a momentous milestone for tens of thousands of Georgia kids struggling in a system that doesn’t work for them. It recognizes that Georgia is a diverse state with a diverse set of needs for education. After years of work, this bill is a positive step toward shaping an education system that honors every child’s unique situation and prevents a lack of quality education from locking children and communities into poverty.”

Senate Bill 233 will make students from the lowest performing 25% of public schools eligible to receive $6,500 a year set aside in an account. Parents can then use the funds to cover approved educational expenses, including private school tuition, books, uniforms, and even transportation.

SB 233 also gives first priority to students from families below 400% of the federal poverty level — around $120,000 a year for a family of four. Students above that threshold will be allowed to participate if funds are left over after the lower-income students are served.

Promise Scholarships will serve an estimated 21,500 kids when the program goes live for the 2025-2026 school year.

Georgia now joins a growing list of states offering educational options for all students. In the Southeast, Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina have recently enacted universal Education Savings Account programs, while South Carolina is in the process of creating a universal program in the coming years.

“The urgency to create an education lifeline for kids can’t be overstated. Education is a basic need. Lack of access to quality options is a major cause of many of the ills in our society, including putting a cap on upward mobility. A lack of quality education locks children into poverty and prevents communities from thriving,” said Brockway.

Although GCO praised passage of Promise Scholarships, Randy Hicks, GCO’s president and CEO, cautioned that the bill is just a first step.

“Unfortunately, the final compromise bill was watered down in a number of ways that will limit its reach,” said Hicks. “Funding for Promise Scholarships is capped to 1% of public school funding and there is a 10-year sunset on the entire program. It’s a positive step that over 20,000 students will be eligible for educational freedom, that number is a drop in the bucket compared to the need. We will continue building on this foundation for the future so that all of Georgia’s schoolchildren have options.”

###

Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is independent, non-partisan, and solutions-focused. Our team is dedicated to creating opportunities for a quality education, fulfilling work, and a healthy family life for all Georgians. To achieve our mission, we research ways to help remove barriers to opportunity in each of these pathways, promote our solutions to policymakers and the public, and help effective and innovative social enterprises deliver results in their communities.

Learn More about SB233

Schedule An Interview