by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Mar 8, 2014
Yesterday, Georgia Justice Project (GJP) hosted a lobby day at the Capitol which aimed to “enhance the chance” for Georgians with a criminal record to find employment. Concerned advocates traveled from as far as far as Albany to the State Capitol to voice their support for SB 365, a bill which captures a number of recommendations made by the Governor’s Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform to increase employment opportunities for ex-offenders (read the report here).
Before the 125+ advocates who attended the GJP’s Lobby Day met with legislators, the team at GJP provided a brief run-down of what the bill says, how the legislative process works, and what to say when talking with one’s legislator. Information packets were handed out explaining the nuts and bolts of SB 365, making it as easy as possible for participants to advocate for the recommendations made in the bill.
It a nutshell, SB 365 makes three important reforms that will assist ex-offenders in obtaining employment: (1) It mandates that private background check agencies update their criminal history information on a monthly basis and permanently delete any records that have been restricted or of persons who have been exonerated (absolved from guilt); (2) It protects employers from being accused of negligent hiring if they hire ex-offenders who have received a Program and Treatment Completion Certificate or a pardon; (3) It gives judges discretion in determining whether an offender’s license should be suspended or not for a non-driving-related drug offense.
After the brief orientation, advocates headed to the House Chamber to speak with their representatives. Staff at GJP and other volunteers instructed advocates on how to page their legislator at the ropes outside of the chamber in order to speak with them.
I had the chance to speak with Rep. Tom Rice (R-95) from Norcross about SB 365. Rep. Rice spoke in favor of the bill and mentioned that he has seen virtually no opposition to it in the House. His remarks confirm what we saw in the Senate last Thursday, February 26, as the bill passed unanimously with a vote of 53-0. The bipartisan support for this bill is strong as both parties acknowledge the importance of removing unnecessary obstacles to employment for those who carry a criminal record.
GJP’s Lobby Day at the Capitol finished as Executive Director Jay Neal of the Governor’s Office of Transition, Support, and Reentry addressed the group of advocates who participated in the effort. He expressed his appreciation for people coming out to voice their support for reforms that will improve the lives of those who carry a criminal record. Neal, who is passionate about this issue, shared with the group the effort that the Governor’s Office is putting forth to improve the reentry strategy in communities across the state. He mentioned that Georgia has done in four months what it took Michigan to do in two years – a state that is largely regarded as a national leader in recidivism reduction. Georgia has been to do this because of the broad support these reforms have received from the top-down.
Neal shared with the group that nine years ago the state had 64,000 people in prison or in jail. Today, this population has been reduced to 55,000 people – a savings of nearly $190 million to the state (the average cost of incarcerating a person in Georgia is $21,039 per year). Furthermore, of the 9,000 people released over this time period, 1,000 people were released in just the past month. The majority of these releases are low-level, non-violent offenders who are better-off receiving treatment under community supervision than within prison. These reductions allow the state to reserve expensive prison beds for offenders who pose the greatest threat to public safety.
Much of the success that the state has experienced in reducing prison costs and increasing public safety has taken place through recommendations made by the Criminal Justice Reform Council during the past three years. The council’s recommendations have served as a powerful guide for realigning Georgia’s criminal justice system with evidence-based practices nationwide.
As statewide collaboration continues to take place from the Governor’s office to local community service providers, there is good reason to believe that Georgia will continue to see positive outcomes in offender reentry in the coming years.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Feb 28, 2014
Sharing wisdom between generations. Courtesy: Thegospelcoalition.org
In addition to remembering the legacy and accomplishments of many great men and women, the essence of Black History Month is also about continuing to build a sense of family within communities. Our mothers, fathers, and grandparents are our first teachers in life. It is strong relationships such as these that help shape who we are, and prepare us to be the new writers of history.
In my own life, I am always amazed at the power of the relationships I share with the beautiful women in my family. I am very blessed to have known my maternal great-grandmother, and to still receive endless wisdom from my grandmother and mother. The special interactions between the generations in my family were the ones that taught me about values and morals, hard word, and dedication. My relationships with these women are also the ones that anchored my commitment to my education. They are the type of relationships, much like I discussed last Fellowship Friday, that seem to be foundational to reaching academic and personal success for all students.
Recognizing that all students can benefit from the guidance and mentorship of older generations, the value of close relationships is not a luxury that has to be confined between blood-family members. These important ties can also be duplicated by the teachers, pastors, friends, and other influential people who enter students’ lives. Finding new points of support for students is particularly important for disconnected youth, who continue to be disproportionate across racial and socioeconomic lines.
Just yesterday President Barack Obama announced an initiative many constituents have been awaiting his entire presidency–one that addresses the unique challenges men of color face in reaching academic, economic, and personal success. My Brother’s Keeper, as the initiative is called, extends a plan for new research and programmatic efforts to empower this group of young people.
Locally, Georgia Center for Opportunity is always dedicated to empowering stronger families and communities. As a Breakthrough Fellow it has been incredible–through the Breakthrough Norcross, College and Career Pathways, and the Prisoner-Reentry projects–to see such concerted efforts to link all Georgians irrespective of their background to better outcomes in life. I am continuing to learn what extends the essence of Black History Month past February. Policy efforts that are underlined with an understanding of service and strong relationships between neighbors, friends, and family are an important start.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Feb 6, 2014
By Dr. Danielle LeSure, GCO’s Director of Education Policy
Amazingly, over 600 students, parents, teachers, and school leaders crowded the Capitol in the middle of a snow storm to cheer for school choice options—charter schools, public school transfers, special needs and tax credit scholarship programs— on Tuesday, January 28.
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- Students have their photo taken to share their support of School Choice through social media.
After touring the Capitol and visiting with legislators, students were greeted by never ending snow flurries. While waiting for the rally to start on the steps of the Capitol, Governor Nathan Deal (GA) announced the closing of all state government buildings. Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Vice President Eric Cochling approached the crowd of students that were dancing to the song “Happy” from Despicable Me to deliver the news and lead everyone in a cheer. From the streets surrounding the Capitol you could hear voices shouting “more school choice, more school choice.”
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- Eric Cochling addresses the crowd at the rally and leads the cheers of “More school Choice!”
Though we were unable to hear from our scheduled speakers Governor Deal and actress Keshia Knight Pulliam who are strong supporters of choice, we did get to hear from those who benefit most from school choice—Georgia students. As they left, their footprints in the snow symbolized Georgia’s journey in the school choice movement. While we have many options in Georgia, there are still over 5,000 students on waiting lists for charter schools and many more students longing for a better option but private school costs are not affordable for their parents.
Georgia does not stand alone in its efforts to increase support for school choice. During the week of the rally, there were over 5,500 events nationwide celebrating school choice options. This is a record high according to an article by National School Choice Week.
- Two students showcasing the signs they prepared for the rally.
If you are or know of a parent who needs more information about choice or would like to become an advocate please visit the Georgia Parents Alliance. Together, we can continue to make a difference!
by Eric Cochling | Jan 27, 2014
Just this past week, Georgia’s Tax Credit Scholarship program reached its cap of allowable donation commitments (currently, $58 million) in well under a month. That’s the earliest the cap has been reached in the program’s history, three and a half months earlier than last year, when the cap was reached on May 9th.
Add to the early cap the fact that Student Scholarship Organizations (SSO’s), those groups tasked with distributing tax credit scholarships, nearly universally report long waiting lists of students seeking a scholarship and it becomes clear that the program is in high demand.
Of course, it comes as no surprise that a school choice program in Georgia is overrun with interest.
Charter schools have long experienced high demand, with lotteries becoming necessary to decide which children are selected among the many who want to attend. Of course, parents are expressing their desire for additional choices in other ways, including sacrificing to send their children to private schools and, in an ever growing trend, teaching their children at home.
Given Georgia’s record on educational achievement, it’s really no wonder parents and their kids are looking for something better. That said, the desire for choice often has as much to do about wanting to escape an unsuitable school environment as with academic achievement.
That’s exactly why we’re hosting a rally at the Capitol tomorrow to celebrate National School Choice Week. While we are happy about the progress Georgia has made in increasing education options in recent years, less than 1 percent of Georgia’s more than 1.6 million students has been able to access Georgia’s school choice options.
Our tax credit program cap of $58 million annually may seem like a lot but compared to other states, it’s just a beginning of what’s needed to meet the demand. Florida’s program, for example, is currently capped at $286 million annually and grows each year automatically while Louisiana’s program has no cap at all.
Not only are Georgia’s current school choice programs limited, but for the 57% of Georgia students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, options are limited yet again because – unlike wealthier families – they are often unable to move to a district with better public schools.
The net result is that if the local public school isn’t suitable for them, they have nowhere else to turn.
With many billions of dollars spent in Georgia each year on public education, there is no excuse for a child being trapped in any particular school. We should demand more for Georgia’s children.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Dec 23, 2013
Thanks to your support, Georgia Center for Opportunity is making significant progress in removing barriers to opportunity through Research & Development, Policy Advancement and Delivery. Please review highlights from 2013 and preview our work for 2014.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Central to GCO’s Breakthrough Process is the Research & Development Working Group. Each team is an expert panel from fields of government, academics, business and non-profits that convenes to evaluate research, field studies, public hearings and best practice observations to recommend evidence-based solutions to policymakers and service providers. Here are a few 2013 highlights from our current Working Groups:
Prisoner Reentry: Launched in July 2013, the team’s sixth meeting is scheduled for December 2013. The team has: visited five Georgia state prisons and two drug courts, conducted nearly four dozen interviews and completed initial research; developed policy recommendations on ways to improve employment opportunities for ex-offenders and presented the recommendations to the Governor’s Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform; and presented details of prisoner reentry work to a gathering of 70+ individuals in Washington, DC, who represent leading think-tanks from around the country and world, members of Congress and congressional staffers.
College & Career Pathways: Led by PhD researcher Eric Wearne, the College & Career Pathways team officially kicked off in November 2013. The team has: conducted dozens of interviews with education experts in Georgia, completed initial research and is currently narrowing its research agenda in this critical work.
Alternatives to Medicaid Expansion: This Working Group is in early stage development with an official launch targeted for January. The team is: conducting initial research on Georgia’s Medicaid program, including the details of Medicaid expansion, and expert interviews are in process.
POLICY ADVANCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
GCO has made an impact through Education Advocacy during the 2013 legislative session resulting in two reforms signed into law:
- Tax Credit Scholarship Program reforms, including expansion of the cap to $58 million per year.
- Special Needs Scholarship reforms, including three specific enrollment opportunities each year.
Additionally, we spoke before the Georgia Senate committee to help prevent horseracing in Georgia and our VP of Policy Advancement, Eric Cochling, continues to serve on the Governor’s Task Force on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.
As part of our Grassroots Outreach efforts, the Policy Advancement team has:
- Recruited and trained advocates on topics including: how to talk with a legislator, how to use social media, op-ed and blog writing and interviewing skills for print and broadcast media.
- Organized the 2013 School Choice Celebration and Rally, drawing over 2,000 people (mark your calendars – the 2014 School Choice Rally is scheduled for January 28, 2014 at the State Capitol).
- Participated in several panels on education reform, including the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus annual conference and Heartland event at the National Conference for State Legislatures.
- Launched Georgia Parents Alliance, an effort to engage over 10,000 parents online to support school choice and reform (see www.georgiaparentsalliance.org).
BREAKTHROUGH DELIVERY HIGHLIGHTS
This past year our Breakthrough Delivery team has consulted with partner organizations such as Arete Scholars Fund and Every Woman Works to improve their delivery capacity, focusing on organizational branding, programs, operations and funding development.
We have established Breakthrough Norcross, a Collective Impact initiative uniting more than 30 partner organizations that serve the Norcross school cluster (includes students living in Peachtree Corners) to develop a shared vision for change: every child in the Norcross cluster will succeed academically, enter into a meaningful, self-sustaining career and develop into a contributing member of the community.
- Breakthrough Norcross has more than 30 non-profit organizations committed to the Collective Impact initiative and others who have shown interest. In early 2014 we will approach more local businesses to join as partners.
- The collective partners have identified key outcomes and corresponding metrics at each stage of a child’s life (e.g., early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence) that cumulatively lead to academic success, and will next research evidence-based interventions and programs available to bring about better outcomes at each stage.
- If local organizations and programs that deliver desired outcomes do not exist in the Norcross community, the Breakthrough Delivery team will incubate programs to deliver services designed to bring about needed change.
2014 PREVIEW
As we move forward to 2014 we plan to continue the important work started in 2013 and launch several new initiatives:
- Research & Development plans to assemble Working Groups that will focus on Stronger Families and Entitlement Reforms.
- Policy Advancement will advocate for the reforms proposed by the Prisoner Reentry and College & Career Pathways Working Groups.
- On the education front, Policy Advancement will pursue the establishment of Opportunity Scholarships that greatly expand the choices available to students in Georgia.
- GCO will also pursue Benefit Corporation legislation in Georgia. This is a new corporate structure that allows social entrepreneurs to access venture capital while remaining true to their purpose (creating positive social benefit) and producing financial returns for investors. B-Corps are a promising platform for job creation, investment opportunities and growth of high-impact organizations focused on a range of social goods.
- The Breakthrough Delivery Team plans to launch up to two additional Breakthrough Communities here in Georgia and are already in initial talks to start these collective impact initiatives.
by Eric Cochling | Dec 20, 2013
Our team at GCO had the privilege of hosting Dr. Rick Hess this week. On Tuesday, Dr. Hess, who is an education scholar (and prolific writer) with the American Enterprise Institute, spoke at an early morning breakfast attended by a group of about 45 people that included politicians, lobbyists, academics, parents, and policy wonks.
While the crowd was diverse, each person shared a common concern about the depressing condition of public education in the state of Georgia and wanted to hear Dr. Hess’ thoughts on the subject. He didn’t disappoint.
Using his book Cage-Busting Leadership as the springboard, Dr. Hess challenged the group to consider how much innovation and real reform could be achieved within the current education system if administrators, teachers, and concerned parents stopped taking “no” for an answer.
He shared example after example of people who were able to break through the “cage bars” erected by overly risk-averse school system lawyers or years of outdated rules that still clogged school procedures and hamstrung teachers from addressing student needs.
The bottom line: With a little questioning and a lot of grit, it is possible to change the system so that children receive better educations.
Although Dr. Hess focused on ways to improve the system from within, he didn’t shy away from endorsing school choice as an important tool for giving children more and better options – and incentivizing the public system to improve. Wisely, though, he warned the audience that just changing laws – even something as significant as vouchers – will not be sufficient in itself to really change education if everyone at the school level simply continues to accept business as usual.
In addition to legal reforms that allow parental choice and school flexibility, we must have pioneering and system-challenging educators and parents willing to question the status quo every time any engrained practice misses the mark of promoting our children’s best interests.
Those were all great points by Dr. Hess and a wonderful reminder that we have more power to change things than we may realize just by asking the question “Why not?”
Join us in asking that question and pushing for reforms that free parents and children to have more educational options and free excellent teachers to change lives.
