The Best Administrative Structure for Welfare

by Erik Randolph | Oct 22, 2020

The Best Administrative Structure for Welfare

By Erik Randolph

When someone needs financial help or workforce training from the government, where do they go?

If we just allowed people to navigate federal programs on their own, the average person would be completely overwhelmed.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, there are more than 80 federal assistance programs for low-income persons and 43 federal employment and job-training programs at the federal level, with little overlap. Just listing the programs would exceed the word limit for a typical blog.

Fortunately, states have some control over the process for some of the larger programs, like food stamps and Medicaid, that serve millions of Americans.

Georgia’s Gateway Strategy

Compared to many states, Georgia is ahead. The state government has spent years and $262 million to streamline its eligibility systems of means-tested programs into an integrated system known as the Georgia Gateway.

Here there is just one “door” to enter to qualify for some of the big federal means-tested programs entrusted to the states to administer.

The awarding-winning Gateway allows individuals to apply for ten programs across four state agencies, including food stamps; food packages from the Women, Infants, and Children Program; Medicaid; subsidized childcare; and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The Department of Human Services runs the eligibility system at an annual operating cost of about $62 million, but the department does not administer all the programs themselves. For example, the Department of Community Health administers the Medicaid program, and the Department of Early Care and Learning administers the subsidized childcare program.

Integrated eligibility systems are far more convenient for the customers, requiring them to enter only one door, instead of up to five separate doors in the case of Georgia. It also streamlines the application process for the customer.

On the administrative side, all the hard work is done behind the scenes. The automated systems can share information between programs. Moreover, the technology sets up the state to accomplish future streamlining, consolidation, and reform.

Despite all these advantages of the Gateway, there is still room for improvement. Take Utah’s system, for example.

Utah’s Integrated System

Although Georgia is ahead of many states, Utah may be the furthest ahead.

As explained in a recent American Enterprise Institute report, Utah streamlined 23 workforce programs across six state agencies into a Department of Workforce Services.

In addition to helping customers with employment, Utah treats basic welfare programs as support services. These include food stamps, subsidized childcare, financial assistance, and medical programs. Customers also can file claims for unemployment insurance and apply for disability services.

The Utah system is clean and easy for the customer. Its “no wrong door” policy allows easy access to help in finding employment and receiving support services. It also sends a clear message that Utah prioritizes work as a solution.

Behind the scenes, Utah works with various federal agencies to make the system work. It is not an easy task. It requires creative solutions and continual effort on part of the state to take on the many hassles that come with dealing with the federal government, including the burdensome task of securing “waiver” approvals to federal law from the federal agencies.

However, the goal is worthwhile. It creates an easier experience for the customers, at overall less administrative cost.

Much More Work Needs to Be Done

Utah is showing the way, but much more work needs to be done.

There are still welfare benefits that the federal government does not allow states to administer. These program benefits are additional doors that people must enter, requiring additional effort to apply for those benefits and hoops to jump through to get assistance.

In other words, while Georgia has integrated eligibility systems, and Utah has gone even further with its integration, there are federal government programs outside the control of the states. These include the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Supplemental Security Income, and public housing.

Furthermore, as we have written about, the rules themselves still need fixing to eliminate welfare cliffs and marriage penalties.

Nevertheless, progress is being made, and the work continues on.

Do you have experience with the Georgia Gateway and other assistance programs? Or perhaps experience in another state? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Erik Randolph is Director of Research at the Georgia Center for Opportunity. This blog reflects his opinion and not necessarily that of the Georgia Center for Opportunity.

List of Programs per the Government Accountability Office, Reports GAO-15-516 and GAO-19-200.

21st Century Community Learning Centers
Additional Child Tax Credit
Adoption Assistance
Adult Education Grants to States (Adult Education and Family Literacy Act)
Affordable Care Act Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program
American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Career and Technical Education – Basic Grants to States
Chafee Foster Care Independence Program
Child and Adult Care Food Program (lower-income components)
Child Care and Development Fund
Child Support Enforcement
Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants
Commodity Supplemental Food Program
Community Based Job Training Grants
Community Development Block Grants
Community Service Employment for Older Americans
Community Services Block Grant
Compensated Work Therapy
Consolidated Health Centers
Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program
Earned Income Tax Credit
Education for the Disadvantaged- Grants to Local Educational Agencies (Title I, Part A)
Emergency Food and Shelter Program
Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Cooperative Agreements (Brownfield Job Training Cooperative Agreements in 2011report)
Exclusion of Cash Public Assistance Benefits
Family Planning
Federal Pell Grants
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
Federal TRIO Programs
Federal Work-Study
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
Foster Care
Foster Grandparent Program
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs
Grants to States for Workplace and Community Transition Training for Incarcerated Individuals
H-1B Job Training Grants
Head Start
Higher Education: Aid for Institutional Development programs and Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions programs
HOME Investment Partnerships Program
Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Project in 2011 report)
Homeless Assistance Grants
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
Improving Teacher Quality State Grants
Indian and Native American Program (Native American Employment and Training in 2011 report)
Indian Education – Bureau of Indian Education

Indian Education—Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies
Indian Health Service
Indian Housing Block Grant
Indian Human Services (Division of Human Services)
Job Corps
Job Placement and Training Program (Indian Employment Assistance in 2011 report)
Job Training, Employment Skills Training, Apprenticeships, and Internships
Legal Services Corporation
Local Veterans’ Employment Representative Program
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
Maternal and Child Health Block Grant
Mathematics and Science Partnerships
d settings.
Medicaid
Medical Care for Low- Income Veterans Without Service-Connected Disability
Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Program
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
National Farmworker Jobs Program
National School Lunch Program (free and reduced- price components)
Native American Career and Technical Education Program (Career and Technical Education – Indian Set-Aside in 2011 report)
Native Employment Works (Tribal Work Grants in 2011)
Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program
Nutrition Assistance Program for Puerto Rico
Nutrition Service for the Elderly
Older Americans Act Grants for Supportive Services and Senior Centers
Older Americans Act: National Family Caregiver Support Program
Projects with Industry
Public Housing
Reentry Employment Opportunities (Reintegration of Ex-Offenders in 2011 report)
Refugee and Entrant Assistance – Discretionary Grants (Refugee and Entrant Assistance – Targeted Assistance Discretionary Program from 2011 is now part of this program)
Refugee and Entrant Assistance – Targeted Assistance Grants
Refugee and Entrant Assistance – Voluntary Agencies Matching Grant Program
Refugee and Entrant Assistance State/Replacement Designee Administered Programs ((Refugee and Entrant Assistance – Social Services Program from 2011 is now part of this program)
Registered Apprenticeship
Rental Housing Bonds Interest Exclusion
Rural Education Achievement Program
Rural Rental Assistance Payments
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
School Breakfast Program (free and reduced-price components)

Second Chance Act Technology-Based Career Training Program for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles (Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative in 2011 report)
Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Senior Community Service Employment Program
Social Services and Targeted Assistance for Refugees
Social Services Block Grants
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
State Children’s Health Insurance Program
State Supported Employment Services Program
State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program (Rehabilitation Services – Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States in 2011 report)
Summer Food Service Program
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Supplemental Security Income
Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Tech Prep Education State Grants
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
The Emergency Food Assistance Program
Title I Migrant Education Program
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers
Transition Assistance Program
Transitional Cash and Medical Services to Refugees
Tribal Technical Colleges (United Tribes Technical College in 2011 report)
Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions
Veterans Pension and Survivors Pension
Veterans’ Workforce Investment Program
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Vocational Rehabilitation for Disabled Veterans in 2011 report)
Voluntary Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit- Low-Income Subsidy
Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities in 2011 report)
Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities
Weatherization Assistance
Work Opportunity Tax Credit
Workforce Investment Act Adult Activitiesa
Workforce Investment Act Youth Activitiesb
WIOA National Dislocated Worker Grants (WIA National Emergency Grants in 2011)
WIOA Youth Program (WIA Youth Activities in 2011 report)
Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations
Youth Partnership Programs (Conservation Activities by Youth Service Organizations in 2011 report)
YouthBuild

DISINCENTIVES FOR WORK AND MARRIAGE IN GEORGIA’S WELFARE SYSTEM

Based on the most recent 2015 data, this report provides an in-depth look at the welfare cliffs across the state of Georgia. A computer model was created to demonstrate how welfare programs, alone or in combination with other programs, create multiple welfare cliffs for recipients that punish work. In addition to covering a dozen programs – more than any previous model – the tool used to produce the following report allows users to see how the welfare cliff affects individuals and families with very specific characteristics, including the age and sex of the parent, number of children, age of children, income, and other variables. Welfare reform conversations often lack a complete understanding of just how means-tested programs actually inflict harm on some of the neediest within our state’s communities.

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We could all use a good laugh right now, right?

by Kimberly Sawatka | Oct 19, 2020

We could all use a good laugh right now, right?

We’re excited to announce that comedian and inspirational speaker Michael Jr. will be joining us as a keynote speaker for Breakthrough Online 2020.

Known as one of today’s most gifted comedians, Michael Jr. brings laughter and understanding to audiences all over the world. Michael has spent a significant portion of his career making laughter commonplace in uncommon places such as homeless shelters and prisons.

Now, Michael Jr. tours the country using comedy to inspire audiences to activate their purpose and live a life fulfilled.

Breakthrough is a way for you to share your work, explore new ideas, and connect with other organizations that are making an impact in our communities. This collaboration of ideas is why the Georgia Center for Opportunity exists and we are excited to have you join us.

Also joining us to speak at Breakthrough: Gov. Brian Kemp

Impressive line-up of panels

We all could use a good dose of inspiration, now more than ever. That’s exactly what you’ll get with our breakout sessions:

Education: The challenge of virtual learning in the COVID-19 era
Employment: Job creation through community collaboratives
Family: Personal wellness during the pandemic
Development: Nonprofit fundraising in 2020

Register today: Thursday, November 5, 8:30am to 4:00pm EST
We’re excited to offer Breakthrough in a new virtual format as we continue to partner together for a better Georgia. Join us!

New GCO poll: 81% of parents support educational microgrants during COVID-19

by David Bass | Oct 15, 2020

New GCO poll: 81% of parents support educational microgrants during COVID-19

By David Bass

The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) today released the results of a parent opinion poll that found 81 percent of respondents in favor of using federal emergency relief funds to help parents cover some educational costs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The poll, taken of a random sample of 721 Georgia parents, also found that such microgrants would encourage parents to make alternative educational decisions for their children: 59 percent of respondents reported that a one-time microgrant of $1,000 would either prompt them to send their child to a different school or help out in their existing decision to do so.

Recently, a coalition of education reformers sent a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp urging him to use the remaining portion of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund to directly support students through the challenges of virtual learning. Currently in Georgia, the governor’s office is the only entity in the state with the ability to provide families with this desperately needed help.

The poll results back up what we already know: Offering direct payment assistance to Georgia families is the best way to keep vulnerable students from falling further behind during this crisis. A one-size-fits-all approach to education never works. We must offer as many families as possible maximum flexibility in their education decisions this year. Empowering parents directly with funds puts them in the driver’s seat and cuts out bureaucratic obstacles. This step simply takes available additional federal funds and gives parents the most help, the fastest, right when they need it the most.

A Survey Of How The Average Georgia Family Is Navigating Education During The Pandemic

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These microgrants would help students like Hannah Foy, a 13-year-old with Down syndrome. Hannah has been isolated at home since March and is falling behind. “Putting education dollars directly into the hands of parents means that our children have a greater chance of not falling behind,” wrote Hannah’s mother, Elizabeth, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The funds will come nowhere close to meeting the needs of students like my daughter, but they will help to bridge the gap until schools can fully reopen again.

Other key findings from the poll include:

57 percent said their children learned “far less” or “somewhat less” than they had when they were in their pre-shutdown school.
Only 12 percent of respondents said their school did “badly” or “very badly” during the coronavirus crisis. Thirty-three percent were neutral and 55 percent said their school did “well” or “very well.”
Only 18 percent of respondents thought that their schools did not provide enough resources to their children.
33 percent thought that there was “much work” or “far more work than I imagined it would be” to teach their children because of the shutdown.
Only 6 percent are considering homeschooling their children when last year they were not home schooled.

How Second Chances Impact Communities

by Kimberly Sawatka | Oct 13, 2020

How Second Chances Impact Communities

By Kristin Barker

We must begin to see past our biases and speak life into those who have fallen.

I recently had a mini-awakening. We were interviewing a young man who was a convicted felon. He was given a second chance to move into a job about one year ago with a company full of champions who were able to recognize his immense on-the-job potential early on. They continue to outwardly encourage him, help him as he maps out his future path, and openly show him their appreciation. The support he receives from his managers and the Human Resources team is phenomenal. But I knew this going in.

This was not the awakening. The company is Columbus Water Works in Columbus, GA. As a core company value, they believe in providing great opportunities and giving second chances. This is not because the business itself is looking to gain, although it does gain a lot, but because their corporate culture encourages this as the right thing to do. This company is a Hiring Well, Doing Good partner in part because of this important core value that we share, so this was also no surprise to me. This was not the awakening.

Watch Kevin's Story

As Kevin spoke about responsibility, he also shared his desire to influence others so they would begin see that opportunity does exist. As he continued, I saw a spark ignite in his eyes.

When he shared how he will encounter someone at a gas station and encourage him or her not to give up, it was clear that his influence on the community that surrounds him is a direct extension of the individuals who have nurtured and encouraged him since his incarceration. The responsibility he feels to share what he knows from his own experience is more valuable than any economic equation can measure. What he now knows without a shadow of a doubt is that there is hope and that he has value!

Our communities need to understand and appreciate Kevin and others like him. We must begin to see past our biases and speak life into those who have fallen. The poverty of community is just as important (if not more important) than economic poverty, and the butterfly effect I am describing is always at play either in a positive or in a negative way.

Every one of us decides daily who we will lift up and who we will allow to continue to fall. We choose every day whether we will contribute to the strength of our community by respecting and showing that respect to the weakest of our neighbors. The alternative is to fail to speak hope and to perpetuate hopelessness. As a result, this weakens our communities.

If we, collectively, determine to see the value that is inherent in others and begin to express this belief proactively and personally in an open and vulnerable way, the same spark that I saw in Kevin today will begin to catch fire in others who have no hope. Our communities will grow stronger and healing will follow.

As for me, I am thankful. I am thankful for the opportunity to meet Kevin and to hear his story. I am thankful to learn from his experience. I am also thankful to know the great leaders at Columbus Water Works who live their corporate values on the job every day. Above all, I am thankful to live in a community where potential is abundant, people generally support one another, and opportunities abound for most. My greatest hope is that tomorrow, those opportunities will abound for all!

EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES

SYSTEMIC WELFARE IN GEORGIA: PART 1 THE CASE FOR REFORM

In the first paper of our three-part series presenting a vision for systemic welfare reform in Georgia, we explore the need for a welfare system that starts with the assumption that natural support systems, including individual work and a reliance on family and community assistance, should be the primary sources of help when individuals face financial need. This report demonstrates how the current system does not meet these assumptions and points to the need for reform.

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SYSTEMIC WELFARE IN GEORGIA: PART 2 PRINCIPLES AND FRAMEWORK FOR REFORM

In the second paper of our three-part series presenting a vision for systemic welfare reform in Georgia, we explore the new system as we imagine it could be, give guiding principles, provide a general framework for how the reformed system can function, and establish preliminary steps needed to implement the vision.

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SYSTEMIC WELFARE IN GEORGIA: PART 3 HOW THE NEW SYSTEM WILL WORK

In the third and final paper of our three-part series presenting a vision for systemic welfare reform in Georgia, we propose the creation of new, consolidated program modules (including their structure, design, and expected outcomes) to replace current, disjointed programs. We go on to present a structure Georgia’s governor and executive agencies could adopt to effectively and in relatively short order implement a reformed system.

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A REAL SOLUTION FOR HEALTH INSURANCE AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE REFORM

Medical assistance programs have long needed reforms to address high prices and lack of access. Despite the fact that federal policy tends to dominate medical assistance programs, states do have some flexibility to enact reforms. This study explores how states – and particularly Georgia – have flexibility and can experiment with Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to improve access, lower costs, and streamline the system to better serve those in need of assistance.

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HIRING WELL, DOING GOOD IN GEORGIA

Georgia has suffered from higher unemployment rates and lower high school graduation rates than the national average for many years. This report takes a look at the trends driving those problems and the potential solutions, including apprenticeships, that could lead to greater economic mobility for young adults.

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The Top 5 Recommendations to the Feds on Economic Mobility

by Erik Randolph | Oct 8, 2020

The Top 5 Recommendations to the Feds on Economic Mobility

By Erik Randolph

If you had the opportunity to tell federal agencies what they need to do to help low-income people improve their economic circumstances, what would you tell them?

This is not an arbitrary question. It was formally asked by the current administration in Washington, D.C.

A New Council on Economic Mobility

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is leading the development and establishment of an interagency Council on Economic Mobility. This council will include the heads, or their delegates, of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, and the Treasury. It will also include the heads of the Social Security Administration and the Council of Economic Advisors.

The purpose of the Council is to find areas where the participating agencies can collaborate for a very important purpose: “to promote family-sustaining careers and economic mobility for low-income Americans … and help individuals sustain their economic success.” Note that all these departments administer important welfare and workforce-development programs.

Last July, HHS solicited comments to 15 questions to help develop this new council. What should be its priorities? What barriers do individuals face? How are welfare cliffs impacting individuals?

Relying on its experience with providing services, working with other service providers, and research, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) submitted recommendations to this request on October 2, 2020.

GCO’s Top Recommended Priorities

Below are GCO’s top recommendations for what the council’s priorities ought to be.

Priority #1: Eliminate Marriage Penalties

Marriage penalties make number one on our list.

The strong correlation between marriage and prosperity is well-researched and undeniable. Research also demonstrates overwhelmingly that a stable home with married parents benefits children in many ways, including emotional stability, educational achievement, and future income. Unfortunately for many, the idea of healthy marriage is something desirable but unattainable for themselves. A strong marriage has It’s becoming a luxury for many, and they are losing out on which denies too many the economic and otherwise fulfilling benefits.

Recently, the Office of Family Assistance at HHS sponsored the study Marriage Penalties in Means-Tested Tax and Transfer Programs: Issues and Options, authored by Bradford Wilcox, Ph.D., Chris Gersten, and Jerry Regier, Ph.D. This study does an excellent job at detailing current research in the area and discusses potential solutions. By the way, GCO gave input to the authors of the study.

Priority #2: Eliminate Welfare Cliffs

As just indicated, the welfare system has embedded disincentives that can discourage recipients from seeking employment, working additional hours, or accepting pay increases. And our research in this area has been recently corroborated by a National Bureau of Economic Research paper written by five economists, including two who work for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Many of these disincentives are the direct result of federal government policies and are found within the tax code and various eligibility and benefit determination rules of means-tested welfare programs.

Priority #3: Sponsor Research and Financial Modeling to Solve the Big Problems

In a prior blog , I wrote about how welfare programs and the tax code can be barriers by creating disincentives to advance economically. Also, a prior study illustrated how marriage penalties are further barriers.

Well, these problems are complex, and the solutions have perplexed policymakers for years. Therefore, it is important for continued research to come up with the best solutions.

By the way, GCO is well positioned to help examine these issues. We have studied both the problems and offered potential solutions.

Priority #4: Promote Work-First Policies

Research and experience show that promoting work first for those applying for welfare assistance—as opposed to seeking education and training first—usually works better in helping them secure meaningful employment in the long run.

A work-first policy does not mean that education and training are forsaken. It simply recognizes the reality that connecting people to real jobs in the economy gives them a foothold in the workforce where further skill development and training can often be accomplished while they are holding down a job and earning earned income.

Priority #5: Look for ways to reduce regulatory barriers

The federal government should review its policies to make sure they do not make it harder for people to get jobs or start job-creating businesses. This recommendation falls under the broad heading of “getting government to help facilitate job growth, not hinder it.”

So what do you think? Should these be the recommended priorities for the new federal council? Are there other priorities you would have included? Post your comments below.

Erik Randolph is Director of Research at the Georgia Center for Opportunity. This blog reflects his opinion and not necessarily that of the Georgia Center for Opportunity.

DISINCENTIVES FOR WORK AND MARRIAGE IN GEORGIA’S WELFARE SYSTEM

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Equitable Options In Education

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Oct 7, 2020

Equitable Options In Education

By Shana Burres

Ashley* is a middle-class mom. She is married with three kids and, through a scholarship, has her children enrolled in a local well-respected private school. She was pleased to be able to provide her children with an excellent education and believed they were gaining an advantage in their academic career.

A few years into elementary school her son, John, was excelling academically but struggling with basic social and life skills. After a series of tests and meetings with doctors and experts, John was placed on the Autism spectrum. He was diagnosed as high-functioning, with a high IQ and all the potential to learn how to navigate a neurotypical world.

Ashley immediately withdrew John from the private school and enrolled him in the local public school.

Why? “Because Ashley believed public schools would offer better services for her child with special needs.” This is due, in part, to the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides funding to public schools specifically to meet the needs of students with disabilities and learning barriers.

Fostering Public Health

Long before the IDEA legislation, public schools were used as a way to foster public health and welfare. The earliest integrations of public education and welfare were introduced during the progressive era, starting in the 1890s and continuing into the 1930s. Progressive leaders advocated for the school curriculum to address matters such as health, recreation, and mental health (at the time called mental hygiene). On the heels of the progressive movement, the Truman administration signed the 1945 National School Lunch Act, which provided free or low-cost nutritionally-balanced meals to school children. Coupled with the work of the Freedman’s Schools established in the Reconstruction Period (1865-1877), the education system in the United States has a deeply established pattern of being a source for public health and welfare.

While there are certainly many middle-class students like John who have benefitted from the services established and developed in the last 150 years, the vast majority of students who rely on the school as a public health arena are living near the poverty line. According to The US Census report on poverty, one in six children live in poverty, making them the poorest age group in our nation. Children are also most likely to suffer the long-term effects of poverty such as poor educational outcomes, higher instances of injury and chronic illness, and diminished mental and emotional capacity. Each of these factors feed into a poverty loop that increases the likelihood of the next. For example, when a student has a chronic illness and diminished emotional capacity, they miss more days of school and are less able to make up the work from the time missed. Consequently, they fall further behind and are less likely to earn high enough grades to graduate and move into vocational training or college education. So the cycle begins again, as they are trapped in unstable and low-wage jobs, poor health care, and poor outcomes.

Georgia’s Educational Challenges

In Georgia, sixty percent of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-cost lunch. While free lunch may be offered at private schools, the marker is used to represent the over one million students who face a statistically higher risk for the long-term effects of poverty. And, as noted at the beginning of the blog post, the public school is a key welfare access point. When the public schools are inaccessible to families already facing significant barriers, the children lose not only academic instruction but a cascade of critical services. Safety, health, learning or development support, and nutrition are among just some of the key services that disappear along with daily instruction.

Those types of cascading losses have been brought into stark relief as the nation responds to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It appears we have built a system that relies too heavily on a physical building for the delivery of services. And while new programs like Georgia’s P-EBT have begun to respond to the nutrition gap created by school closures, there remains the questions of how students will catch up academically, who will observe and report domestic abuse, and how students will access mental and social services.

A Better Way Forward

And these questions bring the focus toward a golden opportunity. As Georgia is forced to look at programs and services differently, we can disentangle the various services to improve the delivery and outcomes across the board. For example, under the old framework, any student could access free- or reduced-cost lunches at their local public school. However, some districts and schools provided a greater complement of services for students with individualized education plans (IEPs). The variances in services provided from district to district contributes to the cascade of poorer outcomes for students living in chronic poverty—but we have the opportunity to change this reality. In fact, Georgia already has systems in place that disentangle the range of services while ensuring the optimal outcome for the individual student through their state school, charter, and virtual school programs.

The public school will likely always be a public health arena but, as we are quickly learning, equitable public education and social services cannot be bound to the physical local school. We can and should continue to improve the academic, health, and social outcomes for the students of Georgia through creative, flexible, and more open methods of delivery.

Interested in how you can help support flexible and equitable options? Click here.

* Name changed to protect the identity of the individual

Shana Burres is an educator, foster parent, and speaker. She holds a Master’s degree in education and, as the former executive director of DASH Kids, is a fierce advocate for equitable outcomes for children of all backgrounds and experiences. Shana currently is an adjunct professor, learning development consultant, and her local Mockingbird HUB home for foster families and their youth.

DISINCENTIVES FOR WORK AND MARRIAGE IN GEORGIA’S WELFARE SYSTEM

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