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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Teach more, spend less
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It looks like Georgia’s public schools won’t get as much money as they hoped.
Gov. Sonny Perdue said the state isn’t getting as much money from tax collections because of the weak economy. So he lowered by $310 million his estimate for how much money the state will take in over the next year and a half. The state has to find ways to cut spending and that could include smaller raises for teachers and schools won’t get money for new computers or buses.
Obviously school leaders won’t be happy about this. For the past five years the state has made cuts to its basic school funding formula. School leaders have said they are getting to the point they can’t tighten their belts anymore. They’ve already held off on filling some positions, buying new buses, textbooks and computer software. Meanwhile the number of students they teach continues to increase.
What do you think of Perdue’s plan? Is there a way to make cuts and still protect schools? If local school leaders have to slash their budgets, what programs or positions can they afford to get rid of?
