Changes to Georgia’s school funding formula are long overdue

Editor’s Note: It’s been 40 years since the Georgia Legislature has updated its funding formula for education, known as the Quality Basic Education Act. Over the years, state lawmakers have made several efforts to modernize the formula but have been unsuccessful. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently asked several education experts their thoughts about what, if any, changes they would make to the formula. Here’s the first of these guest essays.

Two governors (Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue) have tried to “fix” the Quality Basic Education Act — the formula used to determine funding for public school students and schools in Georgia — but without success. Four years ago, state senators attempted the same with the same result.

Everyone complains about QBE, but no one seems to be able to generate enough support or interest to change it. Indeed, very few changes have been made to the QBE funding formula since it was enacted in 1985, back when Ronald Reagan was president, New Coke had just been introduced, and there was one desktop computer on a cart in my high school.

Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators. (Courtesy)

With the start of the annual legislative session right around the corner, we offer a few ideas to make public education more effective in Georgia through QBE funding.

1. Establish a new funding category for schools with a large number of students living in poverty, rural and urban communities, and address some of these students’ non-academic needs, such as food, health care and mental health, technology, and constructive after-school programs. Deal proposed this idea in 2015, but it has never become law. The idea found its way into the version of the state House of Representatives’ budget in 2025 but was cut in the final budget agreed by the two chambers. Georgia spends $6,500 per student to pay for a private school education for a small minority of our children. We can — and should — do more to help the poorest of our children, who overwhelmingly attend our public schools.
2. Increase funding to allow public schools to lower class sizes. Study committees, one in each legislative chamber, have been looking at ways to reduce student absenteeism. Some have proposed better tracking of students or holding parents accountable. But what if we make going to school less institutional and more engaging for our children? What if we reduce class sizes to create a more personalized learning environment for our kids?
3. Increase the formula to allow for more school counselors and psychologists. The American School Counselor Association recommends one counselor for every 250 students. Georgia, like nearly every state, does not have enough counselors to meet that recommendation. The National Association of School Psychologists recommends one school psychologist for every 500 students. In Georgia, appropriations provide for one psychologist for every 2,000 students. Today’s students deserve adequate support and availability of professional school counselors and psychologists to meet their developmental needs concerning mental health.
4. Be prepared to increase funding for public education in the wake of President Donald Trump’s move to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education itself has suffered massive staff cuts. It’s unclear right now how much federal funding for public education may drop, particularly for the 2026-2027 budget. Some Georgia school districts depend on federal funding for up to 40% of their budget. Some functions of the U.S. Department of Education have been transferred to other federal agencies and departments and whether those departments will be able to adequately meet the needs of our schools and students is unknown.
5. Increase salaries for educators. Starting salaries for classroom teachers have now fallen below those in other Southern states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Inflation has eaten away much of the $9,500 salary increases that Gov. Brian Kemp has shepherded through the legislative process during his tenure. School support professionals (such as paraprofessionals, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians) have no state salary minimum, so any increase they have seen from state funds has been a one-time only supplement.

Given current shortages for classroom teachers and most categories of school employees, Georgia must be competitive for starting salaries not only with other states but also with other professions if we wish to recruit and retain our educators. A current teacher’s salary is 73% of that of other college-educated professionals with similar experience.