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Education panel proposes $258 million more in school spending

FOR A1 BAT February 16, 2015 Atlanta. Gov. Nathan Deal answers questions during a press conference Monday afternoon February 16, 2015 at the State Capitol to talk about winter weather preparations across Georgia. BEN GRAY / BGRAY@AJC.COM
FOR A1 BAT February 16, 2015 Atlanta. Gov. Nathan Deal answers questions during a press conference Monday afternoon February 16, 2015 at the State Capitol to talk about winter weather preparations across Georgia. BEN GRAY / BGRAY@AJC.COM
By Ty Tagami
Nov 12, 2015

A committee working for Gov. Nathan Deal is recommending that the state add $258 million to the educational budget as part of a new formula for distributing money to school districts.

The proposal agreed upon Thursday by eight of the governor’s volunteers now goes to the more than 30 members of the full Education Reform Commission for a vote on Nov. 19.

Critics contend that if the amount of new money, up from $241 million when the committee met last in October, is formalized in a new funding formula, it will lock in shortfalls of about a quarter billion dollars. The $8 billion state educational budget is shorting schools about half a billion dollars this year, according to the formula in use since 1985.

Read more about the proposal and reactions here.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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