Education
Education

Georgia cut school spending deeper than most states during recession

By Ty Tagami
Dec 10, 2015

Georgia had some of the biggest school budget cuts in the nation during and after the Great Recession, according to a new report that also said the state swung the most in the other direction this year, adding proportionately more money than most, if not all.

The report that the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released Thursday says Georgia had the fourth largest proportional cut in state per-student funding from 2008 to 2014, with Arizona cutting deepest followed by Alabama and Idaho.

The situation changed significantly by this year, with Georgia putting proportionately more money back into education than any of the 46 other states for which data were available, the report says. The inflation adjusted increase was 9.1 percent.

Read why this matters and how it relates to a school funding proposal for Gov. Nathan Deal at myAJC.com.

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.

Follow Ty Tagami on facebookFollow Ty Tagami on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Students walk toward the Tate Student Center on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. State data released Tuesday shows that the rate of international students enrolling in Georgia’s public universities dropped dramatically this semester. (Jason Getz/AJC 2024)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

International student enrollment slows at Georgia universities

It is not yet clear if the slowdown in Georgia is an anomaly or a sign of things to come.

UGA to pay $100K H-1B visa fee only ‘in exceptional circumstances’

The University of Georgia could soon limit the number of foreign workers it employs, a result of the $100,000 fee imposed on some H-1B visas.

Atlanta parents, residents object to plans to close some schools

Due to lower enrollment and climbing costs, 16 school buildings would be repurposed under the plan, with several schools closing and their students rezoned for other schools.

The Latest

University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

UGA to pay $100K H-1B visa fee only ‘in exceptional circumstances’

International student enrollment slows at Georgia universities

Atlanta parents, residents object to plans to close some schools

Featured

University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

UGA to pay $100K H-1B visa fee only ‘in exceptional circumstances’

The University of Georgia could soon limit the number of foreign workers it employs, a result of the $100,000 fee imposed on some H-1B visas.

Georgia judges deal blow to ICE’s new mandatory detention policy

The ruling is a first-of-its-kind to come out of Georgia’s Middle District.

At the Cobb jail, a new kind of rehabilitation starts at the horse barn

Joshua Arp is one of two Cobb County jail detainees taking part of the sheriff’s office new equine therapy program meant to help him stay out of jail.