Budget with raises for 200,000 teachers and workers gets Gov. Deal’s OK
GAINESVILLE - Gov. Nathan Deal came to his Hall County hometown to sign the upcoming year’s $23.7 billion budget on Monday, a spending plan that includes money to give 200,000 teachers and state employees their first substantial raises since the Great Recession.
The fiscal 2017 budget, which goes into effect July 1, also includes more than $1.6 billion to build and refurbish roads, bridges and school buildings across the state.
In addition, the budget calls for the state to hire hundreds of new staffers in a wide variety of positions, from child welfare and elder abuse prevention workers to law enforcement attacking cyberterrorism.
Deal signed the budget at the future site of Lanier Technical College, which he is moving from one end of Hall County to the other. This year’s budget includes $48 million for the project, which is expected to eventually cost more than $100 million.
For more on what next year’s state budget will mean for Georgians, check back a little later on myajc.com
About the Author
James Salzer has covered state government and politics in Georgia since 1990. He previously covered politics and government in Texas and Florida. He specializes in government finance, budgets, taxes, campaign finance, ethics and legislative history
