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House Appropriations Committee Passes
Amended FY 18 Budget Wednesday
The Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee met early Wednesday morning to discuss and pass the amended fiscal year 2018 budget. While there were no major tweaks to the budget, Rep. Robert Dickey (R - Musella), the chair of the subcommittee, explained the following recommended changes that were approved by the full House Appropriations Committee later in the morning:
- $408,000 to cover one non-STEM AP exam for low income students (CLICK HERE to read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's coverage on this budget item)
- $500,000 added to the already $15 million in school bus funding to provide a total of 200 new buses statewide
- $400,000 to fund a state-wide leadership academy for principals created by the First Priority Act
CLICK HERE to review the AFY version as passed by the House Appropriations Committee (education begins on page 35).
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Senate Education and Youth Committee Hears Community Based Assessment Pilot
The Senate Education and Youth Committee met Wednesday to hear
SB 362, a bill that would
establish an innovative assessment pilot program allowing districts to pursue one or more alternate assessment and accountability systems aligned with state academic content standards. PAGE will provide further analysis of the legislation soon. Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R - Marietta), the chair of the committee and sponsor of the legislation, expects to vote on the legislation next week.
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Bill to Lift Innovation Fund Tax Credit Sunset
Passes House Ways and Means Committee
The House Ways and Means Committee passed HB 728, a bill that will remove the sunset on the Innovation Fund Foundation created in 2017. The Innovation Fund is currently the primary funding mechanism for the First Priority Act and allows individuals and corporations to receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit (not just a deduction) on their state income taxes. The foundation is authorized to receive up to $5 million through this tax credit on a first-come, first-served basis.
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House Disagrees to Senate Version of
Private School Tax Credit Voucher Bill
The House disagreed to the Senate version of HB 217. PAGE is opposed to both the House and Senate versions of the bill that would increase the $58 million cap on the private school tax credit voucher program to $85 million and $65 million respectively. The House named Rep. John Carson (R - Marietta), the sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R - Powder Springs), and Rep. Jay Powell (R - Camilla) as the conferees that will meet with Senate conferees in a conference committee.
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Senate Agriculture Committee
Passes Ag Education Pilot Program
The Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee passed SB 330, the Green Agricultural Education Act. Sen. John Wilkinson (R - Toccoa), the sponsor of the legislation and the chair of the committee, described the bill as a six-school pilot agricultural education program in elementary grades. The purpose of the pilot program, according to Wilkinson, is to determine whether and how to implement an elementary agricultural education program statewide.
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| Monday, February 5 |
Legislative Day 15
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| Tuesday, February 6 |
Legislative Day 16
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| Wednesday, February 7 |
Legislative Day 17
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| Thursday, February 8 |
Legislative Day 18
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| Friday, February 9 |
Legislative Day 19
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Day on Capitol Hill Registration Now Open
Please join us on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, for Day on Capitol Hill. PAGE is partnering with the Georgia Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (GACTE) and the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) again in 2018. Our focus this year is Georgia's teacher pipeline, and we'll spend time under the Gold Dome and at our luncheon session discussing the future of the pipeline with state policymakers. We'll also hear from education budget expert Claire Suggs and Georgia's newly hired Chief Turnaround Officer Eric Thomas, Ph.D. Please register now for this FREE event and invite your House and Senate member to lunch on Feb 20.
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PAGE's core business is to provide professional learning for educators that will enhance professional competence and confidence, build leadership qualities and lead to higher academic achievement for students, while providing the best in membership, legislative and legal services and support |
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