Georgia’s public schools are in line for two different financial boosts. One is to provide funds for school safety.
Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday announced the amended budget he will submit to the General Assembly when the legislative session begins in January will include more than $100 million annually to be used for school safety and security. It will provide every public school in the state $45,000 to use at the district’s discretion.
“We could have a school resource officer in every school, if that’s what the locals do,” Kemp explained. “When it comes to school security, local control is extremely important, because there may be some schools that could better spend their money on something besides personnel. Maybe cameras, it may be some sort of system. We’re trusting the schools to do that. The key is that this is going to be in the base funding.”
Additional funding for school safety is one of the priorities the Richmond County School System has for the legislature. District staff and members of the Board of Education laid out the list for the local legislative delegation during a Dec. 12 meeting.
“There are ongoing needs related to cameras, having officers in the school district, training for school violence that they have to go through,” explained Bobby Smith, the district’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). “In response to the growing concerns that we’ve had and actually in 2022, approved the hiring of seven additional school resource officers and put together a six-member Crisis Intervention Team. So, those are costs associated with school safety that are growing and need funding from the state right now to do that.”
House Speaker Jon Burns joined Kemp in announcing the funding.
“We want every child in our state to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and explore in a safe and secure environment, and this proposal will help ensure that happens,” Burns said.
The second thing Kemp announced was a pay supplement for the state’s 196,000 educators and 112,000 state employees. The $1,000 supplement is to help with employee retention.
“Throughout the pandemic, a summer of unrest, and the unprecedented challenges of the last several years, our state employees have worked hard, taken on additional challenges, remained committed to serving their fellow Georgians, and become more streamlined, so we can remain the best state for opportunity,” said Kemp.
The budget includes approximately $330 million for the one-time supplements.
“We want to continue prioritizing our state employees who help deliver the critical services our state depends on,” Burns said. “We look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to make these priorities a reality during the upcoming legislative session.”
The 2024 legislative session begins on Monday, Jan. 8.
