The Education Budget Crisis: You Can Make a Difference Governor Deal is currently working to create his 2015 budget. Please contact his office to let him know how the education budget cuts over the last ten years have impacted your child. Governor Nathan Deal can be reached via his website: www.gov.georgia.gov or by phone: 404-656-1776. Listed below are some talking points to assist you when speaking with Governor Deal and our other elected state legislators (see facing page). > Tell the elected officials the school budget deficit in Cobb County, and reduced education funding statewide, is a serious threat to the quality of education for our students and to the strength of our economy. > Ask them to commit to finding a solution. > Ask them to support increased financial funding for education and No More Austerity Cuts. The new legislative session begins on January 13. All parents are requested to join the Walton High School PTSA on January 9, 2014 at 7pm in the Walton High School theater, 1590 Bill Murdock Road, Marietta/ East Cobb. Some of our elected officials will present on the current status of the budget and some possible short-term and long-term solutions to the education budget crisis. It is vital to have parents attend this meeting and participate in this process. (Reprinted from Walton High School E-newsletter)
The School House Squeeze: Cobb County • The statewide QBE (Quality Basic Education formula ) cut for the fiscal year 2014 is $1,051,425,164. The QBE cut for Cobb County is $65,900,761. • The statewide QBE cut per student for fiscal year 2014 is $633. For Cobb County it is $599. • The cumulative statewide QBE cut from 2003 through 2014 is $7,662,644,092. The cumulative QBE cut for Cobb County for this period is $491,296,767. • State funding per student declined on average 15.3 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars between fiscal year 2002 and fiscal year 2014. State funding per student in Cobb County declined 16.9 percent over this period. • Over 45 percent of Cobb County’s students are economically disadvantaged. This is an increase of 21.3 percentage points since 2002. • Cobb County’s tax digest (the value of its taxable property) fell by 17.8 percent between 2008 and 2012 as did the value of its tax digest per student. • Cobb County’s millage rate is 18.9, just below the state cap of 20. Source: GA Budget & Policy Institute
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