ATLANTA— Please attribute the following statement to Lisa Morgan, kindergarten teacher and president of the Georgia Association of Educators:
"The Georgia Association of Educators joins our colleagues, students, families, and community members across the country in condemning the anticipated actions by the President to further disrupt the work of the federal Department of Education.
"Students across Georgia benefit from programs run by the Department of Education, especially lower-income students in rural, suburban, and urban communities, students who qualify for federal grants or loans to receive career training or attend 2- and 4-year colleges, and students with disabilities. In our community, further cuts would directly affect local schools, impacting funding, educational opportunities, and support systems for students who rely on vital services.
"On average 15% of total education funding or about $2600 per student in Georgia is provided by federal funding. The elimination of this funding will be particularly devastating to more rural districts and districts with large numbers of Title 1 schools that receive more federal funding.
"Almost 1 million Georgia students attend schools receiving Title I funds from the Department of Education. Georgia public schools would lose $653 million in vital funding to hire teachers and other school support staff to assist students experiencing the challenges of poverty.
"Losing federal dollars would further exacerbate the educator shortages plaguing Georgia’s public schools, causing students’ class sizes to balloon.
"Special education programs which serve 230,000 students will suffer with the loss of $457 million to provide speech and language therapy, reading support, and other services that ensure accessibility for students with disabilities.
"Georgia educators and parents expect elected officials to prioritize our students’ futures and strengthen our public schools, so they remain a cornerstone of opportunity and equality. We should be investing in our students futures not seeking to eliminate the Department of Education that only Congress has the power to do. The vast majority of Congress -- rejected gutting public education last session, knowing it would only hurt students and is deeply unpopular with parents and educators. We call on our members of Congress to once again stand up for our students, educators, and public education."
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LINK:
What percentage of public school funding in Georgia comes from the federal government? - https://usafacts.org/answers/what-percentage-of-public-school-funding-comes-from-the-federal-government/state/georgia/
