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House committee passes 2024 budget

$2,000 SALARY INCREASE FOR TEACHERS
$1,000 BONUS FOR SCHOOL CUSTODIANS
INCREASES PSERS BENEFITS TO MAXIMUM ALLOWED

The House Appropriations Committee gave its approval to a proposed budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2023.

The committee recommended a $2,000 permanent salary increase for teachers. If signed into law, the state will have raised salaries for teachers by $7,000 since 2019.

House budget writers also included a $1,000 bonus for school custodians.

The House Appropriations budget also increases retirement benefits for Education Support Professionals (ESP) whose pension benefits are provided by the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS).

PSERS uses a multiplier and years of service to determine monthly pension benefits. Currently that multiplier is set at $16. The maximum that multiplier can be under current state law is $16.50. The committee voted today to raise the multiplier to that amount.

Meanwhile, legislation has been introduced in the Senate to eliminate completely the cap on the multiplier and replace it with a $17 minimum multiplier.

The committee budget also sets aside more than $1.8 million for salary increases for school nurses and $6.3 million to provide free breakfasts and lunches in school for students who qualify for reduced priced meals.

Gov. Brian Kemp's proposed budget included expenditures so that the Zell Miller Scholarship would cover 100 percent of tuition. The House version pares it back to 95 percent.

Equalization grants for low-wealth school districts is increased by $122.2 million. Equalization grants are provided for school districts that have a small property tax base to help fund public schools.

The bill would send $846 million to school districts to offset a huge increase in employer health insurance premiums for certified educators and $229 million for non-certified personnel.

The committee-passed budget proposes a record $13.1 billion for education.

The full House of Representatives will vote on this budget tomorrow, March 9.

Legislative Contact Team meeting tomorrow night, 6:30 p.m.

GAE's Legislative Contact Team (LCT) meets tomorrow, Thursday evening, at 6:30 p.m. to hear an update on legislation working its way through the legislative session. All GAE members are invited to attend. Please register by clicking here.

House Education subcommittees meet tomorrow

The House Education Committee's Curriculum and Policy subcommittees have hearings scheduled tomorrow, beginning at 10 a.m, to consider four bills:

SB 32, to establish a "mobile panic alert" system for schools to use in the case of an emergency,
SB 45, concerning the treatment of students for epilepsy or seizure disorders,
SB 204, regulating school system accrediting agencies, and
SB 211, establishing the Georgia Council on Literacy.

Next Update will be Thursday, March 9 - Day 31

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