Consortium for Adequate School Funding in Georgia

REPORTS

Georgia's Graduation Rate (with related table)
MAY 9, 2006 		As explained in this article, the number of students receiving a regular diploma from Georgia's high schools in 2005 was only 52.5% of the number of students at the start of the ninth grade four years earlier.
Under-Funding of the Basic Program in QBE (with related tables)
APRIL 21, 2005 		As explained in this analysis, the funding provided by the State through the QBE Act (including the required local effort) is at least $1.2 billion less than the cost of meeting the minimum requirements for the basic program defined in QBE for all students in Georgia.

This analysis does not indicate the funding that would be necessary to meet the State's performance standards or to provide the adequate education required by the Georgia Constitution.

Comprehensive Proposal to the Education Finance Task Force
MAY 8, 2006 		The Consortium has submitted a comprehensive proposal to the Education Finance Task Force for a new method of financing Georgia's schools, based on a partnership between the State and local school systems.
Policies to Improve Georgia's Schools
UPDATED MAY 5, 2006 		The Consortium has advocated various ways to improve education in Georgia in addition to adequate funding.
Recommendations regarding a New Funding Formula
APRIL 22, 2005 		The Consortium has submitted recommendations to assist the Governor's Education Finance Task Force in designing a new funding formula for K-12 education in Georgia.
Misconceptions in School Finance
DEC. 3, 2004 		The financing of Georgia's schools is hampered by several entrenched misconceptions, which are inconsistent with the clear wording of the Georgia Constitution. These misconceptions have to be dispelled before we can meet the challenges facing our state in education.
Adobe .pdfDelivering on the Promise to our Children (65 kb)
APRIL 15, 2004 		The QBE Formula provides a sound framework for funding Georgia's schools, but has lost its comprehensive nature. Because of previous under-funding and massive cuts in recent years, the components in the current formula do not represent a realistic estimate of the cost of providing even the most basic program for all of Georgia's students - much less the adequate education that is required by the Georgia Constitution. This report explains how the original intent of the QBE Formula can be restored.

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The Real Test of Education in Georgia
JUNE 24, 2004 		The simplest measure of an "adequate education" is a high school diploma, but four out of every ten high-school students in Georgia are not receiving a regular diploma. This tragic fact reveals how far the State of Georgia still has to go in meeting its constitutional obligation to provide an adequate education for all of its citizens, especially the students who are not in the mainstream of our society.
Gaps in the QBE Formula
The QBE Formula is intended to represent the cost of a providing a Quality Basic Education in accordance with minimum State standards, but there are substantial differences between the estimated and actual costs in various parts of the formula. (See related table.)
Points to Consider
Georgia's schools are facing a financial crisis. The basic facts are simple and straightforward.