Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) House Education Appropria

Below you will find testimony by GAE President Jeff Hubbard to a joint House Education Appropriations Committee. Please take a few minutes to thank the chairs of these committees for the opportunity to present our recommendations: Chairman Ed Lindsey, House Education Appropriations and Chairman Brooks Coleman, House Education Committee. GAE’s remarks were well received.

GAE’s Comments for Education Appropriations Meeting

Thank you to Chairman Lindsey and members of this Committee for granting me the opportunity to address this body on behalf of the Georgia Association of Educators’ 42,000 members. Yours is a task that I do not envy particularly in the current economic climate. We know that you will have to make some tough decisions in the coming months--decisions to benefit all of Georgia not just the members of my Association or those who are public school personnel.

I’d like to begin by stating that GAE has been faithfully following the monthly revenue reports, and, like everyone else in this room, we have waited with baited breath hoping to see a turnaround in our economy. That being said we understand Georgia’s struggles.

For the past couple of years, GAE has been very careful not to approach any committee without an alternative; we believe that in developing solutions to challenges that affect us all, we have to bring recommendations to the table. Today is no different.

Today we are offering three recommendations:

First, before any measure can be implemented we believe that Georgia must have a full understanding of our current expenditures and the corporate tax relief packages that we offer industry as an incentive to move to Georgia.

*By establishing a TEF Commission (a commission that examines various Tax policies, Economic development practices, and our priority as to providing public school Funding), Georgia will be able to better gauge how we gather and use tax revenue and to help determine whether we are getting a real, tangible benefit of a corporation moving to Georgia.

We believe that corporations relocate for several reasons, and we believe that the quality of an areas public schools are also a major thrust--not just because executives want strong public schools for their children to attend; but because they also want a quality workforce so that their corporations will survive.

We urge the formation of a committee to examine the adequacy and equity in public school funding, the equity and progressivity of state and local taxes, and to explore existing and prospective tax expenditures related to business tax incentives and abatements and their impact on state and local economies.

Second, and perhaps not as popular, we recommend the implementation of a ½ cent sales tax earmarked solely for public schools.

*Several states and major cities in the United States have implemented sales tax increases for things other than their intellectual capital. From general purposes to trails and parks in California, to wildlife and cultural heritage in Minnesota, and a severance tax hike on oil and gas in Arkansas, many states have demonstrated political will to do the unpopular thing.

This move for public education funding will help ensure that Georgia’s children receive the resources that they need in order to be successful in the 21^st century global market--a major resource being a quality classroom professional capable of providing instruction and support necessary for our children’s success. For several years, Georgia has been a very attractive option for classroom teachers, outstanding support personnel, and talented administrators. If we continue to face threats of furloughs, layoffs, and other potential reductions--we will cease to be the attraction of the Southeast and will have to compete with other southeastern states that choose to address public school funding differently.

Finally, we encourage you to Invest in Georgia’s human capital. Education is not so much an expenditure as it is an investment.

1. By educating our children:

Data indicates that we are less likely to see them go to prison thereby creating a strain on the economy. It is more expensive to incarcerate than to educate. In 2005 the national average to incarcerate was about $25,000. This is substantially more than the cost to educate a child.

In a study published by The American Economic Association, it was determined that schooling significantly reduces the probability of incarceration and arrest. The study went on to say that results are caused by changes in criminal behavior and not differences in the probability of arrest or incarceration conditional on crime. They estimate that the social savings from crime reduction associated with high school graduation (for men) are about 14-26 percent of the private return.

2. By investing in public school professionals:

We guarantee our children, our parents, and Georgia’s future. Many contend that public school teachers absorb most of the budget; that QBE is pretty much going to teacher pay. Many also argue that we have increased funding for Georgia’s education program over the past several years. Both are correct but there is additional information available. Did you know that there are more public school teachers in Georgia than any other public sector profession? There are 113,976 listed teachers, and the closest second are correctional officers coming in at 10,288. Both serve the community at large. Teachers are responsible for the care and grooming of 1.7 million children every day. Like you, I am greatly appreciative of the correctional officers keeping those found guilty safely detained, however we at GAE believe that by educating children properly and adequately, as the Georgia Constitution stipulates, we will have fewer inmates entering the system providing for a larger workforce and smaller prison population resulting in significant short and long-term savings.

Additionally, Georgia has grown more than any other Southeastern state. To be exact, the U.S. Census listed Georgia as the third fastest growing state in the country behind Texas and California. With this type of increase in population, it goes without saying that our education expenditures will increase.

So, in closing, we want to stress that we do understand the challenges that we will face with budget availability, however we want to speak up to make sure that we have been strong advocates for education remaining a number one priority in Georgia. I began my comments by sharing that you are tasked to make decisions that will benefit all Georgians--investing in education does just that and more.

Thank you so much for your time and for allowing me to address this body. Please do not hesitate to contact GAE if you have questions or concerns or if we can assist you in any way.