Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Georgia Department of Education outlines amended-budget shifts: QBE adjustments, $50 million school security grant, special needs scholarship shortfall
Summary
The Georgia Department of Education told the Education Budget Subcommittee it is making a series of amended-budget adjustments, including a $265,000 transfer tied to House Bill 318, a roughly $24 million digest cleanup, QBE formula changes reflecting a midterm increase of about 1,308 FTEs, and a one-time school security reimbursement grant of $21,635 per school.
Mr. Rome, presenting for the Georgia Department of Education, reviewed a series of amended-budget items for the Education Budget Subcommittee.
Rome said a $265,000 transfer reflects district charter positions moving to the State Charter Commission pursuant to House Bill 318. He described a roughly $24 million decrease connected to a digest cleanup for Gainesville City and Hall County and noted formula adjustments that include a decline in completion-school funding tied to lower FTEs and a midterm increase in state FTEs of about 1,308 concentrated in higher-cost programs such as gifted, ESOL, and special education.
Rome said formula adjustments include increases and decreases affecting the State Charter School Commission, including a $5 million adjustment and a roughly $13 million increase for a state commission charter supplement. He reported an increase to funds for the special needs scholarship in the range of $1,240,000 but said the agency believes it actually needs about $1,320,000; Rome said the department will request an additional $700,000'$800,000 at a later stage to fully cover payments.
On school security, Rome said a one-time reimbursement grant will provide $21,635 to each school, totaling about $50,000,000 across districts; a committee member clarified that the payment is per individual school and Rome confirmed. Under technology and career education, Rome described a $95,000 amendment to fund temporary positions to continue the Great Promise Partnership work-based learning program for at-risk students; the full FY26 cost will be larger and appropriated in the next fiscal year.
Rome also said the department is estimating additional costs for AP and PSAT testing programs that would require approximately $3,000,000 more for AP testing and about $1,310,000 for PSATs compared with current base funding. Committee members asked for counts on special needs scholarship recipients and for detail on the AP/PSAT utilization figures; Rome said the department will provide those numbers.
The transcript did not record formal votes or an enacted appropriation in this excerpt; the presentation covered reconciliations, formula updates, and items the department plans to pursue through the budget process.
