GCOVE interchange [Vol. 2, no. 2 (Summer, 1995)]

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INTERCHANGE '*7~

Volume 2 Summer, 1995
Educational Funds Redirected for FY 1997

After a month of debate that produced the Board of Education's largest public meeting to date, the Georga Board of Education approved the fiscal year (FY) 1997 education budget proposed by State Superintendent of Schools Linda Schrenko. In response to the Governor's request that each state agency identify 5% of its current budget for redirection in FY 1997, the Board elected to redirect a total of $231,612,382for this purpose. The Board chose to redxect funds for aides for grades K-3 ($164,267,648), clerical staff in grades 4-8 ($10,293,175), and incentive grants for middle schools ($57,051,559). The total budget proposal approved during the September 14 meeting is approximately $4 billion.
The proposed redirection of funds is the result of an overall statewide budget reduction initiated by Governor Zell Miller. According

INSIDE

>>Calendar of Events

P. 4

>>ECS Chairman

P. 7

>>GCOVE Editorials

p. 2-3

>>GCOVE Publications Insert

>>Georgia Partnership p. 8

>>SE/NE Regional Conf. p. 9

>>New On-line Service p. 10

>>Next Generation Schools p. 5

>>Occupational Information p. 7

>>P-16 Council

p. 10

>>Public Hearings >>School-To-Work >>Student Scientists

P. 6 P. 5 p. 10

>>Workforce Development p. 8

to the Governor's Office of Planning

proposed Department's current

and Budget "rehrection is not

budget. Her proposal eliminated

simply a means to cut the budget

certain state-funded programs and

but is rather a systematic process to

created block grants to allow local

fundamentallyreorder the priorities

school systems to use the money for

of state government and allocate

other programs or to reduce class

budget resources accordingly.. It

size. Her proposal included some of

does not involve any new or

the recommendations shown in the

additional state funds and serves

chart below.

three primary purposes: 1) to h d

Under the 1985 Quality Basic

ongoing services or enhancements

Education Act (QBE), the allocation

using the current level of resources,

of educational funding is dnven by

2) to fund growth in formula and

formulas or other provisions written

entitlement related services in a way

into the legislation. In the State

that minimizes the amount of new

Superintendent's redirection plan,

resources that have been historically

ten QBE items were proposed for

needed in these areas, and 3 ) to

significant modification or

increase fund availability for

elimination from the state formula.

priority areas within state government as a whole." There is

Of these, 3 are QBE formula cost components (aides, extended day

no guarantee, however, that funds

salaries, and professional

offered for rehrection will be spent

development stipends), 4 are

within the agency offering those

categorical grant programs (SIA,

funds.

ESOL, ISS, and middle school

At the August Board meeting,

incentive grants), and 3 are

State Superintendent Schrenko a

weighted student programs

budget that redirected 10% of the
1

See Redirection, p. 4.

1997 Budget Redirection Recommendations

State Board of Education

w Redirect funding for aides in grades K-3. w Redirect funding for the Special Instructional Assistance (SIA) Program. w Redirect funding for the Middle School Incentive Program.
Redirect funding for the Remedial Education Program. w Change the fimding ratios for high school vocational and non-vocational
labs from 18 to 22. w Redirect fundingfor extended day salaries in grades 9-12 and for hlgh
school vocational and non-vocational labs. w Redirect funding for the In-School Suspension (ISS) Program.