. P!
VQ
a
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.