GEORGIA WOMEN VOTE!: 65%=Failure: Fact Sheet for SB390

Monday, February 13, 2006

SB390 FACT SHEET

SAY "NO" TO "65%=FAILURE BILL"

According to Standard and Poors, no empirical data exists to support that this legislation will have the desired effect of increasing student performance.
The State of Georgia provides approximately 40% of operating expenditures for local districts, yet wants to control how 65% of those funds, gutting local control.
SB390 does not provide a single additional state dollar for local school districts.
Services are arbitrarily excluded from the 65% and are at risk for cuts, for example:

Physical Education personnel are included; Media Specialists are not.

Transportation for Field Trips is included; Transportation to get children to and from school is not.

Coaches are included; School Counselors are not.

Arts are included; School Nurses are not.

Music is included; Principals are not.

Field Trips are included; Teacher Training is not.

Band Directors are included; School Social Workers are not.

Magnets for the classroom bulletin board are included; transportation to Magnet Programs is not.

Georgia is the only state to include federal money in the total. Virtually all such funds come earmarked for specific purposes.
The attempt to control expenditure of earmarked federal funds and the failure to consider the individual circumstances of each district may result in litigation, the cost of which will be borne by the taxpayer.
Local property taxes may be raised to meet this obligation.
Some high poverty districts will not be able to raise taxes enough to continue to pay for services this legislation excludes.

Parents, teachers and education experts including PAGE, GAE, National PTA and the Georgia PTA oppose this legislation.