The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp proposes $2,000 raise for teachers in budget
Gov. Brian Kemp is calling for the state’s public school teachers to receive raises next year of $2,000.
If the proposal wins approval, Kemp will have fulfilled one of his biggest promises during the 2018 campaign, when he pledged to raise teachers’ pay by $5,000. The down payment came last year, when the General Assembly approved a $3,000 raise.
Kemp used his State of the State address to announce the plan — which would cost about $350 million.
It follows Kemp’s order in August to cut state spending by 4% this fiscal year and 6% next year. The governor’s edict was meant to set aside funds to meet some of his priorities, such as the teacher raise, but also to serve as a hedge against the possibility of an economic downturn. The state’s fiscal economist said in September that there was a 50-50 chance that a mild recession could hit in 2020.
The state has also seen its tax collections slow since shortly after the General Assembly voted in 2018 to reduce Georgia’s top income tax rate. On the first day of the new legislative session, the state reported that tax collections were up just 0.3% during the first six months of the fiscal year, which began July 1, and analysts said income tax collections were tracking about $300 million less than what had been expected.
Legislators this year will consider another reduction in the rate, to 5.5% — which would cost the state, and save taxpayers, about $550 million. The further reduction in the income tax rate is not accounted for in Kemp’s budget plan.
Kemp said the teacher pay raise “will enhance retention rates, boost recruitment numbers, and improve educational outcomes in schools throughout Georgia.”
“By investing in our educators,” he said, “we can build a strong house … a place where everyone learns … and all Georgians have the opportunity to thrive.”
In his speech, Kemp did not mention a pay raise for the tens of thousands of state employees and staffers in the University System of Georgia. His budget, however, includes $45 million to fund a $1,000 pay hike for full-time state employees earning less than $40,000 a year.
Senate Democrats expressed support for the proposed bump in teacher pay while also saying the state needs to increase what its spending on students.
“We should not forget that Georgia is 36th in the nation on per pupil spending,” they said in a tweet. “We must set a goal to reach at least the national average on student spending.”
Passage of the teacher pay raise, along with any of Kemp’s other proposals, is not a given, though, with all those money issues on the radar. Earlier this month, House Speaker David Ralston called a boost in teacher pay “a laudable goal.” But he added: “I hope we’re able to do that. I don’t know that we’ll be able to do that this session.”