The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp puts focus on gangs, school safety
New governor details his agenda for first year, vows bipartisanship.
Gov. Brian Kemp unveiled plans Wednesday to create a state antigang task force and devote $69 million in one-time funds for school security grants, as he outlined specifics of his first-year agenda days after taking office.
The Republican also prom- ised to deliver a “historic and well-deserved” pay raise to Georgia’s public school teachers at his State of the State address today. Kemp said he would hike annual teacher pay by $5,000 during the campaign, but he’s likely to divvy up the raise over several years.
His remarks came at the Georgia Chamber’s annual Eggs & Issues breakfast, his first major event since he was sworn into office Monday.
On Wednesday, he repeated a
pledge he made at his inauguration to work across party lines after a hard-fought election that he won by a slim margin.
His school safety plan will include $30,000 for each of the state’s 2,294 public schools to use as they see fit for school security — such as hiring officers, paying for cameras or metal detectors, and conducting more data analysis.
As another part of the plan, he said he would put a mental health counselor in all 343 state public high schools to “engage with struggling students and help provide the resources needed to prevent disruptive, aggres- sive and potentially violent behavior.”
“The classroom should be a safe haven for students,” he said, “not a hunting ground for school shooters.”
And his anti-gang initia- tive will involve $500,000 to form a GBI task force to work with local law enforcement officials.
Each of the proposals was a staple of his campaign for governor against Democrat Stacey Abrams. She was narrowly defeated in November, though Democrats flipped about a dozen legislative seats across Atlanta’s suburbs.
Since then, Georgia Republican leaders have signaled a focus on pock- etbook issues rather than fights over social divides that energize the GOP’s more rural base.
To reinforce that point, House Speaker David Ralston announced an initiative — a House panel focused on arts and entertainment — that aims to grow Georgia’s film industry and other creative businesses.
“They will work to ensure Georgia has a work- force ready for the jobs these industries are creating throughout our state,” Ralston said. “They will iden- tify ways to make certain that we meet every competitive challenge.”
Safe schools a priority
The governor first unveiled his school safety plan in Sep- tember, with a goal of pour- ing a total of $90 million into initiatives that also include financing a school safety division within the Georgia Department of Education.
It’s part of the overall approach by Georgia Repub- licans to try to address safety initiatives after mass shootings at schools without delving into a debate over new gun control measures.
Case in point: House and Senate lawmakers last year all o cated $16 million in school safety funding after the mass shooting at a Parkland, Fla., school left 17 people dead. A range of gun-re- lated proposals, meanwhile, stalled in the Legislature.
The November election heightened the divide. Top Georgia Democrats bucked years of pro-gun positions last year to embrace new restrictions, such as proposals to ban assault weapons and expand waiting periods.
And lead i ng Republicans, including Kemp and just about every other statewide GOP candidate, pushed to aggressively expand where people can carry firearms.
Since his election, Kemp has said he would continue to champion gun rights. But he’s been notably noncommittal about a plan he supported during the campaign to let people carry concealed firearms without a permit.
Instead, he’s focused on broader appeals that are less likely to draw Democratic opposition. And soon after his speech, bipartisan legislative leaders signaled they were receptive to his school safety plans.
“We can all agree with Governor Kemp that the safety of our schools and students is a top priority,” said Republi- can state Sen. P.K. Martin of Lawrenceville, the chairman of his chamber’s Education Committee. “We made an investment in school secu- rity last session, and safe schools continue to be a priority in the Senate.”
State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, a Decatur Democrat and a leading advocate for gun restrictions, said she welcomed Kemp’s plans.
“My three school districts can benefit from new money for cameras and security equipment,” Oliver said. “Most importantly, addi- tional school counselors who can focus on school climate and children in trouble will help keep schools safe.”
And state Rep. Carolyn Hugley of Columbus added that she hopes Republicans “will leave all options on the table as we work to protect our children.”
The cost of the programs raised other fiscal questions, since Kemp has promised he won’t raise taxes to pay for any of his education programs.
Stephen Owens of the left-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute praised Kemp for “wisely” highlight- ing school safety as a priority. But he warned against relying solely on economic growth, rather than increasing taxes, for initiatives that could top $700 million annually.
“Adding additional reve- nue will provide the funds necessary to display a commitment to the teacher workforce and school safety,” he said, “as well as show the state is dedicated to public education.”
‘Grab some nails’
Kemp’s “stop and disman- tle” program targeting gangs also played a central role in his run for governor. He first unveiled it in April as part of a broader push to emphasize crackdowns on crime and illegal immigration.
The plan would also give the state attorney general more power to prosecute gang members and pour an unspecified amount of state funding into improving a database created in 2010 to track gang members.
For Kemp, during a tight race for the GOP nomination, the tough talk was a way to appeal to conservatives and echo President Donald Trump, who made targeting MS-13 and other violent gangs a linchpin of his criminal justice policy.
Statistics on gang membership and gang-related crime in Georgia aren’t easily available — the FBI hasn’t published a gang threat assessment since 2011 — and some critics have accused Kemp of fear-mongering. Some gang investigators, meanwhile, have recently documented a rise in gang activity.
In his address, Kemp cited statistics from a 2018 law enforcement survey to urge lawmakers to immediately target what he called a “crisis that stretches statewide.”
“It’s a great time to be a Georgian,” he said. “But it’s not time to grow complacent. Let’s pick up a hammer and grab some nails. It’s time to start building on the solid foundation poured by those who came before us.”