Update GA’s Quality Basic Education Funding Formula
Update GA’s Quality Basic Education Funding Formula
The Issue
We, the undersigned citizens, students, families, teachers, education support professionals, business owners, and community members of Georgia, respectfully urge you to take immediate legislative action to update the outdated Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula.
WHY THIS MATTERS:
Georgia is currently one of only six states nationwide and among the very few in the South that has not meaningfully revised its education funding formula in recent decades. Our outdated funding model continues to leave behind students living in poverty, those attending rural schools, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities requiring special education services.
Currently, Georgia ranks consistently low in national education performance metrics, including graduation rates, literacy, and overall educational quality. Without meaningful updates to the funding formula, we continue to deny many students fair opportunities to succeed, limiting Georgia’s ability to compete economically and socially with neighboring states.
WHAT WE ARE ASKING:
We specifically urge the GA General Assembly to support legislation that revises the QBE formula to include targeted and meaningful adjustments for:
Poverty: Ensure students experiencing poverty receive adequate resources to achieve academic success.
Rural Communities: Provide sufficient support to rural schools that face unique challenges and higher operating costs.
Multilingual Learners: Offer funding to meet the needs of Georgia’s rapidly growing multilingual student population.
Special Education: Adequately fund and expand resources for students requiring special education services, ensuring their right to quality education is fully supported.
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY:
With a historic budget surplus of approximately $16 billion, Georgia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest meaningfully in education. States such as Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida have recently updated their education funding formulas with positive results, including measurable gains in student achievement and improved economic competitiveness. Georgia must seize this opportunity to follow these successful models, ensuring all our students can thrive.
By investing in public education now, Georgia will position itself for long-term economic growth, workforce readiness, and improved quality of life for all citizens. Investing in public education means investing in Georgia’s future prosperity.
OUR REQUEST:
We, the undersigned Georgians, urge you as our elected representatives to prioritize these critical legislative updates and ensure that our state’s significant surplus resources are invested in a modern and robust public education system.
Thank you for your attention and leadership on this vital issue.
Respectfully submitted,
The People of Georgia
PS. Below are resources and specific examples of other Southern states that updated their formulas for public education.
Resources
Learn more about how GA currently funds public education:
https://gbpi.org/how-does-georgia-fund-schools/
1985 Funding Formula
https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/2021/08/Georgia-Basic-Education-Formula.pdf
Other state's funding formula:
Several southern states have recently updated their education funding formulas to better address the diverse needs of their student populations. Here are some examples:
Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Formula
In 2022, Tennessee enacted the TISA Act, transitioning to a student-based funding approach. This formula allocates funds based on individual student needs, including considerations for economically disadvantaged students, multilingual learners, and those requiring special education services. The state provides approximately 70% of the base and weighted funding amounts, with local districts covering the remaining 30%. Additionally, the state fully funds direct funding and outcomes components.
Source: https://www.tn.gov/education/best-for-all/tnedufunding.html
North Carolina: Hybrid Funding Formula
North Carolina employs a hybrid funding formula that combines resource-based calculations with program-based allocations. This approach determines funding based on the cost of resources required for education, such as staff salaries and instructional materials, and allocates additional funds for specific programs and services targeting categories like grade levels, English-language learners, students in high-poverty districts, students with disabilities, gifted students, and those enrolled in career and technical education programs.
Source: https://stateofeducationfunding.org/state/north-carolina/
Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP)
Florida utilizes the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), a primarily student-based funding formula that assigns a cost to the education of a student with no special needs or services. The formula includes additional allocations for students with specific needs, such as those requiring special education services, to ensure equitable distribution of resources. The FEFP combines state funds, primarily from sales tax revenue, and local funds generated from property tax revenue. In recent years, Florida has increased funding for education, including a $1.25 billion allocation in the 2024-25 fiscal year to raise the minimum base salary for full-time classroom teachers to at least $47,500.
Alabama: Proposed Hybrid Funding Model
Alabama lawmakers are considering transitioning to a hybrid K-12 school funding model that combines the current Foundation Program with additional need-based funding. This proposed model aims to allocate a base per-student amount and provide extra funds based on specific student needs, such as those requiring special education services or coming from high-poverty backgrounds. The goal is to modernize the state’s funding formula to better address student challenges and ensure equitable resource distribution.
Louisiana: Minimum Foundation Program (MFP)
Louisiana utilizes the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) to determine the cost of educating students in public schools and to define state and local funding contributions. The MFP formula considers various factors, including student needs and local tax bases, to ensure equitable distribution of resources. However, the MFP has faced criticism for not encouraging districts to implement taxes to pay higher amounts than the state for the cost of education.
Source: https://doe.louisiana.gov/school-system-leaders/school-system-finances/minimum-foundation-program
These examples demonstrate how updating education funding formulas can lead to more equitable resource distribution, addressing the unique challenges faced by all student populations.
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The Issue
We, the undersigned citizens, students, families, teachers, education support professionals, business owners, and community members of Georgia, respectfully urge you to take immediate legislative action to update the outdated Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula.
WHY THIS MATTERS:
Georgia is currently one of only six states nationwide and among the very few in the South that has not meaningfully revised its education funding formula in recent decades. Our outdated funding model continues to leave behind students living in poverty, those attending rural schools, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities requiring special education services.
Currently, Georgia ranks consistently low in national education performance metrics, including graduation rates, literacy, and overall educational quality. Without meaningful updates to the funding formula, we continue to deny many students fair opportunities to succeed, limiting Georgia’s ability to compete economically and socially with neighboring states.
WHAT WE ARE ASKING:
We specifically urge the GA General Assembly to support legislation that revises the QBE formula to include targeted and meaningful adjustments for:
Poverty: Ensure students experiencing poverty receive adequate resources to achieve academic success.
Rural Communities: Provide sufficient support to rural schools that face unique challenges and higher operating costs.
Multilingual Learners: Offer funding to meet the needs of Georgia’s rapidly growing multilingual student population.
Special Education: Adequately fund and expand resources for students requiring special education services, ensuring their right to quality education is fully supported.
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY:
With a historic budget surplus of approximately $16 billion, Georgia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest meaningfully in education. States such as Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida have recently updated their education funding formulas with positive results, including measurable gains in student achievement and improved economic competitiveness. Georgia must seize this opportunity to follow these successful models, ensuring all our students can thrive.
By investing in public education now, Georgia will position itself for long-term economic growth, workforce readiness, and improved quality of life for all citizens. Investing in public education means investing in Georgia’s future prosperity.
OUR REQUEST:
We, the undersigned Georgians, urge you as our elected representatives to prioritize these critical legislative updates and ensure that our state’s significant surplus resources are invested in a modern and robust public education system.
Thank you for your attention and leadership on this vital issue.
Respectfully submitted,
The People of Georgia
PS. Below are resources and specific examples of other Southern states that updated their formulas for public education.
Resources
Learn more about how GA currently funds public education:
https://gbpi.org/how-does-georgia-fund-schools/
1985 Funding Formula
https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/2021/08/Georgia-Basic-Education-Formula.pdf
Other state's funding formula:
Several southern states have recently updated their education funding formulas to better address the diverse needs of their student populations. Here are some examples:
Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Formula
In 2022, Tennessee enacted the TISA Act, transitioning to a student-based funding approach. This formula allocates funds based on individual student needs, including considerations for economically disadvantaged students, multilingual learners, and those requiring special education services. The state provides approximately 70% of the base and weighted funding amounts, with local districts covering the remaining 30%. Additionally, the state fully funds direct funding and outcomes components.
Source: https://www.tn.gov/education/best-for-all/tnedufunding.html
North Carolina: Hybrid Funding Formula
North Carolina employs a hybrid funding formula that combines resource-based calculations with program-based allocations. This approach determines funding based on the cost of resources required for education, such as staff salaries and instructional materials, and allocates additional funds for specific programs and services targeting categories like grade levels, English-language learners, students in high-poverty districts, students with disabilities, gifted students, and those enrolled in career and technical education programs.
Source: https://stateofeducationfunding.org/state/north-carolina/
Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP)
Florida utilizes the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), a primarily student-based funding formula that assigns a cost to the education of a student with no special needs or services. The formula includes additional allocations for students with specific needs, such as those requiring special education services, to ensure equitable distribution of resources. The FEFP combines state funds, primarily from sales tax revenue, and local funds generated from property tax revenue. In recent years, Florida has increased funding for education, including a $1.25 billion allocation in the 2024-25 fiscal year to raise the minimum base salary for full-time classroom teachers to at least $47,500.
Alabama: Proposed Hybrid Funding Model
Alabama lawmakers are considering transitioning to a hybrid K-12 school funding model that combines the current Foundation Program with additional need-based funding. This proposed model aims to allocate a base per-student amount and provide extra funds based on specific student needs, such as those requiring special education services or coming from high-poverty backgrounds. The goal is to modernize the state’s funding formula to better address student challenges and ensure equitable resource distribution.
Louisiana: Minimum Foundation Program (MFP)
Louisiana utilizes the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) to determine the cost of educating students in public schools and to define state and local funding contributions. The MFP formula considers various factors, including student needs and local tax bases, to ensure equitable distribution of resources. However, the MFP has faced criticism for not encouraging districts to implement taxes to pay higher amounts than the state for the cost of education.
Source: https://doe.louisiana.gov/school-system-leaders/school-system-finances/minimum-foundation-program
These examples demonstrate how updating education funding formulas can lead to more equitable resource distribution, addressing the unique challenges faced by all student populations.
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Petition created on February 23, 2025