Georgia Legislature Moves Budget Forward Including Pay Hikes for Educators and State Employees – Sky Bulletin

In a significant advancement for state employees, the Georgia House Appropriations Committee approved a new budget that includes pay raises for public school teachers and state workers. This step, taken on Tuesday, directs the spending plan for the fiscal year commencing July 1st towards a brighter future for Georgia’s educators and employees.

The proposed budget outlines an expenditure of $36.1 billion in state funds and a total of $66.5 billion when federal and additional funds are considered. The full House will cast their votes on this measure come Thursday, followed by the Senate’s deliberations.

Last week saw Governor Brian Kemp sign off on a revised spending plan that increased outlays, leading to a projected state revenue expenditure of $38 billion and a total spending of $68 billion by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30th.

A noteworthy inclusion in the budget is the $2,500 pay raise for public school teachers that will take effect on July 1st. This raise, initiated by Governor Kemp in January, will increase the average teacher salary in Georgia to upwards of $65,000 annually. On top of this, teachers also received a $1,000 bonus in December, which was affirmed by lawmakers when amending the present budget. State and university workers are set to see a 4% wage increment for salaries up to $70,000. The typical state worker’s salary sits at approximately $50,400.

The budget also earmarks more than $600 million exclusively for the aforementioned raises. It’s important to note that teachers have already benefitted from $7,000 in salary increments during Kemp’s initial five years in office.

Certain state employees are identified for additional pay raises. For instance, state law enforcement officers are to receive an extra $3,000 on top of the $6,000 special increase they had last year. Meanwhile, child welfare workers are also slated for a $3,000 salary boost.

Moreover, judges could see an increase in their compensation as per the budget proposal. The House has proposed spending in excess of $10 million to enact half of a unified plan to raise and normalize judicial salaries. This strategic financial initiative would correlate the top-tier judicial pay to the salaries of federal judges in Atlanta. Consequently, the pay for State Supreme Court justices could escalate from $186,000 to over $223,000, while Court of Appeals judges’ pay could rise from the current $185,000 to $212,000.

In Georgia, superior court judges’ annual earnings range from $154,000 to $222,000, a variation resulting from different contributions by counties across the state’s 50 judicial circuits. According to the new system, the state could provide a maximum salary of $201,000 for superior court judges, supplemented by up to a 10% locality bonus from counties, taking the total remuneration to $221,000.

Given constraints that disallow lawmakers from exceeding Kemp’s revenue projection, any modifications to the Governor’s proposed spending can only involve reductions or reallocations. Accordingly, the House has made cuts to debt services and construction projects, which had already received funding in the amended budget, to promote increased expenditure on vital services like health care, mental health care, and support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The state is prepared to allocate hundreds of millions more dollars to enhance its payments to nursing homes, home health care providers, dialysis services, physical and occupational therapists, and certain doctors. While the majority of these increments were put forth by Kemp, some were recommended by the House.

Committee Chairman Hatchett clarified that these increased rates are crucial for maintaining adequate reimbursements that ensure providers continue to offer their services.

In what is a significant move, adults enrolled in Georgia’s Medicaid program would, for the first time, have basic dental care coverage included in their insurance. This inclusion is expected to cost $9 million in state funds, which balloons to $28 million when federal contributions are accounted for.

The House has also proposed an additional $21 million for domestic violence shelters and sexual assault response organizations, some of which are facing substantial federal funding cuts. Hatchett emphasized that even though this allocation doesn’t directly compensate for the federal cuts, the state must finance the services it mandates.

Efforts to combat child hunger are also reflected in the proposed budget, with an allocation of $6.33 million to extend free breakfast and lunch at public schools to children who are currently eligible for reduced-price meals but do not qualify for fully subsidized meals.

The budget supports Kemp’s initiative to invest $104 million in school security and $205 million for enhancing the state’s contribution to school bus purchases and operations. Additionally, the funding would restore prekindergarten class sizes to 20 students after a prolonged period with 22, aligning with a governmental objective to reverse previous budget cuts to the Department of Early Care and Learning.