The American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress earlier this month includes additional monies for Georgia with a large portion of funds directed towards education. Here are just a few standout funding line items coming to Georgia:
Early Childhood Education & Family Supports
- Temporarily expanded child tax credit for families including higher amounts for young children and families through the end of 2021
- Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit increases substantially
- Increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supports
- Increased funding for the Child Care & Development Block Grant which funds a significant portion of child care programs in Georgia including Child & Parent Services (CAPS)
- Continues child care stabilization grants to support child care providers, most of whom are small business owners in Georgia
- Governor’s discretionary funds for the education of significantly impacted students
- Expanded Paycheck Protection Program loans which now includes some non-profit businesses
K-12 Schools
- Additional funds for COVID-19 mitigation expenses such as HVAC, reduced class sizes, personal protective equipment and more
- Increased funding for students with disabilities
- Governor’s discretionary funds for the education of significantly impacted students
- Maintenance support – ensuring that education funding levels do not reduce sharply from Georgia’s previous three years of education budgeting
- Additional funding for the federal Emergency Connectivity Fund which pays for internet connectivity in schools and libraries
- Additional funding for after-school and summer education programs
Higher Education
- COVID-19 mitigation expenses similar to K-12
- Governor’s discretionary spending for the education of significantly impacted students
- Maintenance support – ensuring that education funding levels do not reduce sharply from Georgia’s previous three years of education budgeting
- Removes taxes on student loan forgiveness options from 2020 through 2026
Thank you to Voices for Georgia’s Children for a helpful breakdown of the Act!
In the next edition we’ll look at the 2022 state budget currently under consideration by the Georgia General Assembly.
