Georgia
State Government
Governor
Brian Kemp (R)
State Senate
23
Democrats,
33
Republicans
State House
78
Democrats,
102
Republicans
Economic well-being - Georgia
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.1
Minimum wage
7.3
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.3
Poverty rate
12.6%
Unemployment rate
3.4
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
12.0
Poverty by demographic - Georgia
Child poverty rate
0.2
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
29000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
415000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
225000
Senior poverty rate
12.1 %
Women in poverty
5,640,440
The Thomaston Times, April 22, 2014: Free breakfast and lunch for students next school year under CEP program
"Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, all students in the Thomaston-Upson School System will receive free breakfast and lunch. That decision came at the Board of Education meeting on April 8 when the BOE voted unanimously to apply for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The CEP allows schools that serve a large percentage of low-income children to offer free school meals to all students."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 01, 2013: (Op-Ed) Poor kids need slack, not grit (Subscription Required)
"No child has ever chosen to be poor. Children have never caused the poverty that defines their lives and their education."
The Daily Camera, September 27, 2013: (Editorial) A mixed bag: Trends report shows continuing inequity
"New SAT details released Thursday had some Georgia school districts bragging about eager students and hardworking teachers, while others were left to explain how disadvantages such as poverty dragged down their scores."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 19, 2013: (Op-Ed) To prevent dropouts, start in middle school
"Many low-income families look to their children to assist with the family business or otherwise contribute to the family's income. They see the short-term need for money to support the family and not the long-term benefits of education. This is a crisis that has a solution. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, our 2020 goal is to have 90 percent of the children in our clubs graduate on time by providing valuable out-of-school programs."
Columbus Ledger-Inquirer, April 20, 2013: (Op-Ed) Poor kids get all the paddlings
"Now remember that Muscogee Elementary, with 100 percent of its students on the free or reduced lunch program, has the most paddlings among elementary schools, and Baker Middle, at 91 percent, has the most among middle schools. The other schools that used corporal punishment most frequently were Eddy Middle (87 percent impoverished students) with 101 paddlings, Davis Elementary (94 percent) with 32 paddlings and Marshall Middle (90 percent) with 32 paddlings. In fact, every elementary and middle school that conducted one or more paddlings had at least 65 percent of its students classified as living in poverty."
The Augusta Chronicle, April 07, 2013: Scholarship program faces tighter rules after abuse allegations
"David Brown, the executive director of Grace Scholars, an SSO that serves 900 students in the Augusta area and 17,000 in Georgia, said he hopes the new transparency encourages more individuals and businesses to donate to a child's private education. Like GOAL, Grace already targets low-income families and publishes its financial data to the public voluntarily. However, he has seen evidence of abuses when donors call his office to ask whether they can contribute to their own child at a particular school and then receive a tax credit."