Gov. Kemp Promised Teachers A Raise, But State Funds Don’t Cover Everyone

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July 1st, 2019

During his campaign, Gov. Brian Kemp promised teachers a $5,000 annual raise. He modified that to $3,000 during his first term in office. If the governor continues to increase teacher salaries and lawmakers don’t update the state’s Quality Basic Education formula, some school districts could be faced with stretching local budgets to cover teacher raises each year of his term.

John Bazemore / Associated Press file

Monday, July 1 is the start of the 2020 fiscal year. That means many Georgia teachers, school psychologists, counselors and other staff members will soon see a bump in their paychecks.

However, some of them might not receive the $3,000 promised by Gov. Brian Kemp. There are a few reasons for that.

The first is that the majority of school districts have signed strategic waiver agreements with the state. Districts can waive certain state requirements in return for improved results, like test scores and graduation rates.

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