Extra attention would be given to certain employees. In addition to the $6,000 special increase they received last year, state police officers would receive an extra $3,000. Additionally, those who work in child welfare would get a supplemental $3,000 bonus.
The governor has proposed an additional $1.4 billion for public education, which includes salary increases. Funding for this department has increased by the most of any major branch of state government save the judiciary, amounting to about 12%.
Kemp said in December that he will request that lawmakers set aside $104 million annually for school security. Moreover, Kemp promised a $205 million boost for public school transportation on Thursday, increasing the state's contribution to purchasing and operating school buses.
This comes after decades of shifting the expense burden onto school districts. In addition to funding a literacy screening exam and providing coaches to enhance reading teaching, Kemp is seeking $11 million.
Educators, students, and communities will benefit from Gov. Kemp's funding priorities, according to Craig Harper, executive director of the state's biggest teacher group, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. These priorities include increased salaries, better student transportation, increased literacy, and safer schools.
New funding has also been allocated to pre-K and colleges. In order to get prekindergarten class numbers down to 20 students again after years of 22 students, Kemp suggests that the state undo a long-standing funding decrease to the Department of Early Care and Learning over the course of four years
In the first installment, Kemp would invest $11 million. Public university funding was reduced by $66 million in a House-Senate debate last year; Kemp also suggests reinstating this funding.
Increases in funding for mental and physical health services would outweigh those for schooling. There would be an increase of $118 million for nursing facility payments, $44 million for in-home care for the handicapped and elderly, and $102 million for in-home care for those with intellectual or developmental impairments in Georgia