Politics
Georgia's incoming schools chief Lydia Powell targets outdated 1985 funding formula, teacher shortage
State School Superintendent-elect Lydia Powell says she will push to overhaul Georgia's 40-year-old QBE funding formula, create a statewide teacher job repository and expand preschool in her first 100 days. She also vows to work with Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms to make school funding a budget priority.
Georgia's incoming state school superintendent is promising an aggressive opening agenda focused on the state's teacher shortage, special education accountability and a funding system she says has been obsolete for four decades.
Lydia Powell, who won election as state school superintendent, told Channel 2 Action News that her first 100 days will begin with a review of operations at the Georgia Department of Education, where she said some processes need correction.
"There's some operational things that need to be corrected," Powell said. "We need to look at that first."
Powell brings 26 years of experience in education, including 11 years in educational leadership, to the job.
She said the concerns she heard most often from families and educators were special education accountability, cost-of-living increases and teacher salaries. She also cited student behavior as a worry but argued schools must address the underlying needs of children rather than treat them simply as discipline problems, calling for "whole child experiences" and stronger wraparound services.
On the teacher shortage, Powell said large metro Atlanta districts have human resources departments and recruiting operations that smaller rural systems cannot match. Her solution is a statewide repository to connect available teachers with openings across Georgia.
"We need a repository at the state level to ensure that teachers are available to be interviewed for these positions," she said.
She also wants teaching to remain competitive with other professions, saying the state needs a career pathway where educators can earn a living. Asked how the state would pay for higher compensation, Powell said education funding must be made a priority as the state budget is developed, while noting that local school systems also contribute to teacher pay.
Her most far-reaching proposal would require legislative action: replacing the state's Quality Basic Education formula, known as QBE, which determines how much state funding public schools receive.
"Our QBE formula that's in place now is outdated from 1985," Powell said. "I want to work with our legislature to ensure that we correct that."
Lawmakers return to the Capitol shortly after Powell takes office, and she said school funding will quickly become part of the conversation.
Powell also plans to work with incoming Gov. Keisha Lance Bottoms on expanding preschool education throughout Georgia.
She framed the goal as ensuring that educational opportunities do not depend on whether a student attends school in metro Atlanta or rural Georgia â a divide that has long shaped debates over school funding at the state Capitol.