ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp has announced new funding that would allow state employees, including teachers to receive a $1,000 bonus.
The announcement was made on Monday in a recent news conference. K-12 teachers, school support staff and full-time eligible state employees would receive the retention bonus.
The payment would help with retainment amongst state employees for next year.
"Given how hard these men and women have worked during the pandemic to help keep the community safe and to make state government more streamline and efficient, this seems wholly appropriate to me," said the Georgia governor. "It's part of that effort to make state government more responsive and effective."
Kemp also announced that $103.9 million will be implemented in the 2024 budget for school security funding with $45,000 for each school in the state. All schools will have the opportunity to allocate the funding for more security staffing or updating school safety technologies.
In his news conference, Kemp mentioned how he previously allowed two grants that would also help with school security in schools across the Peach State.
“This additional investment in school safety will benefit every part of the state,” Gov. Kemp said. “It’s just the latest action we’re taking to secure our classrooms and back our law enforcement. This new funding comes on top of the $7,000 teacher pay raise and historic K-12 funding levels we’ve put in place since I took office.”
According to a news release the budget will include $330 million in one-time bonuses for the employees.
It comes after the governor announced a plan to accelerate the state's income tax cut with new legislation in the coming Georgia General Assembly session, which would impact all Georgia families. The legislation for the 2024 session, if passed and signed by Gov. Kemp, would reduce the 2024 rate to 5.39%. The 2022 tax cut will bring the top Georgia rate down from 5.75%.
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