Accomplishment of the full potential of a well formulated vision for public education in Georgia is dependent on the availability of adequate fiscal resources. A commitment to identifying and documenting the most effective and efficient expenditure of tax revenues and other funding sources is imperative. Although strategies can and should be identified for enhancement of instruction and learning that do not necessarily require greater expenditures, a commitment to enabling all students to attain their potential can only be realized if it is accompanied by a recognition that essential programs, services, and personnel can only be provided with an appropriate level of financial support. An optimal revenue structure must be identified and implemented to make this financial commitment to high quality public education possible. Both state and local revenues must be examined; however, the source of fiscal resources should not detract from the objective of realizing the vision for public education for children throughout the State of Georgia. Recognition must be given to the fact that students’ varying needs and circumstances require differentiated expenditures to be successful in school, and a process must be implemented for determining the costs associated with educating students of different ages, from different backgrounds, and possessing a variety of disabling conditions.
This component of the Vision for Public Education in Georgia identifies and describes those elements which are essential in ensuring that financial resources are adequate and are distributed equitably to guarantee an equal educational opportunity for all students wherever they reside in the State of Georgia.