Georgia Mountain News

In a recent announcement in Atlanta, Governor Brian Kemp unveiled a $1,000 retention pay supplement for over 300,000 state employees and educators. In addition to this, he proposed allocating $45,000 per public school in Georgia to enhance campus security. The governor hopes these investments will strengthen safety measures across the state's educational institutions.

According to a press release by Kemp's office, the governor stated: "Throughout the pandemic, a summer of unrest, and the unprecedented challenges of the last several years, our state employees have worked hard, taken on additional challenges, remained committed to serving their fellow Georgians, and become more streamlined so we can remain the best state for opportunity. This retention pay supplement will arrive during the holiday season, and it’s part of my administration’s way of showing our appreciation for all that they do."

The announcement was made alongside First Lady Marty Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, and Speaker Jon Burns. Kemp outlined plans for the $330 million allocation in his FY 2024 budget. According to another press release from his office, this budget includes $202 million for K-12 educators' one-time pay supplements and more than $100 million in annual funding for school security in local K-12 schools. Previously, Kemp authorized two grants totaling $185 million for school safety—providing $30,000 per school in 2019 and an increased sum of $50,000 per school announced earlier this year.

A report by WSB-TV noted that Georgia currently has a workforce of 112,000 state employees along with an educational community comprising 196,000 teachers and school support staff.

Speaker Burns expressed his support for Kemp's initiatives in another press release from Kemp's office: "I’m proud to join Governor Kemp in providing additional funding for school safety initiatives as well as supplemental pay for our state employees. We want every child in our state to have the opportunity to learn, grow and explore in a safe and secure environment, and this proposal will help ensure that happens. We also want to continue prioritizing our state employees who help deliver the critical services our state depends on. We look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to make these priorities a reality during the upcoming legislative session."