Over Half of Georgia's General Fund Revenues Goes to Education

Georgia Budget & Policy Institute

January 27, 2011

The information provided here is for informational and educational purposes and does not necessarily reflect the opinion and/or policy position of the Georgia Municipal Association.

In Georgia's FY 2011 budget, nearly fifty-nine cents of every dollar is spent on education.

 
There are seven main funding sources for the total funds budget for the state of Georgia: General Funds (taxes and fees), Motor Fuel Funds, Lottery Funds, Tobacco Settlement Funds, Federal Funds, Other Funds, and Intra State Government Transfers.
 
General Funds
Almost 96 cents of every dollar spent on programs funded through state taxes and fees are allocated to six areas:
  • K-12 and Post-Secondary Education (59 cents of every dollar spent),
  • Health Care (17 cents of every dollar spent),
  • Criminal Justice (11 cents of every dollar spent),
  • Debt Service (6 cents of every dollar spent), and
  • Department of Human Services (3 cents of every dollar spent).
The remaining 4 cents of every dollar spent through taxes and fees pay for all other state agencies, boards and commissions. The Department of Transportation receives less than $7 million in General Revenue Funds, but receives more than $675 million in Motor Fuel Funds, which can only be spent on public roads and bridges.
 
More information about Georgia's budget can be found in the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute publication, Georgia's Budget Primer 2011 Report, published in January 2011.

 The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that strives to raise the level of public policy debate in the state of Georgia.