A Georgia lawmaker wants to allow local school systems to tap into their capital building funds and build more pre-k classrooms.
Senate Bill 98 from state Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, aims to expand current rules that bar local officials from using capital funds on facilities not related to kindergarten through 12th-grade activities.
Parent said there is already a demonstrated need in Georgia. While pre-k money raised through the Georgia Lottery is enough to fund about 84,000 slots, there are only about 80,670 kids in pre-k classes due to a lack of space, she said. According to the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, another 5,000 students across the state are waiting to get into the program, which is voluntary for the kids and tuition-free.
“We have money from the lottery for these kids to attend pre-k, we have teachers to teach them, but we have no classrooms to teach them in,” Parent said. “That’s why we have thousands of kids on a wait list, sitting out a year that they could be learning. The fault lies in the fine print. We’ve broken a promise to our kids and we need to make it right.”
Additionally, local districts can’t use trailers to house pre-k classes because of requirements for there to be a bathroom in those classrooms – something that classroom trailers don’t have.
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