Add It Up - Schooled
A look at the numbers
Approximate amount by which Gov. Sonny Perdue has underfunded education since taking office in 2003: $1.25 billion
Amount in unanticipated 2005 taxes that Georgia has collected to date: $1.028 billion
State budget shortfall that Perdue faced when taking office: $620 million
Additional amount Georgia will spend on education in fiscal year 2007 vs. 2006: $779.8 million
Percent of Georgia eighth-graders who were less than “proficient” in a 2005 national reading test: 75
Approximate budget shortfall Atlanta Public Schools faces for upcoming school year: $37.3 million
Number of years since the Atlanta school board last raised the property tax rate: 9
Approximate budget shortfall the Fulton County School System is facing in the upcoming school year: $60 million
Number of additional students the Fulton County School System is expecting next year: 6,000
Fulton County high school students’ average SAT score: 1056
Georgia high school students’ average SAT score: 953
Average SAT score for students admitted to UGA last year: 1242
Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, National Center for Education Statistics, Fulton County School System, University of Georgia