GA Tax System Based on 1930s Economy, Says GBPI

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The Department of Juvenile Justice will present new budget cuts at a board meeting Thursday morning.  Governor Perdue has ordered every state agency to come up with scenarios detailing 4%, 6% and 8% cuts. On the eve of the big reveal, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute says the state tax structure dates back to the Great Depression and that’s why we’re in trouble. Here’s an excerpt from Advancing Georgia’s 1930s Tax System to the Modern Day:

"Georgia will spend more than 80 percent of the FY 2011 state budget on education, healthcare, and public safety; therefore, the size of the state budget is overwhelmingly driven by these three policy areas Georgia’s overall population, as well as the specific populations that state government serves, such as school children and prisoners, will continue to increase dramatically. In addition to meeting the needs of sheer increased numbers of Georgians, the state has urgent existing needs, such as bringing our education, mental health, and transportation systems, among others, up to national standard"

The report recommends changes that include:

Taxing more personal services, while lowering the sales tax
Updating cigarette and motor fuel excise tax rates
Modernizing personal income tax brackets, rates, and standard deductions
Closing corporate tax loopholes

Normer Adams: DJJ Budget Tragedy

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If you thought that the Department of Human Services budget was bad, the Department of Juvenile Justice is a tragedy.  Their FY2012 budget is $102 million less than it was in FY2009.  This represents more than a 30% cut from their 2009 base. In order to meet their budget, significant cuts are proposed to community residential services to youth, cuts to staff, furloughs, and contracts for services. The implications of these cuts are very evident to DJJ as itemized in their impact statement.  DJJ's ability to meet its core responsibilities are at risk.  In order to continue to meet their obligations, DJJ is proposing additional legislation that will allow it to reduce the number of children entering secure facilities, manage the length of stay in facilities and offer more community services. A detailed analysis presented by the Department shows with legislative support they could move more than 270 children charged with status offenses out of secure facilities into community programs.  

22.3% of High School Students Have Used Illegal Drugs

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The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 22.3% of all high school students, nationwide, have offered, sold or given another student an illegal drug on campus in 2007. Of the students who participated in illegal drug dealing, 25.7% were male and 18.7% were female. Here are some stats on student drug dealing at school:

Hispanic students 29.1%. White students 20.7% . Black students 19.3%.

12-Year-Old Gets Two Yrs. in Custody

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A 12-year-old boy plead guilty to robbing a pizza delivery man with an unloaded shotgun and has been sentenced to two years in state custody, according to a WSAV-TV report. For the full story, click here.

Public School Security Battle

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Many school districts are looking for ways to cut costs and watching the legal battle in Detroit.  More than 200 public school officers were fired earlier this month and replaced with a private company, according to an article in the Detroit Free Press. Detroit Public Schools hired Securitas Security Services to provide in school security, saving them $5.5 million with a one-year contract. The officers who got fired filed an injunction. The judge ruled in their favor and forced the district to reinstate them immediately. The officers accused the district of union busting and putting kids at risk because Securitas guards would not get as much training.

Gangs and Drugs: Crisis in Public Schools

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Twenty-seven percent of public school students from 12 to 17-years-old report that kids are using, keeping or selling drugs onschool grounds, according to a study by the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse. The survey, done annually over the past 15 years, found many surprising statistics:

Students in schools with gangs and drugs are five times more likely to use marijuana and three times more likely to drink. 46 percent of teens at public schools say there are gangs at their schools compared to only 2 percent of teens at private and religious schools
The percentage of middle schools with drugs on campus (kids 12- to 13- years old and younger) has increased from 23 percent last year to 32 percent this year
Teens with strong family ties are far less likely to smoke, drink or use marijuana or hang out with people who drink regularly, use illegal drugs and abuse prescription drugs

Click here for the full report.

Security Boost for Fulton Courthouse

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Fulton County will finally get the $5.4 million slated to improve security at the county’s Juvenile Court and to create a security command center in the Fulton Court Complex, according to the Superior Court of Fulton County. As reported here at JJIE.org last week, the money was almost redirected causing the Fulton County Commissioners to postpone the vote.  Wednesday’s 5-2 vote reinstated the funds and ended two weeks of negotiations between the county and judicial leaders. A federal panel recommended these security improvements in 2006 following Brian Nichols’ shooting spree in which he killed four people, including a judge. To read the full report and to follow Fulton County’s Superior Court blog, click here.

Teens Arrested for Gwinnett County Shooting

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A 16-year-old was arrested in Gwinnett County last week for allegedly shooting another 16-year-old in the chest, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  The District Attorney’s Office hopes to try him as an adult, which could result in a 20-year prison sentence. Two other teens, ages 17 and 18, were arrested this week in connection with the shooting.  The Gwinnett Daily Post (GDP) reveals that the older suspect is enrolled as a senior at Hooper Renwick School while the 17-year-old is enrolled in 8th grade at Grace Snell Middle School.  The latter has not attended school all year, a Gwinnett Public Schools spokesperson told the GDP. The three suspects are suspected to be involved in gang activity. "...Arrest warrants show [the 18-year-old] admitted to having a 'captain' rank in whatever gang set he claims," said the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Most Black Teenage Boys Fail to Graduate in Georgia

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Only 47 percent of African-American male students graduated from high school during the 2007-08 schoolyear, according to a report from the Schott Foundation for Public Education. The report is called  Yes We Can: The 2010 Schott 50 State Report on Black Males in Public Education .  It ranks all 50 states by black male graduation rates. Georgia is 10th from the bottom with a graduation rate of 43% for black teenage boys. In contrast, the graduation rate for white teenage boys is 62%.

Fighting Underage Drinking

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More than $20 million has been awarded to states nationwide to help combat underage drinking, according a news release from the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP). The federal grant money supports law enforcement, public education and other alliances that deal with young people and is being awarded through a program called Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws. Every territory and state, as well as the District of Columbia, has received $356,400 to go toward activities that hold adults accountable when they provide alcohol to minors. Here's the full news release from the OJP.