Deal to Add Back 10 Pre-K Days

Gov. Nathan Deal will propose reinstating 10 of 20 days that were removed from the current pre-k year which will result in a longer school year and a 4.4 percent pay raise for pre-k teachers, according the AJC.

Lawmakers return to town Monday for the 40-day legislative session in which Deal details retooling the pre-k program.

Last year, the legislature approved shortening the pre-k school year from 180 to 160 days. The shortening added two students to each pre-k class. Teachers abandoned the program.

The cut was part of a plan to ensure the future of the pre-k and HOPE scholarship programs, both of which are funded by dwindling lottery revenues.

Bobby Cagle, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, is optimistic the pay raise will “stem some of the tide of teachers leaving.”

After the shorter school year and related pay cuts were approved, the retention rate of pre-k teachers who work in public schools, fell from 87 percent to 64 percent, according to Cagle’s office.

The AJC reports that the governor will recommend the $7 million cost of adding 10 days be offset by reducing the pre-k slots by 2,000.