Georgia’s PEACH Education Tax Credit and Support for Literacy
By: Senator Billy Hickman. Mr. Hickman is a dedicated advocate for education reform and currently serves in the Georgia State Senate, where they champion policies to improve literacy and educational outcomes across the state. Their commitment to breaking the cycle of low literacy drives their work to ensure all Georgians have access to quality education and the tools to succeed.
For far too long, the state of Georgia has struggled to break the cycle of generational low literacy. Today, an estimated one million Georgians lack basic literacy skills. When compared with other states, Georgia ranks in the 40th percentile of working-age individuals without a high school equivalency diploma and 28th in fourth grade reading achievement. Research has shown that a lack of basic literacy skills has detrimental effects on a person’s educational, economic, social, and health outcomes. Collectively, this begins to take a toll on our communities and workforce as well.
In my time as a state senator, I have never seen the Georgia General Assembly, partnered with Governor Brian Kemp, be so committed to changing the trajectory of our state’s low literacy rate and the negative impacts of it. In 2023, the General Assembly unanimously passed HB 538 requiring our state to use the science of reading for student instruction. We also passed Senate Bill 211 which formed the Georgia Council on Literacy to oversee our state’s literacy improvements.
Improving literacy outcomes cannot happen unless ALL Georgia citizens get involved and support our efforts. That is why we need the help of the Georgia Society of CPAs.
As you all know, the Georgia Peach Education Tax Credit provides a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for donations to the Georgia Foundation for Public Education. In 2024, the cap for this annual tax credit was raised to $15 million. Sadly, that cap has not been met. Please help us support public education, specifically the literacy efforts across our state, and to reach the tax credit cap.
All Peach Education Tax Credit donations, designated for the Georgia Council on Literacy, will match public funding for two key projects. First, funds raised will support the Georgia Reads Community Award to recognize communities that have made significant gains in literacy in the past three to five years. Secondly, the funds will be used to support educators’ professional development in the science of reading.
Please join in the Council’s mission to be ranked the number one state in literacy. Together, we will turn the page to a brighter future.
Questions? For more information, data, and resources, visit georgiareads.org. For Peach Education Tax Credit information, go to gfpe.org.
A Video Message for Georgia's CPAs: I hope all of you will watch the attached message from Georgia Reads Coach Malcolm Mitchell and Mrs. Dayle Burns, wife of Speaker Jon Burns.
Georgia’s PEACH Education Tax Credit and Support for Literacy
If there are any questions on the above information, contact Don Cook, vice president of legislative affairs, at 404-504-2935 or dcook@gscpa.org.