Georgia § 20-3-499 - 2. Funding procedures for scholarships.

§ 20-3-499. 2. Funding procedures for scholarships.

Subject to available funding, the authority will provide $10,000.00 for each REACH scholar for the first year of the REACH participating school system's participation in the scholarship program. Each year thereafter, the REACH participating school system will be responsible for providing a proportionate share of the scholarship. The REACH participating school system's proportionate share shall be based on the tier designated by the Department of Community Affairs pursuant to Code Section 48-7-40 for the county in which the school system is located and the population of such county, according to the United States decennial census of 2010 or any future such census. The term of the tier designation shall be five years; provided, however, that in any subsequent year within the five-year designation period in which the county of the local school system is designated with a lower tier, a REACH participating school system may reduce its tier designation commensurately and utilize such designation for the remainder of the five-year period. Through Fiscal Year 2022, the 2016 Department of Community Affairs tier designation shall be used to define the proportionate share, as adjusted pursuant to the foregoing. The REACH participating school system's proportionate share shall be as follows: A proportionate share of $1,000.00 per REACH scholar for: Tier 1 counties; and Tier 2 counties with populations equal to or less than 20,000; A proportionate share of $2,000.00 per REACH scholar for: Tier 2 counties with populations greater than 20,000; and Tier 3 counties with populations equal to or less than 20,000; A proportionate share of $3,000.00 per REACH scholar for tier 3 counties with populations greater than 20,000; and A proportionate share of $4,000.00 per REACH scholar for tier 4 counties. Any county in which there are three or more school systems eligible to participate in the REACH program shall be permitted to provide to each REACH participating school system within the county a one-tier reduction, unless that county's tier designation is tier 1. (Code 1981, § 20-3-499.2 , enacted by Ga. L. 2019, p. 675, § 2/SB 83.)