Georgia Aids Rural Vets While Ignoring Desperate Needs in Other Professions

On May 12, 2025, Governor Brian Kemp signed four bills into law, heralding a new era for Georgia’s workforce. HB 192, HB 38, HB 172, and SB 85 promise to sharpen the state’s talent pipeline, aligning education with job market demands. As someone who sees education as a cornerstone of fairness, I find this focus troubling. These laws prioritize economic gains over equal access, leaving too many students behind. Why build a system that shines for some but dims for others?

Take HB 192, the Top State for Talent Act. It locks the Georgia MATCH program into law, sending tailored admission letters to high school seniors and securing their spots at public colleges. Enrollment is up—6 percent for universities, 9 percent for technical schools. Yet, access means nothing without affordability. For low-income families, a reserved seat is a hollow promise when tuition and living costs loom large. This gap reveals a choice to favor headlines over true equity.

SB 85 creates the Georgia Foster Care Scholarship Program, offering up to $30,000 yearly for foster and former foster youth in college. It’s a meaningful step. Programs like California’s $50 million NextUp or Minnesota’s Fostering Independence Grant show how targeted aid boosts completion rates by 15 to 20 percent. But Georgia’s plan stops short. The scholarship applies only after other aid, leaving unmet needs like housing or mental health support, which foster youth face at higher rates.

Other states, like New York with its Foster Youth College Success Initiative, pair aid with mentoring and emergency grants. These aren’t extras; they’re essentials for students navigating trauma and instability. Why isn’t Georgia doing the same? By narrowing SB 85’s scope, the state risks celebrating progress while abandoning its most vulnerable learners.

HB 172 raises loan forgiveness for rural veterinarians from $80,000 over four years to $90,000 over three. It’s a smart move—veterinary shortages threaten rural economies and food security. The USDA’s program, aiding 243 shortage areas, shows these incentives deliver. But why focus solely on veterinarians? Rural areas also need teachers, nurses, and counselors. A fairer system would expand relief across professions, not single out one.

Some argue this targets Georgia’s agricultural needs. Yet, this narrow lens mirrors a broader issue: policies that value industry over people. States like Colorado, with last-dollar free college for households under $90,000, show how to prioritize widespread access. Georgia’s selective approach suggests a system more concerned with economic wins than human potential.

HB 38 extends the college completion grant program to 2029 and eases eligibility, helping more students graduate. It’s a practical step—more degrees mean more workers. But it sidesteps the real problem: soaring tuition and underfunded public colleges. With national completion rates at 62.2 percent, Georgia’s institutions face the same hurdles. Why patch the system with grants when bold investments, like 5 percent annual funding boosts in other states, could transform it?

Supporters of Georgia’s approach claim performance-based funding ensures accountability. History disagrees. Since Tennessee’s 1979 model, such systems often hurt colleges serving low-income or underrepresented students, who face structural barriers. Equity calls for robust funding, not metrics that penalize mission-driven schools. Georgia’s tweaks won’t close the affordability gap—they’ll just prop it up.

Georgia’s new laws offer some progress, but they fall short of what’s needed. Education should lift everyone, not just those who fit the state’s economic mold. States like California and Washington lead with universal promise programs and automatic grants for SNAP-eligible students, paired with comprehensive support. Georgia could redefine opportunity, but it’s chasing smaller goals, serving employers over learners.

We deserve better. Why accept a system that helps some while ignoring others? Let’s demand policies that make college affordable, meet every student’s needs, and put fairness first. Georgia has the chance to champion justice, not just jobs. It’s time we push for that vision.