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Feature: All In On Innovation

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By Paige Buzbee, Executive Director of the Georgia Foundation for Public Education

According to recent reports, “media industries employment is most significantly growing outside of the traditional Georgia city centers… and, heading into the pandemic economy, no state had generated greater percentage growth than Georgia in the creative sector.”

As the philanthropic arm of the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Foundation for Public Education (GFPE) is uniquely positioned to support the K-12 public education sector throughout the state, creating the future workforce Georgia must meet for the growing business demands. Our strategic plan prioritizes equitable opportunities for every child and local workforce development. As the home of the PEACH Education Tax Credit, by law, we support innovation in all its many forms, including in the Creative Industries.

In spring 2023, Otwell Middle School received a $4,100 Innovative Education Fund Mini Grant funded by the PEACH Education Tax Credit to transform the media center into an Innovation Lab. The Innovation Lab was furnished with industry-standard equipment, a green screen, and print and digital resources to encourage collaboration and the development of student-led podcasts and content. The school established a recording studio inside the media center called “Sic ’em Studios,” where students produce their own school podcasts and student green screen projects. The media center is a learning hub for the school community that encourages teachers and students to connect, collaborate, create, and contribute.

As a result of the PEACH Education Tax Credit-funded Mini Grant, the school was able to:

Create three podcast/video outlets that focus on students, school faculty and staff, and school events, including “DAWG Talk,” a student-led podcast team that serves seven 8th grade students; “The “Otwell
News Network” (ONN), a student broadcast team that serves eight 7th grade students; and “Bulldog Bites,” a weekly podcast team that serves four students. Enhance Sic ‘Em Studios, the school’s recording studio and Innovation Lab, which has provided 55 classes and over 600 students with project-based, authentic learning experiences.

Recently, eighth grade students from Otwell Middle School visited the GFPE’s Board of Directors meeting to share what they had experienced as a part of this program. For an hour, the seven students shared what they had learned from their teachers and how this was making a difference in their lives. Board members and visitors asked them questions and they answered with confidence not usually seen in middle school students. All were impressed and it was obvious that this grant had made an impact on these students and many others. To reiterate, this cost $4,000-funds that a company or individual would have been paying the state anyway.

Georgia’s PEACH Education Tax Credit offers an exciting opportunity to advance public education and foster excellence for students across Georgia. Individuals and corporations can support Georgia’s K-12 public education students at no additional cost to buy these credits. Contributing to the PEACH Education Tax Credit provides taxpayers with a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on your Georgia state income taxes, meaning you are able to apply your tax dollars to support innovation in Georgia’s K-12 public schools, like Otwell Middle School and others across the state. The tax credit is capped at $5 million (moving to $15 million in 2025 thanks to legislation passed this session) and is approved on a first-come, first-served basis.

The GFPE wants to continue to build the creative sector, “outside of the traditional Georgia city centers,” as the quote at the beginning of this article stated. To do that, we need you. An individual can give up to $1,000 of your Georgia income taxes to the “Creative Communities Education Fund” at the GFPE. Married couples can give up to $2,500 and corporations can give up to 75% of what they would pay the state to this fund instead. As a result we can grant to more and more programs like the one at Otwell.

In addition to podcasts, we have prioritized film, theater arts, TV production, animation, SFX, post- production, video games, Esports, VR and AR, creative writing, audio and music production and entrepreneurship. Grants fund equipment needed to learn skills relevant to this field, including software development to train content creators, gamers, coaches and exposure to career opportunities.

It is easy to contribute. Visit here to make your PEACH Education Tax Credit donation. Go to the application which takes minutes to fill out. Make sure to designate, “Creative Communities Education Fund,” to ensure your gift goes to supporting talent development in the creative industries.

Once your request has been approved, you will be notified by us and by the Georgia Department of Revenue that you can now make your payment. When you prepare your 2024 taxes in 2025, you will submit verification with your tax return that your Georgia taxes have already been paid. It’s that simple. And don’t worry, if you overpay you can carry over your credits for up to five years.

The investment you are making in kids today will ensure that Georgia continues to provide educational resources for the workforce of tomorrow in the Creative Industries.

Paige Buzbee can be reached at ppushkin@doe.k12.ga.us.

To read more features from the Creative Economy Journal, visit here.

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