Sixty-nine teachers from across the state have been selected to receive the first Teacher Recruitment Tax Credit, which was created to improve teacher recruitment for rural and low-performing public schools. All selected teachers were contacted in April with details and a personal letter from State School Superintendent Richard Woods.

The tax credit was established by the passage of House Bill 32, in the 2021 legislative session, sponsored by Representative Dave Belton. Each teacher selected to participate will receive a $3,000 credit on their state income taxes each year, for five consecutive school years.

Eligible teachers were those recently hired to teach in a high-need subject area at one of 100 Participating Schools. High-need subject areas are defined regionally by the state's Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs).

Teacher recruitment and retention are top priorities for the state and the Georgia Department of Education. In addition to the implementation this year of the tax credit, the General Assembly passed, and Governor Brian Kemp signed, an AFY22 budget that provided a bonus for teachers and school staff and an FY22 bonus that provided a teacher raise, along with legislation allowing districts to utilize retired educators full-time to fill-need teaching positions. Both were among State School Superintendent Richard Woods' top legislative priorities.

“We must support those who directly support our students – Georgia's hardworking teachers," Superintendent Woods said. “The most important thing we can do to improve student achievement is to invest in our educators. This tax credit provides an additional way for Georgia to recruit and retain excellent teachers in our public-school classrooms."

Applications for the Teacher Recruitment Tax Credit were released in February 2022. An additional application and selection process will take place in spring 2023.