The 2025 legislature achieved a significant milestone late in the evening when the House and Senate adjourned their Crossover Day floor sessions, but before that occured, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the AFY25 budget.
House Passes Voucehr Expansion, Tuition Assistance for Families of Fallen Educators, Personal Days Legislation, Voucher Expansion & More
The House approved many of its education-related bills earlier this week, but the body passed a few additional bills ahead of the Crossover Day deadline, which now move to the Senate for consideration:
HB 328, by Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), expands the cap on Georgia's tuition tax Student Scholarship Organization (SSO) program, which currently diverts $100 million from the state general fund to private school vouchers. The legislation expands the cap to $140 million. PAGE opposes HB 328. The bill passed 98-75.
HB 56, by Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah), seeks to create a memorial fund for public school teachers and employees killed or disabled in the line of duty. The Georgia Student Finance Authority would manage this fund and provide tuition grants to the children and spouses of educators killed or disabled. The bill passed unanimously.
HB 451, by Rep. Chas Cannon (R-Moultrie), authorizes local boards of education to provide instruction in hunting safety in grades six through 12. The course can be incorporated into an existing course of study and must be taught by a Georgia Department of Natural Resources-certified instructor. Cannon said the course is already offered in more than 100 districts in the state, and that the bill codifies the program. The bill passed 159-16.
HB 127 by Rep. Brent Cox (R-Dawsonville) increases the number of sick days an educator can use for personal leave from three to five. PAGE spoke in support of the bill during the committee process. It passed 172-3.
HB 517 by Rep. Soo Hong (R-Lawrenceville) extends the sunset for the Dual Achievement Program to 2031. It also adds requirements for unemancipated minors between the ages of 16 and 18 to participate in the program. These students will count toward their local high school’s graduation rate. The bill passed 169-2.
HB 371 by Rep. John Corbett (R-Lake Park) stipulates that starting in 2027, the maximum amount of funds allowed to be distributed to the capital outlay program will increase from $300 million to $375 million. The bill passed 170-2.
Senate Passes Ricky's Law Panic Alert Legislation & Multiple Other Education Bills
The Senate began action on education bills with a bang as Sen. David Lucas (D-Macon) made a motion to reconsider SB 4, which would make changes to training requirements for local board of education members and limit board member advocacy. The motion failed 20-32, so SB 4 will be considered by the House. The Senate was also active on other education legislation, passing multiple bills which move to the House for consideration:
School Safety
SB 17, by Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), requires school systems to implement a mobile panic alert system, such as Centegix, that connects directly with emergency services. School systems must also procure detailed digital mapping of each public and private school in their district. At GEMA's request, the maps must be provided in paper and digital format. The bill passed 55-0.
SB 61, by Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), expands the jurisdiction of superior courts to some offenses committed by children ages 13 to 17, such as terroristic threats or acts involving schools. The bill repeals a provision that limited superior court jurisdiction over aggravated assault cases involving firearms against public safety officers. SB 61 mandates that academic and disciplinary records of transferring students be provided to receiving schools, reducing the time frame for parents to receive these records. The legislation establishes a misdemeanor offense for parents who fail to disclose required student information and outlines penalties for such violations. The bill passed 33-22.
SB 179, by Sen. Clint Dixon (R-Gwinnett), mandates that academic and disciplinary records of transferring students be provided to the receiving school within five days (down from 10). It also requires law enforcement to report encounters with school-age youth to school officials and parents within seven days of a felony arrest. SB 179 mandates that students in grades six through 12 receive at least one hour of suicide and violence prevention training annually, starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The legislation establishes a statewide anonymous reporting program to allow reporting of dangerous or threatening activities related to schools. The bill passed 54-1.
Charter Schools
SB 82, also by Sen. Dixon, seeks to promote local approval of charter schools by creating an incentive grant program overseen by the State Charter Schools Commission. Local school districts would receive grant funds when they approve charter schools. Conversely, if districts deny local charter petitions, they must provide written notice. If districts deny multiple petitions that are subsequently approved by the state, districts would not be able to renew their strategic waivers for three years or until the State Board of Education (SBOE) determines local boards have demonstrated "commitment to increasing student performance and encouraging innovation through high-quality local charter petition authorizations.” This provision would not apply to districts with fewer than 10,000 students. The bill passed 44-9.
Educator Leave
SB 148, by Sen. Bo Hatchett (R-Cornelia), authorizes GaDOE to establish an outdoor learning spaces pilot program in select K-12 schools. It also includes language identical to HB 127 by Rep. Cox, which increases from three to five days the number of sick days an educator may use for personal leave. The bill passed 53-1.
Literacy
SB 93, by Sen. RaShaun Kemp (D-Atlanta), bans the practice of three-cueing, which Kemp described as “reading by guessing.” The bill allows an exception for nonverbal students if visual cues are part of their IEP and if a parent consents to their inclusion. SB 93 also allows for pictures and visual information to be used to help build context, vocabulary, and comprehension. Finally, the bill requires that teacher preparation programs not train teacher candidates on three-cueing as a primary reading instruction method. The bill passed 50-3.
Military Families
SB 236, by Sen. Kenya Wicks (D-Fayette), allows students of active-duty military families to enroll in the public school of the attendance zone where they intend to reside, even if they haven't yet secured housing in that zone contingent upon presenting official military orders to the local school system. If the student does not eventually reside in the intended zone, the parent or guardian must enroll the student in the school of the zone where they reside and provide proof of residency by the end of the school year. Additionally, high school juniors and seniors can remain in their current school until graduation, even if their physical residence changes. The bill passed 54-1.
Campaigning at Schools
SB 212 by Sen. Shawn Still (R-Johns Creek) prohibits the disclosure of public student directory information to political entities such as candidates, campaign committees, and political action committees. The bill creates a new felony offense punishable by imprisonment of one to ten years and/or a fine of up to $100,000. It also restricts political candidates and committees from soliciting minors to organize campaign events on school property. The bill passed 33-19.
Upcoming Schedule
Monday, March 10 - Legislative Day 29
Tuesday, March 11 - Legislative Day 30
Wednesday, March 12 - Committee Work Day
Thursday, March 13 - Legislative Day 31