House Education Passes Teacher Pipeline Bill
The House Education Committee gave unanimous approval to SB 88 by Sen. Russ Goodman (R-Cogdell), which contains most components of Gov. Brian Kemp’s teacher pipeline initiative. The bill aims to:
Facilitate the smooth transition of military veterans into the teaching profession
Prioritize district support for new teachers and those who receive an evaluation of “Needs Development” or “Ineffective”
Set new course requirements in differentiated instruction and literacy instruction for teacher preparation programs
Bolster the number of minority teachers entering the profession by creating innovative programs at historically black colleges and universities.
Include the Georgia Teacher of the Year (TOTY) as an ex officio member of the State Board of Education (SBOE) to provide teacher input more directly in board discussions
More information about Kemp’s proposal is available from PAGE HERE.
Committee members expressed concern about including the Georgia Teacher of the Year as an ex officio member of the SBOE, citing a former TOTY who criticized work done by the legislature. Members also expressed concern that the TOTY would be present in executive session meetings, which may cause a conflict of interest. A representative from Gov. Kemp’s office ensured the committee that the TOTY would not participate in executive session meetings.
Public testimony was not taken at the meeting. PAGE has communicated its support for SB 88 to lawmakers.
The committee also passed the following legislation, which now moves to House Rules:
SB 159 by Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) would allow local school districts to transport students using vehicles with eight or fewer seats.
SB 220, "The Georgia Civics Renewal Act" by Senate Education & Youth Chair Sen. Chuck Payne (R-Dalton), creates a commission to oversee Georgia civics education. Before passing committee, the bill was amended to add representatives from the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) to the proposed commission.
SB 66 by Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas) proposes the merger of the Georgia Foundation for Public Education and the Public Education Innovation Fund Foundation.
The committee discussed but did not pass SB 106 by Sen. Gail Davenport (D-Jonesboro), which seeks to provide wraparound services to students in Pre-K through 3rd grade before issuing students out-of-school suspensions for five or more days.
Senate Committee Discusses Education Portion of FY22 Budget
The Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee heard from the state’s education agencies on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022, which begins July 1. Agency leaders walked committee members through the proposed spending plan, outlined in HB 81, which is built on revisions the House made to Gov. Kemp’s recommended budget. More information about the budget approved by the House is available HERE. Committee Chair Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R-Marietta) as well as several other committee members requested additional information about several items as they work to finalize the Senate’s version of the budget.