Day 36: Senate Committees Strip Teacher Leave Bill and Sub Anti-DEI Language, Remove FY26 Ed Funding Items
- Legislative Team
- Mar 27
- 6 min read
Day 36 included action on education bills on the House and Senate floor and drama about education bills in Senate committees.
The House passed SB 63 by Sen. Clint Dixon (R-Gwinnett), which would require school districts that offer PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, PreACT, ACT, ASVAB, or Advanced Placement (AP) exams to students enrolled in the district to offer the same testing to homeschool students residing in the district. Schools districts could not charge homeschooled students any fee to take the exams beyond what is currently charged to enrolled students. SB 63 moves back to the Senate for consideration since it passed that chamber in a different form.
The Senate approved HB 307 by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), which explicitly states that three-cueing reading instruction does not constitute the primary means of literacy instruction and is not considered high-quality instructional material. Aspects of three-cueing may still be used in supplemental materials. Three-cueing is defined as any model for teaching students to read based on “meaning, structure and syntax, and visual cues.” The legislation repeals a provision regarding Reading Recovery, revises dyslexia definitions, and sets up a three-year cycle to review state-approved literacy screeners. HB 307 directs the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to annually publish a dyslexia informational handbook and develop training programs for teachers on the science of reading. The Senate version of HB 307 also extends the sunset date for the Georgia Council on Literacy, which means the legislation moves back to the House for consideration.
Senate Ed Removes Teacher Leave Language from Bill, Adds Anti-DEI Language
The Senate Education Committee stripped the original language from HB 127 by Rep. Brent Cox (R-Dawsonville), PAGE-supported legislation allowing teachers to use two additional days of accumulated sick leave for personal or professional leave. In its place, the committee inserted language from SB 120 by Sen. Marty Harbin (R-Tyrone), which would prohibit public K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, trainings, recruitment, or retention activities. State or federal funding could be withheld from institutions violating the prohibition.
This action inspired vocal pushback from Democrats on the committee, including Sen. RaShaun Kemp (D-Atlanta) who questioned Sen. Max Burns, the presenter of the new version of the legislation, about why the bill seeks to prevent "anti-racism." The exchange between the two lead to an amendment capitalizing the "A" in anti-racism, thus prohibiting "Anti-racism" in the version of SB 120 which passed committee along party lines. SB 120 now moves to Senate Rules. Fortunately, teacher leave language from the original version of HB 127 is moving as part of another bill, SB 148.
The committee passed SR 301 by Sen. Gail Davenport (D-Jonesboro) to create a study committee on Rosenwald Schools, which served African Americans students in rural Georgia in the early 1900's.
Senate Education considered but did not pass SB 253, by Sen. Sonya Halpern (D-Atlanta), which seeks to create a robotics program for eligible public schools.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Chair BIlly Hickman (R-Statesboro) mentioned it would be the committee's last of the 2025 session.
Senate Budget Writers Roll Back Proposed Funding Increases for Student Support Services
The Senate Appropriations Committee reduced much of the funding for student support services the House added to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget, though committee members embraced and retained literacy reform funding added by the House.
Senate appropriators removed $19.6 million for student mental health grants and $28 million for targeted support for economically disadvantaged students that the House added to the FY 2026 budget. They reduced a proposed new grant program for social work services from $5 million to $266,664. Currently the state funds one social worker for 2,475 students.
Senate budget writers added $2.5 million to the $10 million the House provided for out-of-school care (e.g., after-school and summer programs), bringing the total increase to $12.5 million. They also added $14.3 million for school-based mental health support services by transferring $9.3 million from the Department of Behavioral and Developmental Disabilities to GaDOE and adding $5 million to that amount.
They removed $25 million the House proposed for a statewide school and student safety database to be developed by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA). Instead, Senate appropriators request a study of school safety management systems from surrounding states.
Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia), chair of the appropriations committee, emphasized the Senate’s support for literacy reform, which has been championed by Sen. Hickman. The committee agreed with the $18.5 million the House added for 116 RESA-based literacy coaches.
Senate budget writers also increased funding for the Georgia’s newest and third private school voucher program to $141 million. House appropriators had reduced funding for the voucher program to $46 million.
Other notable changes Senate budget writers made to the House FY 2026 budget proposal include:
$55,000 for five new agricultural education programs
-$500,000 reduction for Plasma Games
-$2.5 million reduction for college preparatory exams (e.g. PSAT, AP), which Tillery indicated could be restored in the AFY 2026 budget, if needed
$1.6 million to sustain 400mbps of state-funded bandwidth for all systems through PeachNet
-$150,000 reduction for feminine hygiene grants
$4 million to provide funds for school supplies to educators, which the Senate states could be matched by school districts, charities and local civic organizations
-$250,000 reduction for one-time funding for mentorship programs
-$2.9 million reduction in formula grants for school nutrition due to a decrease in meals served
-$158,400 reduction in funds for bus driver safety training, which the Senate states could be covered by school district fund balances
-$1.4 million reduction in formula funds for charter system grants
-$28,686 reduction in formula funds for local charter school grants
-$113 million reduction in formula funds for Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs), based on enrollment
-$72,715 formula reduction for school nurses
$618,351 increase for the State Charter School Commission to implement HB 318 (2024 session)
-$250,000 reduction for state schools
-$383,444 reduction for the Great Promise Partnership, which the Senate states could be covered with existing funds
Senate appropriators also removed bond funding for school capital projects proposed by the House. The Senate prefers to use general funds for this purpose. Other proposed changes are primarily “true-ups,” which are typically revisions to proposed spending items based on updated data.
The budget now heads to the Rules Committee, which will send it to the full Senate for a vote. From there, a conference committee comprised of leaders from each chamber will resolve differences.
School Safety Bill Approved by Committee – S3 Records Database and Behavioral Threat Assessment Management Team Requirement Removed; Senate Priorities Added
HB 268, Rep. Holt Persinger (R-Winder) ’s school safety bill, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The new version of the bill contains significant changes from the House version, including the removal of the S3 Database and the Office of Safe Schools sections. The S3 Database would have been a statewide student information database run by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) to improve information sharing between school systems, law enforcement, and mental health professionals.
Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens), chair of the Senate subcommittee that first heard the bill, presented it to the committee and said these sections caused the most consternation among parents and privacy rights groups who advocated against it. Cowsert said that while the S3 Database has been removed from HB 268, the legislature will continue to study the need for such a database.
The Senate added SB 17 by Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), “Ricky and Alyssa’s Law,” which requires school systems to implement a mobile panic alert system, such as Centegix, that connects directly with emergency services and to procure detailed digital mapping of each public and private school in their district. Language from SB 61 by Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), which creates several new crimes related to schools, including terroristic threats and terroristic acts against schools, was also added to HB 268.
The qualified behavioral specialists originally included in HB 268 remain but will be renamed “qualified student advocacy specialists.” Law enforcement must submit “peace officer reports” to a student’s school for each encounter with a school-age youth, defined in the bill as age 6-16.
Many aspects of HB 268 remain, including required training for students on suicide prevention and violence prevention, required training for educators on behavioral health awareness, and an anonymous reporting app for students and school personnel to report threats.
The bill was approved unanimously and moves to Senate Rules.
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, March 28 - Legislative Day 37
7:30 a.m. Senate Public Safety, 450 CAP
Monday, March 31 - Legislative Day 38
Tuesday, April 1 - Committee Workday
Wednesday, April 2 - Legislative Day 39
Thursday, April 3 - Committee Workday
Friday, April 4 - Legislative Day 40/Sine Die