Day 37: Fiery Comments About Education During Senate FY26 Budget Debate
- Margaret Ciccarelli
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
After an early morning Senate Public Safety meeting on school zone speed cameras was canceled, the most notable Day 37 education action occurred on the Senate floor. With seven dissenting votes, the body passed the FY26 budget after a contentious debate about education funding and private school vouchers. More details below.
The Senate also passed several higher education bills, and the House passed SB 44 by Sen. Sam Watson (R-Bonaire), which reduces the minimum required millage rate from 14 to 10 mills, broadening eligibility for equalization grants to support school districts with lower property tax revenues. SB 44 also proposes a 25 percent reduction in equalization awards for districts not meeting the minimum millage requirement. The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) would prepare an annual report on each local school system's initial and adjusted equalization grant amounts. The bill moves to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk.
Senate Argues About Education Before Passing FY26 Budget
The Senate debated reductions to House education funding proposals during a contentious floor session accessible in the Senate floor footage embedded above. As PAGE reported yesterday, Senate Appropriations stripped funding for a student poverty weight, school social workers, and other student services from the education budget and added funding for private school vouchers.
This move prompted push back from multiple Senate Democrats who questioned the removal of these items. In response, Senate Appropriations Chair Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia) closed debate on the budget bill by questioning the reasoning of those who interpret the Senate's disagreement with House education budget adds as cuts. He suggested they may have attended Georgia public schools and might benefit from a voucher.
The debate is worth watching to better understand Senate dynamics, the current debate over education funding, and various perspectives on private school vouchers. The budget presentation begins at the 1:59 time stamp, and Tillery's closing comments can be viewed at the 2:56 mark.
After debate, the Senate passed the FY26 budget with seven dissenting votes. It now moves back to the House, which is expected to name a conference committee to negotiate budget differences with Senate conferees.
School Zone Speed Camera Bills Stop then Go
After an early morning Senate Public Safety meeting was canceled, and the committee chair published a memo indicating that pending bills would be studied after the legislative session concluded, it appeared that school zone speed camera legislation was dead for the session.
However, the plot thickened later in the day when HB 651 by Rep. Alan Powell (R-Hartwell), which seeks to regulate the use of school zone speed cameras, and HB 225 by Rep. Dale Washburn (R-Macon), which would entirely repeal laws allowing the use of the cameras, were recommitted to the Senate Rules Committee. The revived bills, or some version of either or both, may be scheduled for a floor vote next week.
Upcoming Schedule
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