Day 16: House RtW Bill Unanimously Advances, Educator Workforce Plan Presented, FY 2027 Budget Considered

While there were no education bills on the House or Senate floor today, there was plenty of action in education committees.

House Floor Action

Senate Floor Action

House Return-to-Work Bill Approved by Committee

Rob Aycock from PAGE Legislative Services shares PAGE support for HB 372.

The House Retirement Committee approved HB 372, by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), which extends the sunset date of the return-to-work (RtW) program for retired educators to 2030. If a sunset date extension does not pass, Georgia's current RtW program will cease to exist on June 30, 2025.

HB 372 shifts responsibility for selecting the high-needs subject areas in which educators are eligible to return from Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs) to individual school districts. Currently, RESAs select the top three highest-need subject areas for districts in their service area. House Education Committee Chair and Retirement Committee member Chris Erwin (R-Homer) reported Georgia currently has more than 5,000 certified teaching vacancies, and those vacancies could grow by more than 400 positions, if the RtW program is not sustained. PAGE Legislative Communications Specialist Robert Aycock shared PAGE’s support of the bill, highlighting the need to fill these vacant positions with high-quality, experienced educators willing to return to the classroom. SB 372 now awaits consideration by the House Rules Committee.

The committee also approved HB 969 by Rep. Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick), which allows retired educators who run for local boards of education to choose to retain a State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) retired plan or elect to receive the same SHBP plans as full-time educators.  A retired Glynn County teacher who successfully ran for the school board testified that she was forced to leave the SHBP retired plan and that she incurred increased healthcare costs after switching to a different plan. House Retirement Committee Chair John Carson (R-Marietta) shared that the committee is awaiting a certification from the Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA) stating that the bill has no fiscal impact. The committee approved the bill with the caveat that it cannot advance out of the House Rules Committee until the certification is received.

House Retirement Meeting Recording

House Begins Review of FY 2027 Budget

The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee began its review of Gov. Brian P. Kemp’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 with a presentation from Rusk Roam, chief financial officer for the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE). Most of the items Roam noted were adjustments to formulas to fund different education programs, including the Quality Basic Education (QBE), based on updated data.

• -$2 million decrease for completion schools planning grants

• $500,000 increase in grants for school districts to encourage authorization of locally approved charter schools

• -$2 million decrease in one-time funds for character education funding

• $38.5 million increase for pupil transportation

• $200 million increase to cover increases in the per member per month cost of the employer contribution to the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) from $1,885 to $2,208

• $14.5 million increase to the Special Needs Scholarship voucher

• -$2.4 million decrease in training and experience funding for educators in state schools

• -$15.7 million decrease in one-time funds to districts for targeted support for economically disadvantaged students

• $750,000 increase for high-demand equipment grants for Technology/Career Education

Roam suggested there are several proposed funding cuts that legislators should review, including elimination of $2 million in character education funding, which has supported implementation of The Leader in Me program in 283 schools. According to Roam, the schools have seen a reduction in student absenteeism and improvements in school climate, math, and reading scores. Roam flagged the elimination of $15.7 million in funds for economically disadvantaged students, which eligible districts are using to provide additional support and interventions for these students. He also noted the reduction in $2.4 million in training and experience funds for state schools could result in the elimination of up to 25 positions in the schools.

Amy Jacobs, commissioner of the Department of Early Care and Learning, highlighted the additions of $12 million for year three of a four-year phase-in reduction in pre-kindergarten class size and $5.9 million to cover the SHBP increase.

Committee members will continue reviewing the budget proposal and amend it to align with House budget priorities, which will likely include literacy reform.

Senate Ed Hears Strategies to Strengthen the Educator Workforce & Passes Two Bills

Jody Barrow, executive secretary of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, provided senators with an overview of the Georgia Roundtable for Strategic Educator Recruitment and Retention and its report on strategies to strengthen the educator workforce. The report was the result of SR 237 by Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) and included input from multiple state agencies and educator associations, including PAGE.

After summarizing the Roundtable's charge, Barrow emphasized the importance of reducing Georgia educator vacancies. He described many strategies the Roundtable recommends to improve educator recruitment and retention. Many of these strategies align with PAGE priorities, including providing grants to support student teachers, reauthorizing the educator return-to-work program, and extending salary step increases beyond 21 years of service. Responding to questions from committee members, Barrow also spoke in support of removing student mobile devices in schools and protecting planning time.

Following Barrow's presentation, the committee passed the following bills:

SB 471 by Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) would remove the sunset date for SB 514 (2022), which allows parents to opt out of local school-mask requirements. This opt-out is currently set to expire in 2027. SB 474 passed the committee along party lines.

SB 369 by Sen. Shawn Still (R-Norcross) would establish and define the concept of "Dropout Recovery Charter Schools," which would primarily serve students at high risk of dropping out. The bill also calls on the State Board of Education (SBOE) to develop rules and regulations governing such schools and requires the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) to separately report on the schools' performance. It was stated that this separate reporting is necessary as CCRPI scores may not accurately reflect the performance of these schools due to the specific makeup of their student bodies. The presented substitute to SB 369 passed out of committee unanimously.

Both bills now await consideration by the Senate Rules Committee.

Senate Education Meeting Recording

Register for PAGE Day on Capitol Hill Feb. 17

Please make your plans to join us for 2026 PAGE Day on Capitol Hill, in partnership with the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) and the Georgia Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (GACTE).

This free event will include breakfast, lunch, information sessions with key education-focused policymakers, advocacy opportunities under the Gold Dome, and a state school superintendent candidate forum.

Register and watch a brief informational video HERE.

Upcoming Schedule

Wednesday, Feb. 11 - Legislative Day 17

• 7 a.m. Senate Appropriations Education Subcommittee, 307 CLOB

• 3 p.m. Senate Finance, MEZZ 1

  
  

Thursday, Feb. 12 - Legislative Day 18

• 1 p.m. Senate Education & Youth, 307 CLOB