Day 30: House Passes AFY 2027 Budget, Senate Retirement Committee Considers PAGE-Supported Return to Work Legislation
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Though the House and Senate did not vote on specific school-related legislation during their floor sessions, the House considered a bill of significant importance to education, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 state budget, which passed with only four dissenting votes. It was immediately transmitted to the Senate, which will continue its appropriations review. Read PAGE’s report on the House’s FY 2027 budget HERE.
After the House adjourned, Gov. Brian Kemp, House Speaker Jon Burns, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, former U.S. Senator and current head of the Small Business Administration Kelly Loeffler, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Leslie Rollins participated in a press conference highlighting the importance of Georgia agriculture.
Senate Retirement Considers House Return to Work Bill, PAGE Testifies
The Senate Retirement Committee discussed HB 372 by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), allowing educators with 30 years of service to return to work in designated high-needs subject areas after a 12-month waiting period. In a change to Georgia’s existing return-to-work (RtW) program, HB 372 proposes shifting responsibility for selecting 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.
The bill was slated to be considered as “hearing only,” so the legislation was not moved forward, though multiple members of the committee from both political parties expressed support for teachers and the RtW program.
PAGE was the only educator association that spoke in support of the legislation. PAGE Director of Legislative Services Margaret Ciccarelli and Stephanie Tanner from the Georgia School Boards Association referenced shared support of HB 372 and SB 150, a similar RtW bill sponsored by Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro). Ciccarelli and Tanner referenced the current RtW program, which will expire this year without legislative action, and a desire for the best parts of both bills to be identified as a compromise.
Senate Retirement Committee Meeting Recording
Senate Children and Families Approves Bill on Pre-K Afterschool Programs
The Senate Committee on Children and Families passed HB 1123, sponsored by Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton). The bill would require any public school that offers after-school programs to offer them to its Pre-K students in the same manner they are offered to other students. The Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) would be authorized to grant annual waivers of this requirement to schools demonstrating extenuating circumstances. HB 1123 would take effect in the 2026-2027 school year. The bill now awaits consideration by the Senate Rules Committee.
Senate Children & Families Committee Meeting Recording
Senate Ed Passes Teacher Prep and School Board Audit Legislation
The Senate Education & Youth Committee passed HB 1107 by Rep. Carmen Rice (R-Columbus), the “Excellent Teacher Preparation Act,” which would require the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) to develop and annually report comprehensive performance measures for all educator preparation providers (EPPs) in the state. The performance measures would focus on the preparedness and performance of EPP graduates and individuals who complete the initial preparation program in certain fields. The bill outlines various metrics, including first-and best-attempt exam passage rates, job placement rates, graduate retention rates, and evaluation scores from EPP graduates, which will be included in these performance measures.
The committee also passed HB 1164 by Rep. Will Wade (R-Dawsonville), which would require the State Board of Education (SBOE) to appoint an audit committee and outline the committee's responsibilities. It revises financial audit provisions for school districts and state charter schools. The bill requires the Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA) to create a tiered system to monitor the financial conditions of districts and state charter schools, and to institute interventions for those identified as in fiscal distress or in a critical fiscal emergency. Under HB 1164, the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) has expanded authority to conduct performance audits of school districts, including districts' use of waivers.
Both bills now await consideration by the Senate Rules Committee.
Senate Ed & Youth Committee Meeting Recording
Education and Workforce Strategy Act Approved by Senate Higher Ed
The Senate Higher Education Committee unanimously approved HB 1302 by Rep. Matthew Gambill (R-Cartersville), the Education and Workforce Strategy Act, which is a workforce development initiative of Gov. Kemp. The bill renames the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) the Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Strategy (GOEWS) and expands the agency’s role in aligning education, workforce development, and data governance across state agencies regarding the state’s federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act and Perkins plans. The bill ends the Alliance of Education Agency Heads and establishes a new statewide education and workforce planning process, the Education Data Governance Board, to coordinate cross-agency data sharing and workforce development policy alignment.
The bill renames and revises the state’s apprenticeship initiative as the Top State for Talent Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Program and designates the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) as the state apprenticeship agency. TCSG would collect and track data on all apprenticeship programs registered in Georgia. During the committee process, after pushback from several groups representing trades that offer their own apprenticeship programs, the bill was modified to address their concerns by allowing those offering apprenticeship programs to report only their program information to TCSG for apprenticeship coordination, rather than having the agency operate the programs. The effective date for the apprenticeship reporting requirement is Jan. 1, 2027, to allow more time for implementation.
Senate Higher Education Committee Meeting Recording
Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, March 11 – Committee Workday
10 a.m. House Education Subcommittee on Curriculum and Academic Achievement, 406 CLOB
11 a.m. House Education Subcommittee on Policy and Innovation, 406 CLOB
1 p.m. House Retirement, 415 CLOB
1 p.m. House Higher Ed, 606 CLOB
Thursday, March 12 – Day 31
7:30 am Senate Appropriations Education and Higher Education Subcommittee, 307 CLOB
1 p.m. Senate Ed, 307 CLOB
2 p.m. House Special Rules, 515 CLOB