Day 38: House Passes Return-to-Work Legislation and Senate Passes FY 2027 Budget as Literacy, Property Tax, and Budget Negotiations Continue
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The final day of the penultimate week of the 2026 session began with an early-morning committee meeting, at which one school-related urging resolution advanced.
Against the backdrop of ongoing House and Senate negotiations on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 state budget, the Early Literacy Act, and property tax legislation, the House and Senate held lengthy floor sessions and passed multiple education bills.
House Passes Return-to-Work Expansion Bill
The House unanimously passed SB 150, which seeks to reauthorize Georgia’s educator return-to-work (RtW) program and includes several provisions from HB 372 by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins). SB 150, sponsored by Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro), and carried in the House by Ballard, would allow retired educators to work full-time, after a one-year waiting period, and draw retirement benefits while teaching in qualified positions. The bill allows for the three areas of highest need to be determined at the local school level instead of at the Regional Education Service Area (RESA) level. Educators hired in these locally designated areas of highest need could remain working even if the system later changes its designated subjects. The bill also designates subjects that would qualify for RtW statewide. These include English language arts (as long as the teacher holds a current dyslexia or reading endorsement approved by the GaPSC), science, special education, math, and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE). While the original version of SB 150 allowed educators with 25 years of creditable service to return to full-time work, the committee substitute requires 30 years of service.
SB 150 now returns to the Senate which will consider the House changes.
The House passed SB 369 by Sen. Shawn Still (R-Norcross) with a vote of 151-6. The bill 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. SB 369 now includes language from three additional bills:
HB 1218 by Rep. Robert Flournoy (D-Hampton) allows students in grades 6-12 who attend a public virtual school full-time to participate in interscholastic and extracurricular activities in their resident school system.
HB 1206 by Rep. Todd Jones (R-South Forsyth), which would require local boards of education and other public school governing bodies to consider the total cost of ownership — including repair costs, flexibility for innovation, and anticipated resale or salvage value — when purchasing school technology devices. The bill requires local school governing authorities to submit a report to Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) on the total number of technology devices in use, as well as the rate and cost of their repairs. The bill applies to devices costing $100 or more and changes the reporting deadline to Oct. 15 of each year.
HB 1257 by Rep. Carmen Rice (R-Columbus) provides for charter school incentive grants for local boards of education to approve charter school petitions. The total amount of incentive grants provided under this subsection shall not exceed $2.25 million in any fiscal year. The bill also directs the State Charter Schools Commission not to act on a charter petition unless the local board of education that authorizes the charter school has voted to terminate or not renew the charter contract, or otherwise fails to renew it. Rice has framed the grant program as a targeted investment to encourage more local charter consideration throughout Georgia.
SB 369 now returns to the Senate which will consider the House changes.
SB 589 by Sen. Matt Brass (R-Newnan) passed the House with a vote of 156-3. It requires schools to allow children who reach age 4 or 5 by Sept. 1 to enroll in a voluntary Pre-K program at the request of the child’s parent or guardian.
The bill now returns to the Senate which will consider the House changes.
The House also unanimously voted to agree to the Senate version of HB 1030 by Rep. Sandy Donatucci (R-Buford). The bill, titled the “Math Matters Act,” makes several significant changes to math instruction in Georgia, including requiring the adoption of new math standards, increasing required instructional time, automatically enrolling certain high-performing students in advanced math courses, and imposing new requirements for educator certification. Bill provisions would not be waivable by schools. HB 1030 also requires GaDOE to report various data on student math assessment performance and the number of students enrolled in advanced math courses. The bill also includes language from SB 171, by Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), which would require the SBOE to develop an advanced math pathway for students in grades 3 to 8, culminating in a high school math course that students could take in middle school. More information on SB 171 can be found HERE.
The bill now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk and awaits his signature to become law.
Senate Passes FY 2027 Budget, Maternal Birth Leave, Financial Accountability, and Other Education Bills
The Senate passed its version of FY 2027 budget which contains several significant changes from the House version. More information on the Senate's budget proposal can be found here.
A conference committee will be formed which will negotiate a final version of the FY 2027 budget. Both chambers will vote to agree to this conference committee report sometime before the end of the legislative session.
The Senate passed several other bills:
HB 451, by Rep. Chas Cannon (R-Moultrie), originally authorized local boards of education to provide instruction in hunting safety in grades 6-12. The current version of the bill includes language similar to HB 133, by Rep. David Clark (R-Buford). The bill would mandate that school districts adopt policies allowing students to be excused from school to attend released-time courses in religious moral instruction for at least one hour per week. The bill was amended on the floor to allow released-time courses to take place on school property under a neutral policy of equal access.
With a vote of 33-18, HB 451 now goes back to the House, which will consider the Senate changes.
HB 1118 by Rep. Sandy Donatucci (R-Buford), which seeks to create a new form of leave for qualified state and local school employees called "maternal birth leave," providing 120 hours of paid leave to mothers following childbirth. This leave could only be used in the three weeks immediately following childbirth and would precede the use of any other paid paternal leave. An employee must have completed six months of continuous employment to be eligible for maternal birth leave. Hourly employees must have worked 700 hours during those six months.
With a vote of 50-0, HB 1118 goes to the governor's desk to await his signature and become law.
HB 1284 by Rep. Deborah Silcox (R-Sandy Springs), the Gakobe Milton Act, would require high school diplomas to be awarded to students diagnosed with terminal medical conditions who are receiving end-of-life care. The bill outlines the process and procedures for requesting and awarding these diplomas and states that, while every effort should be made to award the diplomas before the student’s death, they may be awarded posthumously.
With a vote of 48-0, HB 1284 goes to the governor's desk, awaiting his signature to become law.
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.
With a vote of 49-0, HB 1107 goes to the governor's desk, awaiting his signature to become law.
The Senate also made several motions to agree to or amend the following bills:
The Senate agreed to a version of SB 284 by Senate President Pro Tempore Larry Walker (R-Perry), which includes language allowing for the award of low-wealth capital outlay grants specifically for roof improvements. This language is similar to HB 669 by Rep. Steven Meeks (R-Screven).
With a vote 44-0, SB 284 goes to the governor's desk, awaiting his signature to become law.
The Senate agreed to the House version of SB 472 by Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro), which would expand the authority of the SBOE and DOAA related to fiscal oversight and governance of local school districts. The bill adds additional triggers to remove local board members, including if the state auditor deems a district high-risk or finds it has engaged in financial mismanagement or misconduct. SB 472 would establish procedures for hearings, temporary board appointments, reinstatement petitions for board members removed from their positions, and for permanent removal of board members. In addition to board governance provisions, the bill caps advance distribution of state-provided education funding at 50% of a school district's prior-year allotment, unless the state auditor determines that a larger advance is necessary. Districts would also be required to adopt and comply with state-directed financial monitoring and intervention plans assigned by the state auditor. SB 472 limits the length of contracts for superintendents of districts designated as high-risk by DOAA to one year. If the superintendent's contract is currently longer than one year, it will be considered void. Any new contract for the superintendent of a high-risk district must not be the subject of a state auditor finding for financial mismanagement or misconduct, and the superintendent must not knowingly fail to comply with a corrective action plan assigned under the provisions of the bill. If the superintendent violates the stipulations, the local board is authorized to terminate the superintendent's contract.
With a vote 29-17, SB 472 goes to the governor's desk, awaiting his signature to become law.
The Senate voted to amend the House version of SB 10 by Sen. Russ Goodman (R-Cogdell) by stripping out its language and replacing it with what appears to be language from HB 1308, by Rep. Deborah Silcox (R-Sandy Springs). This language would expand and enhance charter schools’ ability to acquire unused public school properties. The bill changes the definition of “unused facilities” to include properties that are not in use or not used as educational facilities, provided that at least 60% of the space was dedicated to direct student instruction within the previous two school years. It requires local boards of education to make such unused properties available for the use or purchase of both local and state charter schools. If a local board and a charter school do not agree on terms for the use of an unused facility, the Office of Charter School Compliance will mediate the dispute. The bill provides for an appeals process if a local board denies a charter school's request to use an unused facility. Charter schools or charter petitioners would be entitled to compensation if a local board reopens the unused property, or if their petition to lease, use, or buy the property is denied by all available authorizes.
With a vote of 38-7, SB 10 goes back to the House, which will consider the Senate changes.
House Committee Passes Urging Resolution Regarding how Schools Address Student Vaping
The House Special Rules Committee passed HR 1829 by Michelle Au (D-Johns Creek), which urges schools to reject zero-tolerance discipline approaches to student vaping in favor of alternative-to-suspension programs. Urging resolutions do not have the force of law.
The resolution now awaits consideration by the Senate Rules Committee.
Legislators Contemplate Reducing Property Taxes
Legislators are considering two bills, HB 1116 and SB 382, which could impact Georgia’s public school districts. The nearly identical bills seek to provide property tax relief by capping increases in property tax revenue for school districts as well as counties and municipalities. Specifically, the bills would require voter approval or local legislative action for any school district budget that increases property tax revenues by more than 3% or inflation, whichever is greater. If a local school board opts to hold an election to gain voter approval for a revenue increase, it would have to cover the cost of the election.
Providing property tax relief is a valuable goal. However, PAGE partners, the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) and the Georgia School Superintendents Association (GSSA), have raised concerns about the potential impact of the bills, including how they could constrain districts’ ability to respond to:
Rising personnel costs, including investments in teacher recruitment and retention
Inflation affecting transportation, utilities and materials
Increasing State Health Benefit Plan costs, which have climbed significantly in recent years, as well as other mandated costs
Evolving student needs including providing health care and mental health services and addressing food and housing insecurity, out-of-school time care and programs, clothing and other basic needs
According to GSBA, requiring a local election for routine budget adjustments could result in funding delay or under-resourced schools.
Educators may want to reach out to their superintendents and local board members to determine how these bills may affect their districts.
Upcoming Schedule
Tuesday, March 31 - Legislative Day 39
Thursday, April 2 - Legislative Day 40/Sine Die