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State Board of Education Meeting Report - July 2025

  • Writer: Josh Stephens
    Josh Stephens
  • Jul 31
  • 3 min read

The State Board of Education (SBOE) met July 16 on Jekyll Island following the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) Summer Conference. The state School Superintendent and the Board Chair did not provide reports.


A meeting agenda is available through the button below.


Update on Federal Grants: Called SBOE Meetings to Address Release of Withheld Funding

Following the board's scheduled July meeting, at a subsequent called virtual meeting Tuesday, July 29, the SBOE approved $48.2 million in federal grant funds for 21st Century Community Learning Centers. A list of programs approved for the grants is available here. The US Education Department (USED), which held certain categories of already-budgeted FY26 grant funding from states, released all remaining FY26 federal grant funding for education programs on Friday, July 25.


The SBOE previously approved funding for the following federal programs at its regular July meeting:


Title I, Part A

Title I, Part C

Title I, Part D, Subparts 1 and 2

Title II, Part A

Title III, Part A

Title IV, Part A, Title V, Part B

IDEA, Part B, Secs. 611 and 619


Short descriptions of these programs are available here.


SBOE Chair Stan DeJarnett reported the board had not received actual funding amounts for the remaining recently released federal funding by July 29, so he anticipates the board will soon have another called meeting to approve the remaining funding.


Audio Technology and Navy JROTC Standards Approved

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The board granted final approval to course standards for the Audio Technology for Post-Production Pathway and Audio Technology Live Production Pathway, consisting of the following courses:



Course standards for the following new Naval JROTC courses were also adopted:




Accreditation Subcommittee Established & Private Schools Added to Special Needs Scholarship Voucher List

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SB 204, which passed in 2023, requires the SBOE to establish an Accreditation Committee to provide recommendations on Georgia's accreditation process. The board approved the establishment of the committee at its July meeting. SB 204 requires agencies that accredit public schools in Georgia to meet benchmark criteria established by the SBOE. The criteria used by accrediting agencies to evaluate public schools and districts must include measures of teaching quality and learning, disaggregated for all student groups, as well as indicators of financial efficiency.


Accreditors operating in Georgia must meet criteria deemed appropriate by the SBOE, including rigorous and appropriate measures of the quality of teaching and learning in public schools or school systems. At least 65 percent of accreditation criteria must be based on student learning and also include a measure of financial efficiency.


SB 204 outlines procedures for adverse or remedial accreditor action, including mediation procedures and appeals to the SBOE. The SBOE is authorized to determine whether an accreditor is compliant. Failure to comply could disqualify accreditors from operating in Georgia. Failure of a public school or school system to comply with a SBOE final ruling could cause the school or school system to be placed on probationary accreditation status untilcompliance is achieved.


Additionally, the board approved additional private schools to accept Georgia Special Needs Scholarship vouchers.




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Next Meeting

 

The next board meeting will be held Aug. 20 at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston.



The full 2025 SBOE meeting calendar can be found HERE.


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