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Monday, March 31, 2025 - Day 38

Archive of past GAE Legislative Alerts this year

Two legislative days remain in this legislative session. Adjournment is Friday, Day 40. Tomorrow and Thursday are designated as "committee work days" Legislators return for Day 39 on Wednesday.

House votes on several education-related bills

The House had a lengthy calendar today, which included several public education-related bills.

By a vote of 168-0, the House passed SB 93, which limits the use of MSV reading techniques to "non-verbal" students whose parents have given their permission to teach their children using MSV to decode words and comprehend text as part of a student's IEP plan. The bill also requires the Professional Standards Commission (PSC) to adopt rules to establish criteria for core curriculum for educator preparation program.

This afternoon, the House gave its approval to the Senate amended version HB 307, 167-0, a bill which also limits the use of MSV methods to teacher younger students to read. The bill also proposes additional resources to support reading programs for dyslexic students.

The House also passed SB 1, 100-64, which would require transgender girls and women competing on school sports teams to play on teams, dress, shower, and use restrooms according to the gender on their birth certificate. This evening, the bill was brought before the Senate to agree to House changes. The Senate agreed 34-20, and the bill now will be transmitted to the governor. House Speaker Jon Burns and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (also president of the Senate) issued a joint statement on passage of the legislation, entitled "No Boys in Girls' Sports."

SB 82, "The Local Charter School ."Authorization and Support Act of 2025," seeks to grow the number of locally approved chartered schools by incentivizing local school boards to approve more charter school petitions. School systems that approve new charter schools are to receive an "incentive grant" of $100,000; those that don't, "are held accountable," according to Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, who presented the bill on the House floor. The bill passed 107-62.

The House also voted to disagree to changes the Senate made to the 2025-2026 state budget, HB 68. The Senate version increased funding for the new private school voucher law by $100 million and eliminated the $28 million for a QBE (Quality Basic Education) "poverty weight." A few minutes later, the Senate insisted on its position. A committee of three members from each chamber will meet to resolve the differences.

House Education to hear GAE bill tomorrow
providing compensation for student teachers

A GAE-initiated bill, HB 310, carried by state Rep. Phil Olaleye, to provide compensation for student teachers, will be among the bills on the agenda for a House Education Committee meeting tomorrow at noon. Three of the six sponsors are Republicans.

Talking points:

Student Teachers Work Full-Time, Without Compensation. Aspiring educators work 40+ hours per week in classrooms while still paying tuition, rent, and living expenses, and while being enrolled full-time in their teacher preparation program. Many take on second jobs just to survive.

Unpaid Student Teaching Worsens the Teacher Shortage. Financial barriers push talented future teachers out or force them into fast-track alternative certification programs, which lead to higher turnover and less-prepared educators. Paying student teachers means better retention and stronger classrooms. Investing in educators now will prevent long-term shortages and improve student learning.

The House committee will also hear HB 711 to create a study committee on student attendance and absenteeism.

House Committee postpones
hearing on State Health Benefit Plan
coverage of gender-affirming care

SB 39, which would prohibit the State Health Benefit Plan from covering gender-affirming care, was postponed today due to the long House floor calendar. The bill's sponsor said treatments like hormone therapy or mastectomies will still be available, but not for gender-affirming purposes. The House Health Committee will now hear the bill tomorrow at 2 p.m. Interested members can watch the hearing here.

Senate passes school safety bill

Senators today gave their approval to HB 268, filed by the state Representative who serves the Apalachee High School community, which would provide for reimbursement grants to local school systems that hire qualified "mental health coordinators" (now called "qualified student advocacy specialists") and to provide for suicide awareness and prevention programs. By July 1, 2025, the State Board of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, shall establish the essential duties and minimum qualifications for qualified mental health coordinators hired by local school systems.

Language that would have created a state database on students with disciplinary history has been struck in the Senate version though more limited student data transfers may occur.

The bill now incorporates from SB 17, which requires the establishment of a mobile panic alert system for public schools in the event of an emergency but not for private schools.

The bill also now requires schools to provide school mapping data to local, state, and federal safety agencies.

This evening, with the bill back in the House, the House agreed to the Senate changes to HB 268, 154-12. The bill now goes to the governor.

Two bills concerning school safety zones and the use of speed detection cameras and red-light cameras have been pulled from the Senate Committee on Public Safety and referred to the Senate Rules Committee. The bills are:

HB 225, which would ban all speed detection and red light cameras in school safety zones, and

HB 651, which would continue to allow the use of speed detection and red light cameras in school safety zones but which would require signage or flashing lights to notify drivers of their usage.

GAE bill filed to create a study committee on waivers

State Sen. Sonya Halpern has filed SR 476 to create a Senate study committee on school district waivers. The proposal has bi-partisan support.

Such waivers allow local districts to avoid compliance with state class size minimums, state salary schedule minimums for teachers, and requirements that teachers be certified to teach among many others. Virtually every law passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor pertaining to public education (Title 20) can be waived.

The resolution has been referred to the Senate Rules Committee.

Next Legislative Update: Wednesday, April 2

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