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GAE Legislative Update - Friday, February 21, 2025 - Day 21

Archive of past GAE Legislative Alerts this year

The Capitol got a lot smarter yesterday as educators from GAE gathered for the 2025 Day at the Capitol to speak with their legislators and pause for a group photo.

Hearing on expansion of vouchers postponed

The Senate Education Committee was scheduled to hear SB 152, a bill to expand the recently passed taxpayer-funded, private school tuition law ... even before the new law has been implemented or any data about the program has been collected on the efficacy or financial impact of the law. The bill would allow biological and adopted children of foster parents to qualify for the voucher. The bill could be heard in committee next week.

House Education Committee passes bill limiting student sports team participation by sex

The House Education Committee this afternoon passed HB 267 to limit student participation to school sports teams that match the sex of a student as identified on the student's birth certificate, either male or female. The bill also requires separate locker rooms and showers for use by students according to their gender as recorded at birth.

House Speaker Jon Burns addressed the Committee to ask for passage.

The Professional Standards Commission (PSC) would be authorized to investigate violations, and private lawsuits against schools are permitted.

The bill could be voted on by the full House next week.

Looking ahead to next week at the Capitol

The General Assembly will meet Monday, February 24. Tuesday is designed as a "committee work day" to allow committees to catch up on their work as Crossover Day (March 6) draws closer. Crossover Day is the date by which legislation must have passed the chamber of its origin to be eligible for consideration by the opposite chamber. Legislators will then meet Wednesday through Friday.

The House Retirement Committee, the Senate Retirement Committee, and the Senate Education Committee have scheduled meetings for Tuesday, February 25, all at 2 p.m. No agendas has been published.

Sen. Halpern announces plan to create a study committee on school district waivers

At Thursday's GAE Day at the Capitol, state Sen. Sonya Halpern told more than 300 GAE members that she intends to file legislation to create a Senate study committee on school district waivers.

"Waivers" allow schools to bypass state laws and are a detriment to student learning.

For example, state law establishes maximum class sizes for public schools. Waivers, however, allow schools to ignore those laws and place as many students in a classroom as they can.

Waivers also exist that permit school systems to hire classroom teachers who are not certified and pay teachers less than the state salary schedule minimums among others. Essentially any public education law in Georgia can be waived.

The elimination of waivers is a priority of GAE.

Bill would provide additional funding for remedial literacy and math programs

Republicans and Democrats are co-sponsoring legislation, HB 517, to provide up to $3 million per year in grants to local school systems for supplemental literacy and math remedial education programs. Funding would benefit students who attend one of the lowest performing five percent of public schools in the state.

Senate bill would allow ESPs to join TRS

SB 209 would allow half-time and full-time education support professionals (ESPs) - as of September 1, 2026 - to choose to be a part of the Teachers Retirement System (TRS). Credit for service from the Public School Employees Retired System (PSERS) would not be awarded but accumulated benefits in PSERS would not be forfeited. PSERS is the state pension plan for school custodians, bus drivers, food service staff, and maintenance employees.

Next Legislative Update: Monday, February 24

100 Crescent Center Pkwy, Suite 500 | Tucker, GA 30084 US

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