RETIREMENT ISSUES

With the passage of SB 105 in 2024, GAE-initiated legislation that repealed a state law that capped future retirement benefit increases for school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, and maintenance personnel.

GAE now sets out to increase the multiplier used to calculate Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) benefits.

After the signing of the GAE bill, the calculation for determining benefits is now at $17 x years of service.  Prior to SB 105 being signed into law, average monthly benefits averaged $290 a month.

Protecting the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) also continues to be a high priority for GAE.

TRS finished the year with the highest rate of return on its investments of any teacher retirement pension plan in the country, at 14%.

When the legislature kicks off, it begins the first of a two-year session, which is particularly important for TRS.  Retirement legislation that has a fiscal impact on the plan can only be introduced during the first year of a two-year session and can only be acted on during the second year after an outside, independent actuarial review.

A few years ago, the General Assembly adopted a bill that allows retired educators to return to the classroom full-time (HB 385) while receiving TRS benefits in subject areas that school districts find it difficult to attract teachers.

A little more than 300 retired educators have signed up for the program, largely because the House legislative leadership limited the pool of eligible retired educators.

GAE will be backing legislation to expand the number of eligible retired educations and subject areas, and to extend the expiration of the program beyond 2027.

LITERACY

GAE anticipates additional legislation this session aimed at improving the literacy rates of students.  New literacy testing procedures and literacy teacher certification rules takes effect this year.

TAX-PAYER FUNDED PRIVATE SCHOOL SUBSIDIES

Expect, also, additional private school voucher legislation.  SB 233, which passed last session by one vote, takes effect this year.

The bill provides a $6,500 discount on private school tuition, which generally benefits white, upper class and middle class, male students in metro Atlanta.

Whether or not pro-voucher, out-of-state interest groups seek to expand this new voucher program or the previously existing Special Needs voucher program, remains to be seen.  But there is brewing a significant issue with the rules for the new voucher program.

The Georgia Education Savings Authority – which is charged with writing the rules for the administration of the new voucher program – recently unveiled rules that make any student in a school district eligible for the $6,500 tax-payer funded voucher –  even if only one school in that district appears on the list of lowest performing schools in the state!

Only students in the lowest performing schools were intended to qualify – not every student in the school district!  House Republicans, including Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones and House Education Committee chair Chris Erwin have spoken out against the GESA's expansive rules and interpretation of the bill, that would allow any student in a school district with "a failing school" to qualfy.

STIPEND FOR STUDENT TEACHERS

GAE will be back with our legislation to provide compensation for student teachers.  Unlike many other states, Georgia provides no financial support for student teachers who are enrolled full-time in college, working full-time in our public schools, and many holding another job to pay for it all.

TRANSGENDER, GAY STUDENTS, AND BOOK BANNING

The state Senate is certain to continue in its incessant obsession with legislation pertaining to gay and transgender students.

For example, the Senate Special Committee on Protecting Women’s Sports met five times this fall and will offer legislation to prohibit transgender children from joining high school and college sports teams that correspond with their gender identity.

Legislation is expected to bring back a bill that failed last session, “The School Chaplains Act,” that would allow public schools to retain volunteer “school chaplains” “in lieu of employing school counselors "to perform the duties required of a school counselor.”  There were no qualifications proposed in the bill for these “chaplains” – not requiring, for instance, formal training, education experience, or background checks.

Another bill that failed passage last session, that would have required that public school libraries notify parents and guardians of any material checked out by their child, may also be brought back.

Legislation that could subject librarians and other educators to jail time for providing material to students that was considered “obscene” or “harmful to minors” could be filed this year, too.

Legislation that “required students use the restrooms or locker rooms associated with the gender determined at birth” seems likely to be re-introduced this year.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE POOREST SCHOOL SYSTEMS

GAE continues to push for additional funding for school districts with a high number of “students living in poverty.”  “Students living in poverty” is defined as families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, homeless students, foster care students, or migrant students.

Last session, GAE friend Rep. Lydia Glaize, proposed a specific Quality Basic Education (QBE) weight of 1.75 for students living in poverty.  By comparison, QBE basic weights for high school students is 1.00, for middle school students, 1.1218, and for kindergarten students, 1.6601.

SCHOOL DISTRICT WAIVERS

A GAE-offered bill to eliminate certain school district waivers, will be re-intoduced this session.  Waivers are requested by school systems to avoid compliance with state public education laws.  No waiver application has ever been turned down.

School districts have waivers that allow them to bypass state laws regarding the state teacher salary minimums or class sizes, for example, meaning they can pay less than the state salary schedule or cram as many students in a classroom as they want.

SCHOOL SAFETY ISSUES

Following recent school shootings, including at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, expect a number of bills to address school safety, including legislation to improve first responder-school communications and funding increases for school resource officers.  One proposal, floated by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, would provide $10,000 raises for teachers who bring their personal firearms to school.

State Senator Billy Hickman, of Statesboro, has been tapped as the new chair of the Senate Education and Youth Committee.  Hickman has made his name is aggresively push literacy reform.  He also legislation sponsored which would withhold government funding for any libraries in Georgia affiliated with the American Library Association.

President Joe Biden, in one of the last acts of his administration, signed in HR 82 - the Social Security Fairness Act - a huge victory for educators in Georgia, which has been 40 years in the making.

Biden's signature repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).  WEP and GPO deny retirement and spousal survivor benefits for public servants (teacher, firefighters, police officers, etc.) to which they should be entitled.