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Thirty-seventh legislative day - Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Adjournment is next week, April 2.
Three legislative days remain.
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GAE bill to COMPENSATE STUDENT TEACHERS
passed Senate committee UNANIMOUSLY!
The Senate Education Committee unanimously passed HB 310, a bill to compensate student teachers who are full-time students in a post-secondary education program and are student teaching in our public schools.
These students, by their curriculum choices, have demonstrated their commitment to become public school teachers. Many also find they need to hold another job (or jobs) to help pay for their education.
Passage of the bill would be an aid to addressing the 6,000 teaching vacancies currently in the state.
The pilot program proposes to provide 500 Pell-eligible students $5,000 during student teaching and a $2,500 signing bonus if they sign a contract with a Georgia public school. The program could be expanded in future legislative sessions.
The bill now moves to the Senate Rules Committee to decide if and when to schedule a floor vote. If the Senate approves the bill, it will go to the governor for his signature or for a veto.
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|  | At the hearing on HB 310, a bill to provide compensation for student teachers, which passed yesterday, are Lisa Morgan, GAE President, Rep. Phil Olaleye, D-Atlanta (the sponsor of the legislation), Barhn Gadson, a GAE Aspiring Educator at Clark University Atlanta, Myra Fuller, an Aspiring Educator from Georgia Gwinnett College, and Skylar Nunley, who leads the GAE Aspiring Educators program. Following passage, Rep. Olaleye praised the two future educators for their testimony before the Senate Education Committee.
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House and Senate appear to agree on bill
to extend a current state program that
allows retired educators to return to teaching
A bill to extend a program that was scheduled to expire this year allowing retired educators to return to teaching in hard to fill subject areas - after one year in retirement and with 30 years of experience - passed the Senate Retirement Committee today.
Two different versions, one in the House and Senate, passed their respective chambers earlier this session. The compromise was co-presented by the sponsors of the House and Senate bills, Senate Education Committee chair Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro, and Rep. Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins.
While GAE would prefer additional changes to the bill to expand educator eligibility, it does extend the sunset date from to 2030 and allows the Georgia Department of Education, in consultation with the Professional Standards Commission (PSC), to determine the eligible "in demand" subject areas that an educator must qualify to enroll in the program.
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| House Higher Education Committee
was to hear a bill to allow AP fine arts classes
to count toward HOPE Scholarship eligibility
The House Higher Education Committee had scheduled a hearing today on SB 556 to include advanced placement and international baccalaureate fine arts courses in the calculation of grade point averages for determining eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship.
However, the meeting was postponed due to a lengthly House floor calendar. The bill will now be heard Thursday at 1 in the committee.
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| House passes school audit and accountability bill
SB 472 provides for the suspension of local school board members for financial mismanagement or misconduct as determined by a state audit. The bill was triggered by a financial crisis in the Dublin City Schools, where the system owed $7 million in unpaid state health benefits premiums, and the system was predicted to have a budget deficit of $15 million this year. The bill also includes language lowing the threshold for voters to approve a ballot measure to allow a local independent school district to merge into a county school district. The bill passed the House by a 96-58 vote.
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Senate committee passes
needs-based college scholarship
The Senate Higher Education Committee passed HB 1413, a bill to create a state-funded, financial-need based college scholarship. The DREAMS (Dedicating Resources to
Educationally Advance More Students) Scholarship would be available to students at an institution of the University System of Georgia or the Technical College System of Georgia. $325 million is in the proposed budgets for next year to establish the DREAMS Scholarship Endowment Fund. The bill could provide students who have an "unmet financial need" up to $3,000 a year. Passage of this bill is alignment with GAE's Legislative Priorities.
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| Bill to increase state funding for
private school scholarships on
Senate floor Friday
HB 328, a bill that would raise the amount the state spends on a tax credit for individuals and businesses who contribute to private school vouchers, has been scheduled for a vote of the Senate on Friday. The bill would increase state liability for the voucher program from $120 million to $225 million.
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EARLY VOTING BEGINS MONDAY
IN APRIL 7 SPECIAL ELECTION RUNOFFS
Special election runoffs are scheduled for April 7 including in the following districts. Early, in-person voting begins next Monday but only for four days:
SENATE DISTRICT 53 (Chattooga, Dade, Walker, and portions of Catoosa and Floyd counties). Republican Lanny Thomas and Democrat Jack Zibluk are the candidates. Thomas is a former teacher and head basketball coach at Trion High School in Chattooga County and mayor of Trion. Zibluk is a college professor.
HOUSE DISTRICT 94 (DeKalb and Gwinnett counties). GAE has endorsed Venola Mason, a former educator.
HOUSE DISTRICT 130 (Richmond County). Democrat former State Rep. Sheila Nelson and Republican Thomas McAdams are the two candidates in the runoff special election runoff.
U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 14: (Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker and Whitfield counties as well as portions of Cobb County). Clay Fuller, a lawyer who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, and former Brigadier General and former public school educator Shawn Harris are the two candidates in the special election runoff. GAE has endorsed Gen. Harris. Volunteer opportunities are abundant.
>>> In addition, Gov. Brian Kemp has set May 19 for the special election to fill the Senate seat formerly held by Nabilah Islam Parkes (Senate District 7 - Gwinnett) and May 12 for the special election to fill the House seat formerly held by Rep. Dexter Sharper (House District 177 - Lowndes). Both legislators recently resigned their seats. <<<
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The next Legislative Alert will be Friday, March 27
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