Committee of the Whole - 2023 Legislative Session

Summary of the 2023 Georgia Legislative Session
Dekalb County School District’s 2023 Legislative Priorities

QBE Funding
As part of the largest ever public education budget of $13.1 billion, the General Assembly fully
funded QBE in the FY 24 budget.
School Safety and Security
- The FY 23 budget provided security grants in the amount of $50,000 per school.
- HB 147, the “Safe Schools Act,” requires schools to conduct an intruder alert drill by Oct. 1 each
year and report results of the drill to GEMA, and adds GEMA to who schools must provide their
safety plans to. The bill also directs the PSC, GEMA, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the
Georgia Public Safety Training Center to create a school safety and anti-gang endorsement for
certified personnel.
Speed Cameras
Several bills were considered on this issue (SB 38, SB 217, HB 301, HB 348), some removing
schools from the decision-making process, some further restricting cameras – none passed.              2



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2023 Legislative Priorities cont.

Public School Employees retirement system (PSERS) – Enhancing Retirement Benefits
- Senate Bill 105 relates to retirement benefits payable upon normal, early, or delayed retirement in
the PSERS, and would increase the minimum benefit multiplier rate.
- Senate Bill 240 requires ERS to survey school districts to determine which offer Social Security
benefits or an alternative qualified plan in lieu of Social Security to PSERS members.
- The FY 24 budget has a 5.1 percent raise for bus drivers, nutrition workers, and school
counselors; and custodians were given a $1000 salary supplement.
Annexation and School Boundaries
HB156 was a local bill that provides that after annexation by the City of Buford, the boundaries of
the City of Buford school system shall be extended only by the adoption of a Local Act or an IGA.
Tax Abatements
SB171, is legislation to enact recommendations of the Senate Study Committee on Development
Authorities, including to adopt local legislation regarding specific individual development authorities. 3

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2023 Legislative Priorities cont.

Mental Health and Counseling Needs
- The FY 24 budget included $26.9 million to fund school counselor ratio at 1:450 for all student
categories
- HB 520 was this year’s mental health bill, but it stalled in the Senate
College and Career Readiness
Two items were passed, SB 86, which allows eligible students participating in dual enrollment to
access HOPE career grant funds for certain CTAE courses even if they have met the cap for dual
enrollment courses and SR175, which creates the Joint Study Committee on Dual Enrollment for
Highly Skilled Talent at Younger Ages.
Early Childhood Education
SR 144 would create the Senate expanding Early Childhood Education Study Committee.

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Other Budget Highlights

    FY ‘23
    • $50 million to the State Health Benefit Plan to facilitate a phase-in of the increased employer
    contribution for non-certified insurance.
    • Moving the GNETS program to the QBE formula in FY 2025.
    • $977,508,409 in 'American Recovery Plan (ARP) Act' funds designated for learning loss.
    FY ’24
    • $50,000 for feminine hygiene grants
    • $3.5 million for dyslexia screening from SB 48 in 2019
    • $6.3 million for the cost of breakfast and lunch for reduced-paying students
    • $251,000 for Governor’s Office of Student Achievement to provide personnel and operations for
    the Georgia Council on Literacy (SB 211) and $749,000 for them to support the implementation of
    effective literacy methods, including digital curriculum for grades PreK-5 .
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Other Legislation of Interest that passed
• HB 538, which aims to increase the number of students reading proficiently by the end of third
  grade. Components of the bill include a required reading assessment of all K-3 students to be
  given three times a year, training for all K-3 teachers in the science of reading, and the use of
  high-quality instructional materials for reading as approved by the State Board of Education.
• SB 211, establishes the “Georgia Council on Literacy.” which will include 30 members, and expire
  in December 2026. Its duties will include, providing a literacy outcomes report to the Governor
  and legislators, evaluating best practices, creating a common metric for K-12 literacy scores, and
  making recommendations to improve literacy outcomes.
• SB 204, provides certain criteria and recognition for school accrediting agencies like Cognia. The
  bill included some language from HB 506, regarding a process that would allow school districts to
  appeal accrediting reviews. Academic performance would account for at least 65 percent of the
  accrediting review, and financial efficiency could account for up to 35 percent of the review.
• HB 340, provides for daily planning periods for K-12 teachers; limits school board members from
  discussing certain individual personnel matters with school superintendents and school personnel.
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Other Legislation of Interest that did not pass
• HB 101, as amended increases the cap for donations to SSOs for vouchers from $120 million per
  year to $130 million per year for 2024 and all subsequent years.
• HB 318, reestablishes the Office of Charter School Compliance under the State Charter Schools
  Commission. It was amended in the Senate to allow schools to enter into performance contracts
  for energy saving (HB 306) and to allow eligibility for capital outlay grants for low-wealth school
  systems (HB 81).
• HB 338, “Student Technology Protection Act,” requires filtering on school networks and devices.
• SB 32, known as “Alyssa’s Law,” this bill would require school systems to implement a mobile
  panic alert system that can connect in real-time to local law enforcement.
• SB 208/SR 189, allows local school systems to impose and collect development impact fees
• SB 233, the “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act,” provides for the establishment of promise
  scholarship accounts to be funded by the state in the amount of $6,000.00 per school year for
  each participating student.
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QUESTIONS




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