 Day 37
House Education Committee Meetings The committee met this morning to hear SB 233, the “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act,” by Sen. Greg Dolezal. As a reminder, this is the dreaded voucher bill that allows public funds to be used for private schools, virtual schools, and homeschooling. Sen. Dolezal, Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, and Rep. Todd Jones presented a substitute to the bill and then amended it based on feedback. The committee recessed the meeting after an hour for Chairman Chris Erwin and a committee member to present bills in the Senate Education & Youth Committee. The House Education Committee reconvened this afternoon to finish amending and voting on SB 233 and to consider one resolution. Rep. Doreen Carter objected to discussion not being allowed on the amendments this afternoon. Rep. Carter also asked for a vote by hand, but the chair ruled the motion out of order. The committee voted by voice only on the amendments and the substitute to the bill as amended. The bill passed as amended by voice vote and will now go to House Rules. Below are the new additions in the substitute to SB 233 and the three amendments added before the bill was passed. Lines 3 & 188 – The amount per student per year was changed from $6,000 to $6,500. Lines 32-36 added a definition of “educationally disadvantaged student.” Lines 49-52 clarified dual enrollment and added that the funds can only be used for core courses. Lines 73-76 requires that the parent must reside in the state of Georgia for one year with an exception for active military. Lines 77-78 - The student must participate in two consecutive enrollment counts. Lines 83-87 - If a student accepts this voucher, the student may not participate in the special needs scholarship program. Lines 91-96 allows home school students to enroll part time in college and career academies. Lines 99–103 – A parent with a student receiving the voucher may donate to a tuition grant scholarship, but the student may not receive that tuition grant. Lines 144-160 requires reporting of aggregate data, student-level data, the amount of money a parent has drawn down from the voucher account, and graduation rate. Line 165 clarifies that a participating school must be located in Georgia. Lines 184-185 - Participating schools are not deemed to be agents of the state or federal government. Lines 233-234 created terms of service for the parent review committee and that the terms are staggered, and the review committee also includes the President or the President’s designee of the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Line 287 - Participating students are annually administered a statewide assessment, which shall be made available by the resident local school system. Lines 334-336 clarifies that the list of schools in the bottom 25th percentile does not include alternative schools.
SB 233 Amendments to the Substitute: Amendment 1 - The administration year for the bill would be July 1, 2023, and the effective date would move to July 1, 2024. The amendment passed. Amendment 2 – This struck Lines 99-103 and added new language that the student is not a beneficiary of a scholarship, tuition grant, or other benefit from a student scholarship organization, nor should a student or parent seek to receive any scholarship, tuition grant, or other benefit in which the student is participating. It also added in Lines 95-102 that parents agree to provide an education in reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science and that students cannot enroll in any type of public school but can enroll part time in a college and career academy. The amendment passed. Amendment 3 - Lines 77-78 clarified that the student must be currently and continuously enrolled in a public school for at least two enrollment counts. The second part of the amendment changes Lines 286-287 to require an annual statewide assessment be administered in the grades in which the test is given by the resident school system. The amendment passed. After the vote on SB 233, the committee briefly discussed SR 175, which creates a Joint Study Committee on Dual Enrollment for Highly Talented Students at Younger Ages, by Sen. Matt Brass. Rep. Rick Townsend presented the resolution on behalf of the sponsor. He said it’s a complement to SB 86. There was a substitute that added language from SR 216 to the resolution. The resolution passed via substitute. It will now go to House Rules. Senate Education & Youth Committee Meetings The committee met this morning and passed seven bills. They were supposed to meet again this afternoon but decided to move quickly through the bills on both agendas this morning. The chair said he would only hear public comments in opposition. Some members were absent or only briefly present. HB 51 by Rep. Clay Pirkle allows school boards to approve vehicles other than school buses to transport students. This is already allowed for homeless students and students with special needs. The sponsor said he heard this would be helpful for smaller school clubs and teams. The drivers and vehicles would still have to meet the required minimum standards. There was a substitute with a new section from Sen. Randy Robertson that says if the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) participates in athletics or academics, then the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) must also be allowed to participate. The bill passed with one dissenting vote. It will now go to Senate Rules. HB 81 by Rep. John Corbett allows low-wealth schools to be able to access certain capital outlay grants to build school facilities if they meet certain criteria. A school can only qualify once every ten years. Approximately 45 schools currently qualify for this type of grant according to the sponsor. The bill passed unanimously and will now go to Senate Rules. HB 306 by Rep. Tim Fleming revises the definition of “energy cost saving measures” to include “generate revenue” as part of energy performance contracts. According to the sponsor, this is a budget neutral approach. Rep. Fleming said this is a funding solution for governments and school systems to make energy-efficient upgrades to facilities. The bill passed with two dissenting votes. It will now go to Senate Rules. HB 87, the “Nontraditional Special Schools Act,” by Rep. Chris Erwin had a substitute with a couple changes to define the eligible students for completion special schools and their attendance zones. For more information on the bill, see Day 13 and Day 33. The bill passed unanimously via substitute and will now go to Senate Rules. HB 338, the “Student Technology Protection Act,” by Rep. Chris Erwin requires filtering on school networks and devices. Rep. Erwin said the goal is to protect students from exposure to pornography and other inappropriate material. During public comments, one person spoke in favor, and one spoke in opposition regarding data privacy concerns. The bill passed unanimously and will now go to Senate Rules. HB 538, the “Georgia Early Literacy Act,” by Rep. Bethany Ballard is meant to get students on reading level by third grade, supply teachers with tools and supports to teach the science of reading, and provide an implementation timeline. The bill was presented quickly with little discussion. There is no state funding for the curriculum, screeners, or other items in the bill. The bill passed unanimously and will now go to Senate Rules. HB 318 by Rep. Scott Hilton re-establishes the Office of Charter School Compliance but under the State Charter Schools Commission rather than GaDOE with the staff of the Office of Charter School Compliance reporting to the State Board of Education. Time was running short, and the sponsor’s bill description was brief. For more information on the bill, see Day 21. The committee did not ask questions, discuss the bill, or hear public comment. The bill passed unanimously and will now go to Senate Rules. House Retirement Committee SB 240 by Sen. Larry Walker concerns the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). School bus drivers, custodians, nutrition workers, and other non-certified school employees fall under PSERS. A study committee on this issue met during the interim last year, and committee members heard from school employees who said they were not receiving Social Security. The sponsor said he heard many school districts are offering a qualified retirement plan in lieu of Social Security, but some districts are not providing a qualified retirement plan or Social Security. The state funds PSERS, but local districts do not contribute to this system. This bill requires a survey of school districts to see what kind of retirement plan schools are offering non-certified school employees with the goal of getting school districts to offer a qualified retirement plan or Social Security to these employees. The chair brought a substitute presented by Jeremy Berry who said it was an IRS correction to the Teachers Retirement System (TRS). The bill passed unanimously via substitute and will now go to House Rules. Despite long floor sessions in both chambers, neither the House nor the Senate voted on any education-related bills today. The House was set to take up SB 1 that repeals the sunset date to prohibit the state, local governments, and schools from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination by Sen. Greg Dolezal, but the bill was not debated on the floor today. Senate Appropriations Committee The committee discussed the highlights of HB 19, the FY24 budget. Chairman Blake Tillery summarized that the Senate is fully funding QBE, increasing the salary for teachers by $2,000, funding dyslexia screening for all K-3 students, and providing over $1 million for the Georgia Council on Literacy in SB 211. We will provide more details and link to the Senate budget tracking sheet when they are available. The budget passed out of committee, and the chair said it should be on the Senate floor on Thursday. HR 564 by Rep. Matt Dubnik creates a constitutional amendment that changes the state superintendent from an elected position to an appointment by the Governor. Additionally, State Board of Education members would be elected by the House of Representatives and Senate. It would require a two-thirds majority, and if it passed, it would then be placed on the ballot as a statewide referendum. SB 318 by Sen. Ed Setzler provides that the salary for special education teachers who meet certain criteria shall be 110 percent of the minimum salary. March 22nd – Committee Workday Senate Public Safety Committee 9 AM 450 CAP House Education Policy Subcommittee 1 PM 406 CLOB House Education Curriculum Subcommittee 2 PM 406 CLOB Senate Finance Committee 4 PM Senate Mezz March 23rd – Legislative Day 38
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