Literacy bill, cellphone ban among education bills approved by Georgia House
The Georgia House of Representatives passed a slew of education-related bills Tuesday, including major literacy legislation, a cellphone ban for public high schools and a pilot program that would pay college students for student teaching.
The Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026 was perhaps the biggest bill the representatives passed. Also known as House Bill 1193, the measure focuses on ensuring students can read proficiently by the third grade, a benchmark experts say is critical for academic success.
The legislation would require children to attend kindergarten or pass an assessment before enrolling in first grade and would place a literacy coach in every elementary school in the state. The bill reinforces existing state law that requires schools to align literacy instruction to “the science of reading,” a body of research that focuses on helping young readers break words into sounds.
State data show 35% of Georgia’s third graders scored “proficient” or above on the English/Language Arts section of the state-issued Georgia Milestones assessment last school year. The scores also show 65% of those same third graders were reading on grade level.
The bill, which previously passed the Senate, passed the House with a sweeping 170-2 bipartisan vote, followed by rounds of applause.
“This is a team effort, an investment in Georgia’s future,” House Speaker Jon Burns said after the vote. Burns said literacy was his “No. 1 priority” in a news conference before the legislative session began.
Bill sponsor and House Education Committee Chair Chris Erwin, R-Homer, called the bill the most “impactful education legislation … since the HOPE Scholarship.”
“I was not in this (legislative) position, but I was in this state, working in education,” said Erwin, a former Georgia school principal and district superintendent. “I saw the value of (HOPE). I see the exact same value in what this bill does for our students, and then ultimately what it’s going to do for this state as a whole.”
The bill says the state’s school funding formula would pay for the literacy coaches.
Here are some other education-related bills the House passed Tuesday. The bill sponsor’s name is in parentheses:
House Bill 1009 (Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners): would require public school districts to adopt bell-to-bell bans on cellphones and other personal electronic devices in classrooms. The measure would expand a bill passed last year that bars personal devices in grades K-8. The law would take effect before the 2027-28 school year. A recent survey of teachers revealed that 71% of respondents support prohibiting personal devices during the school day.
House Bill 310 (Phil Olaleye, D-Atlanta): establishes a pilot program that would provide $5,000 grants to Pell Grant-eligible college students during the semester in which they student-teach. Grantees would also be able to earn signing bonuses of up to $2,500 if they accept a job at a Georgia public school.
House Bill 372 (Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins): would extend a law that allows retired teachers to return to work after waiting for a year. Retirees must have 30 years of service to return to the workforce and would need to accept a job in a high-needs area. The bill makes a couple of tweaks to existing law. For one, it allows school districts to decide what defines a “high-needs” area. It also requires anyone returning to teach reading to have a dyslexia endorsement from the state agency that certifies teachers. That requires training aligned to “the science of reading.”
House Bill 385 (Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta): would allow college students to apply unused credits from the HOPE Scholarship to a graduate degree program or a professional school. The students would have to pay the difference between the undergraduate and graduate rate. The idea is to keep high-achieving students in the state.
House Bill 1023 (Chuck Efstration, R-Mulberry): would require local public schools to install weapons detection systems at building entrances. The bill doesn’t provide funding for the systems, but Efstration said schools could use the annual security grants the state provides, which amount to roughly $50,000 per school each year.
House Bill 1123 (Jan Jones, R-Milton): requires public schools that offer Georgia’s prekindergarten program to also offer after care for pre-K students.
About the Author
Martha Dalton is a journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, writing about K-12 education. She was previously a senior education reporter at WABE, Atlanta's NPR affiliate. Before that, she was a general assignment reporter at CNN Radio. Martha has worked in media for more than 20 years. She taught elementary school in a previous life.
