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Legislative session has big effect on DeKalb County, B2
School takeover. College credit. High school diplomas.
Georgia lawmakers didn’t pass a lot of bills related to education this session, but those that did pass could have a big impact on Georgia families.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest education-related laws passed this year:
House Bill 91: Georgians who could not pass the state's now-defunct high school graduation test can now petition local school boards for their diploma rather than having to go through the state. This new law is expected to help about 9,000 Georgians who couldn't pass the multi-part test, which was established in 1994 and eliminated as a graduation requirement in 2011. House Education Chairman Brooks Coleman, R-Duluth, ranked this legislation among the most important his committee passed this year. Critics say it could dilute the value of a diploma.
Senate Bill 133 and Senate Resolution 287: Haven't heard about Gov. Nathan Deal's plans to create a special state-run district to take over failing schools? You will. In 2016, voters will be asked to approve a change to the state constitution to create a statewide school district modeled after one used in New Orleans. Schools deemed "failing" would be put into the special district, which could then remove principals, transfer teachers, change what students are learning and control the schools' budgets. Deal's office estimates about 140 schools would be eligible for takeover, including more than 60 in metro Atlanta. Expect plenty of debate from both sides as to whether this is a needed rescue or a drastic government overreach.
Senate Bill 132: Known as the "Move on when Ready" act, this revises current state law to expand access for high school students who want to attend college and take dual-credit courses. Ninth- and 10th-graders are now eligible to take dual-enrollment courses in addition to 11th- and 12th-graders. The courses are now open to private and home-schooled students as well.
The budget: Georgia school districts will now pay for health insurance for an estimated 11,000 bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other employees. Gov. Nathan Deal proposed eliminating the state's payment of health insurance for those workers because the state doesn't pay the health insurance tab for thousands of other part-time state employees. The cost to school districts will be $103 million. Gwinnett County, the state's largest school district, will pay an additional $11 million, which school finance officials said could pay the salaries and benefits of 137 teachers or fund a one percent employee cost-of-living increase.
What didn’t get approved this year:
House Bill 100: A bill that would change when Georgia students can enter kindergarten. Currently, children must be 5 on or before Sept. 1. The initial version of House Bill 100 would have required children to be 5 by Aug. 1 to enter kindergarten. It passed the House but stalled in the Senate.
Senate Resolution 80: States that Georgia should look for other options to Advanced Placement U.S. history courses, in order to protect students from a "radically revisionist view" of American history that many conservatives say is left-leaning and biased. The measure passed the Senate but didn't make it to the House floor for a vote.
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