(Prepared by Matthew Smith)
Last week, on March 6, the Georgia General Assembly faced an important deadline. Called Crossover, the date marks the last day legislators can consider bills that originated in their house.
Governor Kemp kicked off Crossover Week by signing the Amended FY 2026 Budget, which funds the government through June 30, 2026. The budget includes a one-time, $2,000 bonus for educators and $325 million for the DREAMS Scholarship, a new, need-based financial aid program.
Review Amended FY 2026 Budget highlights here.
The day’s sprint to approve legislation started at 10 AM. When the House adjourned at 1 AM on Saturday morning, 82 bills had crossed over, considerably less than the 400 bills available for consideration since the General Assembly first convened in January 2025.
In this summary report, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education analyzes three bills that, if approved by the full General Assembly, will impact how education leaders support children and families.
Attendance
Senate Bill 513 requires school systems to create multi-tier strategies to improve student attendance. The framework would include universal supports for children and families (Tier 1), targeted supports for students at risk of chronic absence (Tier 2), and individualized attendance intervention plans for students who have missed more than 10% of school days during the academic year (Tier 3).
In the Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2025, the Georgia Partnership identified student attendance as one of the three main ingredients in the recipe for deeper learning, along with student agency and quality teaching.
Issue 5 of the Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2026 calls for a unified community response to chronic absenteeism. District leaders should engage parents and community members to craft strategies that address nonacademic barriers, foster positive school climate, and deliver personalized student supports. Senate Bill 513 requires school districts to create model strategies that accomplish this goal.
Early Literacy
During the 2023 legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly enacted the Georgia Early Literacy Act (House Bill 538). The law reset expectations for how elementary educators deliver reading instruction and how schools support struggling readers.
The second issue of the Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2024 – “Literacy: Building a Strong Foundation” – describes the requirements outlined in the Georgia Early Literacy Act and identifies current gaps in policy and practice that could threaten local implementation.
House Bill 1193 continues efforts to streamline early literacy requirements. The bill addresses a recommendation identified in the 2024 and 2026 editions of the Top Ten: hiring school-based literacy coaches. Other key provisions include:
- Literacy coaching endorsements: The bill sets a December 30 deadline for the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) to create the endorsements.
- Unified literacy plans: School boards must finalize plans by January 1, 2027.
- Statewide literacy curriculum: The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) will designate a statewide curriculum available for free use by school districts by the beginning of the 2027-28 school year.
- First-grade readiness: Schools will implement assessments to determine if students are prepared for first grade.
Legislators have committed to using state funds to deploy school-based literacy coaches. To extend the impact of this initiative, the Georgia Partnership recommends district leaders complete two tasks:
- Clarify the roles and responsibilities of reading coaches, including how they deliver co-teaching, lead professional learning, and conduct progress monitoring.
- Leverage regional coaches to identify current teachers who could fill school-based literacy coaching roles through a “train-the-trainer” model.
Talent Development
In 2025, the General Assembly enacted House Bill 192, The Top State for Talent Act. The bill required the State Board of Education to align course and pathways offerings with fields on the High-Demand Career List. The bill also encouraged school districts to provide industry credentialing in programs included on the list.
House Bill 1302, the Education and Workforce Strategy Act, builds on this strong foundation, by increasing cross-agency coordination. The bill includes several key elements:
- Shared governance: Renames the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement to the Office of Education and Workforce Strategy and charges the successor agency with coordinating the preparation of a combined Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Perkins State Plan.
- Apprenticeships: Designates the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) as the state apprenticeship agency and enumerates duties.
- State reporting: Requires the Office of Education and Workforce Strategy to report on the alignment of policies, programs, and practices across the state’s education agencies.
- Career navigation tool: Authorizes the Office of Education and Workforce Strategy to create an online tool that allows students, families, and jobseekers to explore education, training, and career opportunities.
Focusing on high-demand careers is critical, and the state is well-positioned to support this priority. However, Georgia’s leaders need to market programs to ensure more individuals enroll in these pathways.
The Georgia Partnership recommends state and community leaders restructure pathways around three specific guarantees:
- Students will master skills that employers demand.
- Students will earn credentials of value that support career advancement and economic prosperity.
- Students will participate in work-based experiences that promote smoother transitions between training and employment.
Expect another report for Sine Die, the deadline for bills and resolutions to be approved by both houses of the General Assembly. The legislature will meet throughout March and early April, adjourning on April 2.