HB48: HB48 Quality Basic Education Act; Refugee and International Students Equalization (RISE) program; establish

Georgia's Quality Basic Education (QBE) Act sets funding formulas and program categories for public schools, including things like kindergarten programs, special education categories, and English language programs. This bill adds a new category called the Refugee and International Students Equalization (RISE) program. The bill defines an "international student" as a school-age child born outside the United States who now lives in Georgia, is enrolled in a Georgia public school, and enrolled there for the first time within the last 36 months, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. This includes unaccompanied, asylum-seeking, and refugee children. The State Board of Education would create a program, subject to funding approved by the General Assembly, to provide wraparound services such as housing, medical care, counseling, nutrition, and transportation to these students. The bill also adds RISE as a funded program category in the QBE formula, with a weight of 1.2000 and a student-teacher ratio of 1 to 7. It would take effect July 1, 2025, applying starting with the 2026-2027 school year.

• Creates a new Code section (20-2-156.1) defining "international student" and establishing eligibility criteria based on birthplace, residency, enrollment status, and recent enrollment date.
• Directs the State Board of Education to create the RISE program, subject to funding approved by the General Assembly, to provide wraparound services to eligible students.
• Lists specific services the RISE program covers: education, housing, medical, counseling, nutrition, and transportation support.
• Adds RISE as a new funded program category in the QBE formula (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161) with a 1.2000 funding weight and a 1-to-7 student-teacher ratio.
• Directs the State Board of Education to write rules on eligibility criteria and standards for the program.
• Sets the effective date as July 1, 2025, applicable starting with the 2026-2027 school year.

International students in Georgia public schools, including unaccompanied, asylum-seeking, and refugee children, along with the school districts and staff that would provide the new wraparound services, and the State Board of Education, which must write rules to run the program.

If funded by the General Assembly, eligible students who recently arrived from abroad could get direct support such as housing, medical care, counseling, and transportation, and schools serving them would receive a dedicated funding weight and staffing ratio through the state's QBE formula, rather than relying on existing categories not designed for this population.

• Section 1 defines "international student" to require birth outside the U.S., current Georgia residency, current public school enrollment, and first-time enrollment within the previous 36 months.
• Section 1 explicitly includes unaccompanied alien, asylum-seeking, and refugee children under federal immigration law definitions.
• Section 1 creates the RISE program under the State Board of Education, conditioned on the General Assembly appropriating funding, and lists the wraparound services it covers.
• Section 2 revises the QBE funding formula (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161(b)) to add RISE as program category (19), with a 1.2000 weight and a 1-to-7 teacher-student ratio.
• Section 3 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025, applicable starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
• Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-01-16House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-01-15House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-01-14House Hopper (House)

• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)Primary sponsor
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)

• education funding
• refugee students
• public schools
• school funding formula
• immigrant students