HB217: HB217 Education; make Dual Achievement Program a permanent state-wide program

Georgia's Dual Achievement Program currently lets eligible teens who withdraw from high school enroll at a technical college campus to earn both a high school diploma and a technical college credential. This bill changes that model. Starting July 1, 2026, students would no longer have to withdraw from their regular high school; instead they stay enrolled in their resident school for administrative and testing purposes while attending the technical college program, but they lose eligibility for extracurricular and interscholastic activities through that school. Students already in the program as of June 30, 2026 keep their old terms. The bill also pushes back the program's automatic repeal date from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2031, effectively extending the pilot five more years rather than making it permanent statewide as the bill's title suggests. It requires the state board and the Department of Education to set new rules, publish a list of qualifying courses, split state QBE funding between the resident school system and the technical college system, and sign participation agreements. Separately, the bill updates local school board election waiver rules and lets the education savings authority share applicant names with the Department of Revenue to verify income for Promise Scholarship eligibility.

• Changes Dual Achievement Program eligibility so that, beginning July 1, 2026, participating students stay enrolled in their resident high school instead of withdrawing from it.
• Extends the program's automatic repeal date from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2031, continuing it as a time-limited pilot rather than making it permanent.
• Requires the state board and resident school systems to split state QBE (Quality Basic Education) funding proportionally based on how much of the school day a student spends at the technical college.
• Bars program participants from extracurricular and interscholastic activities sponsored by their resident school or school system.
• Lets the education savings authority send applicant names to the Department of Revenue to verify income against Promise Scholarship eligibility thresholds, under a required cooperative agreement.
• Updates the process by which small school systems can seek a waiver of nepotism-related eligibility rules for local school board candidates.

Teenagers ages 16 to 20 interested in earning a high school diploma alongside a technical college credential, their resident public school systems, the Technical College System of Georgia, the Department of Education, the Department of Revenue, and families applying for Promise Scholarship education savings accounts.

Students who want to combine high school and technical college training would no longer have to formally withdraw from school to do so, but they would give up school sports and clubs while participating. School systems and technical colleges would have to work out new funding splits and paperwork, and the program's future depends on renewed legislative action by 2031.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-51 to update how small school systems (2,800 or fewer students in 2009) request State Board of Education waivers of local board candidate nepotism eligibility rules.
• Section 2 adds a new subsection (d) to O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-5 letting the education savings authority share Promise Scholarship applicants' names with the Department of Revenue to check income against eligibility thresholds, under a cooperative agreement and confidentiality penalties.
• Section 3 rewrites Article 6 of Chapter 4, defining new terms like 'QBE formula earnings,' 'resident school,' and 'resident school system' for the Dual Achievement Program.
• Before July 1, 2026, students must withdraw from public secondary school to join the program; beginning July 1, 2026, students instead stay enrolled in their resident school while participating (O.C.G.A. § 20-4-141).
• Students already enrolled as of June 30, 2026 keep their prior eligibility terms rather than the new rules.
• New Code Section 20-4-141.1 requires the State Board of Education and technical college system board to set implementation rules by January 1, 2026, share QBE funding proportionally starting July 1, 2026, and publish an annual list of qualifying courses by April 1.
• Resident school systems must sign participation agreements confirming enrolled students' administrative status and exclusion from extracurricular activities, beginning July 1, 2026.
• Section 20-4-142 moves the article's automatic repeal date from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2031.

1. 2025-04-28Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-04-28Act 18
3. 2025-04-28House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-04-04House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended (Senate)
7. 2025-03-28Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2025-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)

• Soo Hong (R, HD-103)Primary sponsor
• Charles Martin (R, HD-049)
• Chris Erwin (R, HD-032)
• Will Wade (R, HD-009)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   169 yea, 2 nay (2 not voting, 7 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #260

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 28, 2025

   44 yea, 2 nay (6 not voting, 4 absent)

   Passage As Amended: Senate Vote #323

3. PassedHouse voteApril 4, 2025

   143 yea, 22 nay (4 not voting, 11 absent)

   Agree To Senate Amendment: House Vote #414

• dual enrollment
• technical college
• high school diploma requirements
• education funding
• Promise Scholarship