Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB128: SB128 Quality Basic Education Act; grants to eligible local units of administration for students living in poverty; provide

Last action February 11, 2025 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would create a new state grant program under the Quality Basic Education Act to give extra school funding to districts based on how many students they enroll who are living in poverty.

In plain language

Georgia's school funding formula, the Quality Basic Education Act (O.C.G.A. Title 20, Chapter 2, Article 6), currently does not include a separate funding stream tied specifically to poverty. This bill would add a new section, O.C.G.A. § 20-2-192, letting the State Board of Education give grants to local school districts (called local units of administration) to help pay for services and instruction for students living in poverty. A student would count as living in poverty if their family gets SNAP or TANF benefits, if they are in foster care, or if they lack stable housing under the federal definition of homeless children and youth. The Department of Education would calculate each district's grant by multiplying its count of such students by 25 percent of the base per-student funding amount used elsewhere in the school funding formula. At least 90 percent of the grant money would have to go toward direct services for these students, with any unspent portion of that 90 percent returned to the state. The grants depend on the General Assembly actually appropriating money for the program.

What the bill does

Creates a new grant program under the Quality Basic Education Act for local school districts based on the number of students they enroll who live in poverty.
Defines 'student living in poverty' to include children on SNAP or TANF benefits, foster care students, and students without stable housing.
Directs the Department of Education to calculate each district's grant as the number of poverty-affected students times 25 percent of the base per-student funding amount.
Requires at least 90 percent of grant funds to be spent directly on services for the qualifying students, with unused funds returned to the state.
Makes the grants subject to funding being approved (appropriated) by the General Assembly rather than automatic.

Who it affects

Public school districts (local units of administration) across Georgia, the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which would run the grant program, and students who qualify because their families receive SNAP or TANF benefits, who are in foster care, or who lack stable housing.

Why it matters

If funded by the legislature, districts with more students in poverty would receive extra per-student dollars specifically for those students, potentially expanding tutoring, counseling, or other support services. Because the grants depend on future state appropriations, districts would not automatically receive this money just because the law exists.

Key provisions

New Code Section 20-2-192(a) defines 'student in foster care,' 'student living in poverty,' and 'student without stable housing,' the last tied to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Subsection (b) directs the State Board of Education to provide grants to eligible districts for services and instruction for students living in poverty, subject to General Assembly appropriations.
Subsection (c) sets the grant formula: the number of qualifying students times 25 percent of the base funding amount used in Code Section 20-2-161.
Subsection (c) requires at least 90 percent of grant funds to go to direct program expenditures for the benefit of qualifying students, with leftover funds returned to the State Board of Education.
Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

Status timeline

2025-02-11Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2025-02-10Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

school funding
poverty
education grants
Quality Basic Education Act
homeless students