HB558: HB558 State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia; establish adult workforce high school diploma program

Georgia currently has no dedicated pathway combining adult high school completion with workforce credentials administered through third-party providers. This bill would create the adult workforce high school diploma program inside Chapter 4 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, letting the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia approve outside organizations, called approved program providers, to run it. Eligible students must be Georgia residents, aged 21 to 40, without a high school diploma, previously enrolled in a Georgia public school or adult education program, and not disqualified under existing adult education rules. Providers must be accredited, offer free skill assessments, remedial coursework, workforce credentials, and diploma coursework, and meet minimum graduation rate and cost standards. The state board would pay providers set amounts per milestone, such as course credits, credentials, or diplomas earned, out of funds the General Assembly specifically appropriates. Providers must report monthly to get paid, and starting in 2027 the state board must report yearly to the Governor and legislative committees on results and spending.

• Authorizes the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia to create the adult workforce high school diploma program for eligible adults without a diploma.
• Sets up a yearly application process for third-party organizations to become approved program providers, with applications due by August 15 and approvals by September 15.
• Requires approved providers to be accredited, offer free assessments and coursework, and meet a minimum 50 percent graduation rate and a cost cap of $7,500 per graduate.
• Creates a milestone based payment system, paying providers set dollar amounts (ranging from $275 to $1,100) when students hit specific progress markers, subject to legislative funding.
• Requires providers to submit monthly progress reports to get paid and requires the state board to report program results to state leaders starting in 2027.
• Lets the state board waive certain state rules and seek waivers of federal rules to help run the program.

Georgia adults aged 21 to 40 without a high school diploma who previously attended a public school or adult education program, third-party organizations that could become approved program providers, and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia, which would oversee applications, funding, and reporting.

Adults who left high school without graduating could get a new, no-cost route back to a diploma paired with job credentials, funded through performance-based payments to outside providers rather than a traditional school. Providers face financial accountability tied to graduation rates and cost limits, and funding depends on future state appropriations.

• Section 1 adds a new Article 9 to Chapter 4 of Title 20, defining terms like eligible student, cohort, milestones, and workforce credential (O.C.G.A. § 20-4-170).
• Code Section 20-4-171 authorizes the state board to create the program and run an annual application cycle for approved program providers.
• Code Section 20-4-172 sets provider requirements, including accreditation, free services to students, a 50 percent minimum graduation rate, and a $7,500 average cost per graduate cap, with probation for providers that fall short.
• Code Section 20-4-173 establishes per-milestone payment amounts to providers, ranging from $275 for a half unit of credit to $1,100 for a diploma, paid in the order monthly reports are received.
• Code Section 20-4-173 also restricts how providers may use funds, allowing instruction and student support but barring use for brick-and-mortar construction.
• Code Section 20-4-174 requires providers to report annually starting in 2027 and requires the state board to send a yearly report to the Governor and four legislative committees on outcomes and spending.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-24House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-21House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-20House Hopper (House)

• Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)Primary sponsor
• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)
• Mark Newton (R, HD-127)

• adult education
• high school diploma
• workforce training
• technical college system
• education funding