SB332: SB332 County Board of Education of DeKalb County; board members shall only be elected by electors of the DeKalb County school district; provide

DeKalb County's school board members are chosen under a 1963 state law that has been amended several times. This bill changes that law so that future board members' successors must be elected specifically by voters who live within the boundaries of the DeKalb County school district, rather than by DeKalb County electors more broadly. Current board members finish out their existing terms unaffected. The bill also adds a new exception to the rules governing how annexations change the school district's boundaries. Under the new provision, a small residential annexation done through a local act of the General Assembly, one that affects a single residential parcel of one acre or less, will not trigger the usual boundary-change process. No more than four such small annexations can be exempted this way in a single calendar year.

• Requires that successors to current DeKalb County Board of Education members be elected only by voters residing within the DeKalb County school district's boundaries.
• Leaves current board members' existing terms of office unchanged and lets them finish serving as originally elected.
• Creates an exemption from the district boundary-change process for local acts annexing a single residential parcel of one acre or less.
• Caps the number of annexations eligible for this exemption at four per calendar year.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these changes.

DeKalb County voters, current and future members of the County Board of Education of DeKalb County, and residents of parcels affected by small residential annexations handled through local acts of the General Assembly.

The change clarifies who gets to vote for DeKalb County school board seats by tying eligibility to residence within the school district itself, which could matter if the county and school district boundaries diverge. The annexation exemption limits how often small property annexations reshape school district lines.

• Section 1 revises subsection (a) of Section 3 of the 1963 Act so that successors to sitting board members are elected only by electors residing within the DeKalb County school district.
• Section 1 preserves the terms of board members already serving when the Act takes effect.
• Section 2 adds new subsection (g) to Section 3.2, exempting certain small residential annexations (one parcel, one acre or less, via local act) from the standard district boundary-change rules.
• Section 2 limits this annexation exemption to no more than four such annexations per calendar year.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date 2025-05-13
2. 2025-05-13Act 249
3. 2025-05-13Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-04-04House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2025-04-04House Third Readers (House)
7. 2025-04-04House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2025-03-28House Second Readers (House)

• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-010)Primary sponsor
• Donzella James (D, SD-028)
• Long Tran (D, HD-080)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 25, 2025

   52 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 0 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #277

2. PassedHouse voteApril 4, 2025

   112 yea, 59 nay (1 not voting, 8 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #434

• DeKalb County schools
• school board elections
• local government law
• county board of education
• annexation rules