HB796: HB796 Education; revise QBE program weights based on recommendations of the 2015 Education Reform Commission

Georgia funds public schools through the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula, which multiplies a base funding amount by weights tied to specific instructional programs like kindergarten, primary grades, special education categories, and English language learner services, each with its own required teacher-student ratio. This bill rewrites O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161 to scrap that program-by-program weight and ratio system. In its place, the bill sets up a smaller list of 12 weights tied to grade bands (pre-k through third grade, fourth and fifth grade, ninth through twelfth grade), student categories (five levels of disability, gifted status, economic disadvantage, English language learner status), and career and technical education enrollment. These weights follow recommendations from the 2015 Education Reform Commission. The bill keeps the rest of the funding formula's structure, including annual base amount setting by the General Appropriations Act, cost-of-living adjustment limits, and the periodic task force review of program weights.

• Removes the current list of 18 QBE instructional program weights and their required teacher-student ratios, such as the kindergarten program (1.6901 weight, 1 to 15 ratio) and program for persons with disabilities Category IV (6.0106 weight, 1 to 3 ratio).
• Adds a new list of 12 funding weights tied to grade bands and student characteristics, including 0.2954 for students in pre-kindergarten through third grade and 0.0845 for students in grades nine through 12.
• Creates five new disability-based weight categories (A through E) ranging from 0.4263 to 5.1056, replacing the prior five disability program categories (I through V).
• Adds separate weights for economically disadvantaged students (0.0997) and intellectually gifted students (0.3377), which did not exist as such in the prior formula.
• Keeps the requirement that the General Assembly set the base funding amount annually through the General Appropriations Act and that funds be prorated if appropriations fall short.

Local school systems and the Georgia Department of Education, which calculate and receive QBE formula funding; students in special education, gifted, English language learner, career and technical education, and economically disadvantaged categories, whose funding weight would change; and the State Board of Education and Governor's task force that review the formula.

Because the formula determines how much state money each school district gets per student in different categories, changing the weights and removing fixed teacher-student ratios could shift funding amounts and staffing requirements for programs serving students with disabilities, English learners, gifted students, and those in early grades.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161, replacing the 18 program-specific weights and teacher-student ratios in subsection (b) with 12 new weights organized by grade band and student characteristic.
• New weights include 0.0496 for career, technical, and agricultural education students and 0.2035 for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) program students.
• Five new disability categories (A through E) replace the prior five disability categories (I through V), with weights ranging from 0.4263 to 5.1056.
• Subsection (c) continues to let program weights be adjusted for cost-of-living purposes by up to 1.5 percent.
• Subsection (d) keeps the same three-step calculation process (multiplying enrollment counts by weights, then by the base amount, then adding a training and experience adjustment) to compute the 'Quality Basic Education Formula' total.
• Subsection (f) retains the requirement for the Governor to appoint a task force every three years to review and recommend changes to the program weights.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-03-21House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-20House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-18House Hopper (House)

• Karen Lupton (D, HD-083)Primary sponsor
• Marvin Lim (D, HD-098)
• David Wilkerson (D, HD-038)

• school funding
• Quality Basic Education Act
• special education funding
• education reform
• K-12 education