HB893: HB893 Education; replace terms charter system and charter systems with performance contract system and performance contract systems

Georgia law currently uses the terms "charter system" and "charter systems" to describe school districts that operate under special charters with the state granting them added flexibility in exchange for accountability. This bill does not change how those systems work, who qualifies, or what they must do. Instead, it goes through roughly 29 sections of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated and swaps the wording "charter system" and "charter systems" for "performance contract system" and "performance contract systems" everywhere those terms appear. The affected sections cover topics ranging from literacy instruction and student assessments to face mask policy, internet use rules, the Charter Schools Act of 1998, and school funding formulas under the Quality Basic Education Act. The bill would take effect July 1, 2025, and repeals any conflicting laws.

• Replaces the term "charter system" with "performance contract system" and "charter systems" with "performance contract systems" across roughly 29 listed Code sections in Title 20.
• Leaves the underlying rules, funding formulas, and requirements for these school systems unchanged; only the terminology is swapped.
• Touches provisions covering literacy instruction, student assessments, face mask policy, internet use policies, and the Parents' Bill of Rights (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-786), among others.
• Amends multiple sections of the Charter Schools Act of 1998 (O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-2062 through 20-2-2077) to use the new terminology.
• Sets the effective date as July 1, 2025, and repeals any laws that conflict with the renaming.

School districts and local boards of education currently designated as charter systems, the Georgia Department of Education, the Office of Charter School Compliance, and anyone who reads or references Georgia's education code, including school administrators, parents, and students in these districts.

Because the bill only renames a legal term rather than altering funding, governance, or accountability rules for these school districts, day-to-day operations for schools and families would stay the same. The practical effect is mainly on how the term appears in state law, contracts, and official documents going forward.

• Section 1 lists 29 Code sections in Title 20 where "charter system" and "charter systems" must be replaced with "performance contract system" and "performance contract systems."
• Affected sections include O.C.G.A. § 20-2-84.4 and § 20-2-84.5 on flexibility and accountability agreements for these districts.
• Affected sections also include the Charter Schools Act of 1998 provisions on definitions, petitions, funding, and termination of charters (O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-2062 to 20-2-2077).
• Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025.
• Section 3 repeals any existing laws that conflict with this renaming.

1. 2025-04-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-02House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-31House Hopper (House)

• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)Primary sponsor
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-029)

• charter schools
• education terminology
• school accountability
• Georgia education law