---
title: HB 1366. Georgia Teacher Retention Scholarship Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1366
cite_as: HB 1366, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1366
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1366.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1366/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73346
date: 2026-02-20
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 132
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1366.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1366
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-18
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Doreen Carter
- Michael Smith
- Samuel Park
- Stacey Evans
- Lydia Glaize
- Phil Olaleye
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1366/2025
upstream_id: 2119491
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- teacher retention
- college scholarships
- education funding
- public school teachers
- higher education
---
# HB 1366. Georgia Teacher Retention Scholarship Act; enact
## Text
House Bill 1366
By: Representatives Carter of the 93rd, Smith of the 41st, Park of the 107th, Evans of the 57th,
Glaize of the 67th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Part 3 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to the Georgia Student Finance Authority, so as to create the Georgia
Teacher Retention Scholarship to provide scholarships to children of public school teachers
who have been teaching for at least ten years to cover the cost of tuition at eligible
postsecondary institutions; to provide for eligibility; to provide for scholarship award
amounts; to provide for continued eligibility; to provide for applications; to provide for
definitions; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for an effective date and
applicability; to provide for a funding contingency; to provide for related matters; to provide
a short title; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Teacher Retention Scholarship
Act."
SECTION 2.
Part 3 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the Georgia Student Finance Authority, is amended by adding a new subpart to
read as follows:
"Subpart 7D
20-3-467.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Authority' means the Georgia Student Finance Authority.
(2) 'Certificate' or 'diploma' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section
20-3-519.
(3) 'Eligible postsecondary institution' means an institution of the University System of
Georgia and a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.
(4) 'Eligible student' means a person who qualifies for a scholarship under this Code
section.
(5) 'First professional degree' means a degree earned through a first professional degree
program.
(6) 'First professional degree program' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code
Section 20-3-519.
(7) 'Georgia Teacher Retention Scholarship' or 'scholarship' means the scholarship
provided for in this Code section.
(8) 'Matriculated status' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section
20-3-519.
(9) 'Public school teacher' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section
20-2-880.
(10) 'Quarter hours' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 20-3-519.
(11) 'Semester hours' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 20-3-519.
(12) 'Title IV' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 20-3-519.
(13) 'Tuition' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 20-3-519.
(b) The authority shall be authorized to award a Georgia Teacher Retention Scholarship
to each eligible student in an amount not to exceed such student's tuition. The payment of
scholarships to eligible students under this Code section and the amount of such
scholarships shall be contingent upon the appropriation of funds by the General Assembly
for the purposes of this Code section in annual appropriations Acts of the General
Assembly.
(c) To be eligible for a scholarship under this Code section, a person shall:
(1) Meet the requirements provided for in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code
Section 20-3-519.1 and shall not meet any of the ineligibility criteria provided for in
subsection (b) of Code Section 20-3-519.1;
(2) Be the child, either natural or adopted, of a public school teacher who has taught in
a public school in this state for not less than ten years;
(3) Meet enrollment standards by being admitted, enrolled, and classified as an
undergraduate student in a matriculated status in a program of study leading to a
certificate or diploma or baccalaureate or first professional degree at an eligible
postsecondary institution and maintaining satisfactory academic progress in accordance
with the standards and practices used for federal Title IV programs by the institution at
which the student is enrolled;
(4) Not yet have earned a baccalaureate or first professional degree; and
(5) Not have attempted 190 or more quarter hours or 127 or more semester hours at any
postsecondary institution.
(d) Any eligible student may apply to the authority for a scholarship. Such application
shall be submitted in writing on forms prescribed by the authority for such purpose. The
applicant shall furnish such information as may be required by the authority for
determination of eligibility for the scholarship. The authority shall approve scholarship
renewals only upon receipt of the recipient's application therefor and upon a finding that
the recipient has successfully completed the work of the preceding school period and
presents evidence that he or she remains otherwise qualified to receive such scholarship
under this Code section.
(e) The authority is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary
or convenient for administration of this Code section and to establish procedures for
determination of eligibility of applicants."
SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, and shall apply to all academic years
beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year.
SECTION 4.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would create a new state scholarship covering tuition for children of public school teachers who have taught in Georgia for at least ten years, starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia currently has several state scholarship and grant programs run by the Georgia Student Finance Authority, but none specifically for the children of long-serving public school teachers. This bill, called the Georgia Teacher Retention Scholarship Act, would add a new program letting the Authority award scholarships covering tuition to eligible students whose parent is a public school teacher with at least ten years of teaching experience in Georgia.
To qualify, a student must be the natural or adopted child of such a teacher, meet existing academic and residency requirements used for other state scholarships, be enrolled as an undergraduate in a matriculated program at a University System of Georgia school or a Technical College System of Georgia unit, not already hold a bachelor's or first professional degree, and not have attempted 190 or more quarter hours (127 or more semester hours) of coursework. The scholarship amounts and whether they are paid at all depend on the General Assembly appropriating money for the program each year. The law would take effect July 1, 2026, applying to the 2026-2027 academic year onward.
### What it does
- Creates a new Georgia Teacher Retention Scholarship administered by the Georgia Student Finance Authority to pay tuition for eligible students.
- Limits eligibility to children (natural or adopted) of public school teachers who have taught in Georgia public schools for at least ten years.
- Requires recipients to be enrolled undergraduates in good academic standing at a University System of Georgia school or Technical College System of Georgia unit.
- Caps eligibility once a student has already earned a bachelor's or first professional degree, or has attempted 190+ quarter hours or 127+ semester hours of coursework.
- Makes the scholarship's funding and payment amounts contingent on the General Assembly appropriating (setting aside) money for it each year.
- Sets an effective date of July 1, 2026, applying to the 2026-2027 academic year and beyond.
### Who it affects
Children of Georgia public school teachers with ten or more years of teaching experience, students at University System of Georgia institutions and Technical College System of Georgia units, and the Georgia Student Finance Authority, which would design and administer the new scholarship program.
### Why it matters
If funded, the scholarship could reduce college costs for families of veteran Georgia public school teachers, potentially serving as an incentive for teachers to stay in the profession longer. Because payment depends on yearly state funding decisions, whether and how much students actually receive could vary from year to year.
### Key provisions
- Section 2 adds a new Code Section 20-3-467 defining key terms like 'public school teacher,' 'eligible postsecondary institution,' and 'matriculated status' by reference to existing Georgia scholarship law.
- Subsection (b) authorizes the Authority to award scholarships up to the amount of a student's tuition, but only if the General Assembly appropriates funding for the program.
- Subsection (c) sets five eligibility requirements, including that the applicant's parent must have taught in a Georgia public school for at least ten years.
- Subsection (c)(5) bars eligibility for students who have already attempted 190 or more quarter hours or 127 or more semester hours at any postsecondary institution.
- Subsection (d) requires eligible students to apply in writing and allows renewal only if the recipient completed the prior term's work and remains qualified.
- Subsection (e) gives the Authority power to write rules and procedures for administering the scholarship and determining eligibility.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying starting with the 2026-2027 academic year.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-18)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-20)
- Sponsors: Doreen Carter, Michael Smith, Samuel Park, Stacey Evans, Lydia Glaize, Phil Olaleye
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73346
> The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1366.md?full=1