---
title: HB 1591. Dekalb County; Board of Education; recruitment, vetting, and appointment of and contracting with school system superintendent; establish protocols
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1591
cite_as: HB 1591, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1591
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1591.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1591/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74316
date: 2026-03-25
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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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1592.md
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1591.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1591
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-03-20
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Karla Drenner
  - Karen Lupton
  - Billy Mitchell
  - Omari Crawford
  - Saira Draper
  - Long Tran
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1591/2025
upstream_id: 2136821
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - DeKalb County schools
  - school superintendent hiring
  - background checks
  - school board transparency
  - local education law
---

# HB 1591. Dekalb County; Board of Education; recruitment, vetting, and appointment of and contracting with school system superintendent; establish protocols

## Text

House Bill 1591
By: Representatives Drenner of the 85th, Lupton of the 83rd, Mitchell of the 88th, Crawford
of the 89th, Draper of the 90th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act to create and establish in DeKalb County, Georgia, districts from which
the members of the County Board of Education of DeKalb County shall be elected, approved
April 12, 1963 (Ga. L. 1963, p. 3424), as amended, so as to establish protocols governing the
recruitment, vetting, and appointment of and contracting with the superintendent of the
DeKalb County School System; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and
for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act to create and establish in DeKalb County, Georgia, districts from which the members
of the County Board of Education of DeKalb County shall be elected, approved
April 12, 1963 (Ga. L. 1963, p. 3424), as amended, is amended by adding a new section to
read as follows:
"SECTION 3.3.
(a) The General Assembly hereby declares that the enactment of comprehensive
superintendent accountability legislation specifically tailored to the DeKalb County School
System serves compelling governmental interests, advances the public welfare, protects the
educational interests of students, safeguards taxpayer resources, and constitutes a valid
exercise of the legislative power vested in this body by the Constitution of the State of
Georgia, including but not limited to the local amendment to the Constitution originally
enacted in Ga. L. 1947, p. 1753, amended in Ga. L. 1962, p. 998, and continued in force
and effect as part of the current Constitution in Ga. L. 1985, p. 4078.
(b) As used in this section, the term:
(1) 'Board' means the DeKalb County Board of Education provided for in this Act with
governing authority over the DeKalb County School System.
(2) 'Candidate' means any natural person who submits an application, expresses interest
in, or is under consideration for appointment to the position of superintendent of the
DeKalb County School System.
(3) 'Finalist' means any candidate for superintendent who has progressed through initial
screening procedures and is under serious, active, and substantive consideration by the
board for recommendation, nomination, or appointment to the superintendent position.
(c) This section shall be liberally construed to effectuate its purposes and advance the
legislative intent expressly articulated in this section.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of local law, custom, practice, or prior board
policy to the contrary, the board shall not, under any circumstances, employ, appoint,
contract with, or otherwise engage any person to serve as superintendent unless and until
such person has successfully completed a comprehensive background investigation
conducted in accordance with the requirements, standards, and procedures prescribed in
this section.
(e)(1) The board shall cause a comprehensive background investigation to be initiated
for every finalist before any employment offer, letter of intent, memorandum of
understanding, or contract proposal is extended, negotiated, or discussed with such
finalist. No finalist shall advance to contract negotiation, public announcement as the
preferred candidate, or recommendation for board approval until the comprehensive
background investigation has been completed and the results thereof presented to the
board in executive session.
(2) Background investigations shall be initiated within five business days following the
board's identification of finalists and shall be completed with due diligence and
reasonable dispatch.
(3) A comprehensive background investigation satisfying the requirements of this
subsection shall include:
(A) A comprehensive criminal records search;
(B) Independent, third-party verification of all academic degrees, certificates,
diplomas, and educational credentials claimed by the candidate;
(C) Thorough verification and investigation of the candidate's complete employment
history for the preceding 20 years;
(D) Comprehensive verification of all professional licenses, certificates, endorsements,
and credentials held by the candidate;
(E) Procurement and analysis of a comprehensive consumer credit report from all three
major consumer reporting agencies to assess financial responsibility, stability, and
potential vulnerabilities of the candidate;
(F) A comprehensive search of civil court records in all jurisdictions where the
candidate has resided or been employed;
(G) Review and investigation of any administrative complaints, professional conduct
violations, ethical grievances, or regulatory proceedings involving the candidate;
(H) A comprehensive review of the candidate's publicly available social media
accounts, internet presence, published writings, public statements, and digital footprint,
conducted in compliance with all applicable federal and state privacy laws;
(I) Structured interviews with professional references and former colleagues,
supervisors, subordinates, and board members who have worked with the candidate,
designed to assess:
(i) Leadership style and effectiveness;
(ii) Interpersonal and communication skills;
(iii) Fiscal management competence;
(iv) Ethical standards and integrity;
(v) Ability to work collaboratively with governing boards; and
(vi) Any concerns regarding professional conduct or fitness for superintendency; and
(J) A comprehensive search of news media archives, press reports, investigative
journalism, and public records for any mention of the candidate in connection with
controversies, investigations, scandals, or adverse publicity.
(f)(1) All comprehensive background investigations required pursuant to this section
shall be conducted by a qualified, independent third-party investigative firm or agency
possessing a demonstrated expertise in executive-level background investigations and has
no direct or indirect business relationship with the candidate or any entity with which the
candidate is affiliated.
(2) Background investigations shall comply with all requirements of the federal Fair
Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. Section 1681, et seq., Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission guidance, and standards of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission
established pursuant to O.C.G.A. Code Section 20-2-200, et seq., or its successor agency.
Background investigation reports and related materials shall be maintained in a secure,
confidential personnel file with strictly limited access. Background investigation
materials shall be retained for a minimum period of seven years following separation
from employment or discontinuation of candidacy. Disclosure of background
investigation materials shall be governed by applicable personnel records privacy laws,
the Georgia open records law at O.C.G.A. Code Section 50-18-70, et seq., and the
Georgia Records Act, O.C.G.A. Code Section 50-18-90, et seq.
(3) The board shall bear all costs, fees, and expenses associated with comprehensive
background investigations required pursuant to this section. No cost or fee associated
with background investigations shall be assessed against or collected from candidates.
All background investigation expenditures shall be properly documented, accounted for,
and disclosed in the district's financial records as a component of superintendent search
and recruitment costs.
(g)(1) The board shall require the investigating vendor to provide a comprehensive
written report documenting all investigative procedures, findings, verifications, and any
adverse information discovered. Upon completion of each comprehensive background
investigation, the investigating vendor shall provide a complete written report to the
board's legal counsel for preliminary review and analysis.
(2) The legal counsel shall present the background investigation results to the full board
in a properly noticed executive session conducted pursuant to O.C.G.A. Code Sections
50-14-2 and 50-14-3.
(3) The board shall not proceed to public session consideration, employment offer, or
contract negotiation until and unless the board has received and reviewed the
comprehensive background investigation report.
(h)(1) Upon the board selecting one or more finalists, the board shall enter into contract
negotiations with such finalists to develop an employment contract for the superintendent.
Prior to the board appointing a finalist as superintendent or the board or a finalist entering
into any employment contract, the board shall post on the school system's website for a
minimum of seven days the final form of the proposed contract between the board and
the superintendent and a financial impact study that details the following provisions of
the contract, if applicable:
(A) Total compensation to be paid to the superintendent, including any contractual
bonuses;
(B) All benefits to be provided to the superintendent;
(C) All leave or paid time off to be provided to the superintendent;
(D) Renewal provisions; and
(E) Total payout amount due to the superintendent if his or her contract is terminated
by the board.
(2) The board shall not appoint a superintendent until the employment contract is in its
final form, and the board shall not appoint a superintendent subject to final negotiation
of the contract or subject to finalization of terms.
(3) At a regularly scheduled meeting, not less than seven days after the posting of the
final contract and financial impact study required by paragraph (1) of this subsection, the
board shall take a roll-call vote to approve the appointment of the superintendent and to
approve the employment contract for said superintendent.
(i) The publication and timeline provisions of subsection (h) of this section shall also apply
to any action by the board to extend, renew, or terminate the contract of a superintendent,
as well as any other action where the board seeks to enter into a separation or settlement
agreement with the superintendent so as to terminate his or her employment as
superintendent.
(j) The board shall maintain a publicly accessible internet portal where persons can
retrieve, review, download, or print all public documents related to the search, selection,
appointment, suspension, removal, or termination of superintendents, and such documents
shall be maintained on such portal for a period of not less than ten years."
SECTION 2.
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 House bill would set detailed rules for how the DeKalb County Board of Education vets, background-checks, and contracts with the superintendent of the DeKalb County School System, including public posting of proposed contracts before a vote.

### Plain-language summary

This bill amends the 1963 local law that created DeKalb County's school board election districts, adding a new section that governs how the board hires its superintendent. It requires the board to conduct a comprehensive background investigation of every finalist for superintendent before any job offer, contract talks, or public naming of a preferred candidate. That investigation must cover criminal records, education and license verification, 20 years of employment history, credit reports, civil court records, social media presence, reference interviews, and media searches, all done by an independent third-party firm at the board's expense.
The bill also requires the board to post the final proposed contract and a financial impact study on the school system's website for at least seven days before voting, and to take a roll-call vote to approve any superintendent's appointment and contract. The same posting and timeline rules apply to contract extensions, renewals, terminations, or separation agreements. The board must also keep a public online portal of superintendent search and personnel action records for at least ten years.

### What it does

- Requires the DeKalb County Board of Education to complete a comprehensive background investigation of every superintendent finalist before any job offer or contract talks begin.
- Specifies the exact scope of the background check, including criminal records, credit reports, 20 years of employment history, license verification, and social media review.
- Requires the investigation to be done by an independent third-party firm at the board's expense, with no cost passed on to candidates.
- Requires the board to post the final proposed superintendent contract and a financial impact study online for at least seven days before voting.
- Requires a roll-call vote to approve a superintendent's appointment and contract, and extends the same posting and voting rules to contract renewals, extensions, and terminations.
- Requires the board to maintain a public online portal of superintendent search and personnel records for at least ten years.

### Who it affects

The DeKalb County Board of Education, current and future candidates for DeKalb County School System superintendent, the board's legal counsel, third-party background investigation firms, and DeKalb County residents and taxpayers who follow superintendent hiring and contracting decisions.

### Why it matters

DeKalb County residents would gain more visibility into how their school system's top administrator is chosen and paid, since contracts and financial details must be posted publicly before a vote. Superintendent candidates would face a more extensive and standardized vetting process than before.

### Key provisions

- Section 3.3(d) bars the board from employing, appointing, or contracting with a superintendent until a comprehensive background investigation is complete.
- Section 3.3(e) requires investigations to start within five business days of naming finalists and lists required components, from criminal records to social media review.
- Section 3.3(f) requires an independent third-party investigator, compliance with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, and at least seven years of record retention.
- Section 3.3(g) requires the investigation report to go to the board's legal counsel and then to the full board in executive session before any public action.
- Section 3.3(h) requires the final contract and a financial impact study to be posted online for at least seven days before a roll-call vote on appointment.
- Section 3.3(i) applies the same posting and timeline rules to contract extensions, renewals, terminations, and separation agreements.
- Section 3.3(j) requires a public online portal of superintendent search and personnel action records, kept for at least ten years.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-20)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-25)
- Sponsors: Karla Drenner, Karen Lupton, Billy Mitchell, Omari Crawford, Saira Draper, Long Tran
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74316

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1591.md?full=1