HB 245: Georgia Educational Opportunity Act; enact

Georgia funds public schools through the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula, which assigns extra funding weights to certain groups of students, such as those in special education or gifted programs. Currently there is no separate funding category tied to student poverty. House Bill 245, called the Georgia Educational Opportunity Act, would add such a category. The bill defines 'student living in poverty' to include students in families certified for SNAP or TANF benefits, students in foster care, and students without stable housing (using the federal McKinney-Vento definition of homeless children and youths). It then adds a new line to the QBE funding formula in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161 for a 'students living in poverty program,' assigning it a funding weight of 1.7500 and a student-teacher ratio of 1 to 15. The bill also adds a related definition for 'student in foster care' to the QBE short title section. It does not set an effective date beyond the standard process, and repeals any conflicting laws.

• Adds a new 'students living in poverty program' line item to Georgia's Quality Basic Education funding formula (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161) with a weight of 1.7500 and a 1-to-15 student-teacher ratio.
• Defines 'student living in poverty' to cover students in households certified for SNAP or TANF benefits, students in foster care, and students without stable housing.
• Defines 'student without stable housing' by referencing the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act's definition of homeless children and youths.
• Defines 'student in foster care' as a student placed in a foster family home, child care institution, or other approved substitute care setting.
• Gives the Act a short title, the 'Georgia Educational Opportunity Act.'

Georgia public school districts and the state education funding formula are directly affected, along with students who qualify as living in poverty (those in SNAP or TANF households, in foster care, or without stable housing) and the school staff and administrators who count and serve those students under the new program category.

If enacted, school districts would receive additional state funding tied specifically to the number of students who qualify as living in poverty, potentially allowing smaller class sizes or added staffing in schools serving low-income, homeless, or foster care students, since the formula sets a 15-to-1 student-teacher ratio for this group.

• Section 1 names the bill the 'Georgia Educational Opportunity Act.'
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-130 to add definitions for 'student in foster care,' 'student living in poverty,' and 'student without stable housing.'
• Section 2 ties the definition of 'student without stable housing' to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as in effect on January 1, 2025.
• Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161 to add a new paragraph (19) creating a 'students living in poverty program' with a funding weight of 1.7500 and a 1-to-15 student-teacher ratio.
• Section 4 repeals any state laws that conflict with the Act.

1. 2025-02-06House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-05House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-04House Hopper (House)

• Phil Olaleye (D, HD-059)Primary sponsor
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)
• Karlton Howard (D, HD-129)
• Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)
• David Wilkerson (D, HD-038)

• school funding
• education poverty programs
• homeless students
• foster care students
• Quality Basic Education Act