--- title: HB 517. Student Success Support Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb517 cite_as: HB 517, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb517 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb517.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb517/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70490 date: 2025-02-21 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb516.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb518.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb517.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 517 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-19 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Bryce Berry - Bethany Ballard - Phil Olaleye - Gerald Greene - Leesa Hagan - Miriam Paris text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB517/2025 upstream_id: 1976322 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - public education funding - literacy and math help - low performing schools - remedial education - K-12 schools --- # HB 517. Student Success Support Act; enact ## Text House Bill 517 By: Representatives Berry of the 56th, Ballard of the 147th, Olaleye of the 59th, Greene of the 154th, Hagan of the 156th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 20-2-154 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the remedial education program under the "Quality Basic Education Act," so as to provide for the State Board of Education to establish a grant program for supplemental remedial education services in literacy and math for all students in kindergarten through grade 12 who attend one of the lowest performing five percent of public schools in the state; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; 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 "Student Success Support Act." SECTION 2. Code Section 20-2-154 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the remedial education program under the "Quality Basic Education Act," is amended by adding a new subsection to read as follows: "(c) Subject to appropriations, the State Board of Education shall establish a program to provide up to a total of $3 million per school year in grants to local school systems and public schools to be used to provide supplemental remedial education services to address the respective literacy and math deficiencies of students in kindergarten through grade 12 who attend a public school that performed in the lowest five percent of all public schools based on the cumulative individual school ratings, as provided for in subsection (d) of Code Section 20-14-33, for the two most recent school years for which the Office of Student Achievement issued such ratings." SECTION 3. 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. House Bill 517 would create a state grant program of up to $3 million a year to help students in Georgia's lowest performing public schools catch up in reading and math. ### Plain-language summary Georgia already runs a remedial education program under the state's Quality Basic Education Act, which is the law setting minimum standards and funding formulas for K-12 schools. This bill adds a new grant program to that law. It directs the State Board of Education to set up a system providing up to a total of $3 million per school year in grants to local school systems and individual public schools. The money would pay for extra literacy and math help for students in kindergarten through 12th grade who attend a school that ranked in the bottom five percent of all Georgia public schools, based on state ratings from the two most recent school years available. The grants depend on the legislature actually appropriating (setting aside) the funding, and the bill also gives itself a short title, the 'Student Success Support Act.' ### What it does - Adds a new grant program to Georgia's remedial education law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-154) for struggling readers and math students. - Caps the program at up to $3 million total per school year, and only if the legislature separately approves that funding. - Directs grants to local school systems and public schools, not directly to families or students. - Limits eligibility to K-12 students attending public schools that ranked in the bottom five percent statewide over the two most recent rated school years. - Gives the State Board of Education responsibility for designing and running the grant program. - Names the bill the 'Student Success Support Act' as its official short title. ### Who it affects Students in kindergarten through 12th grade who attend Georgia's lowest performing five percent of public schools, along with the local school systems and school staff who would apply for and administer the grants, and the State Board of Education, which must set up the program. ### Why it matters Schools identified as among the state's worst performers could get extra state money specifically for reading and math help, potentially reaching students who are furthest behind academically. Because funding depends on future budget appropriations, the actual amount and timing of help schools receive is not guaranteed by this bill alone. ### Key provisions - Section 1 gives the bill its short title, the 'Student Success Support Act.' - Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-154 by adding subsection (c), creating the grant program 'subject to appropriations,' meaning it only exists if lawmakers fund it in the budget. - Section 2 caps total grant funding at $3 million per school year, distributed to local school systems and public schools. - Section 2 restricts eligible schools to those rated in the bottom five percent of all Georgia public schools under the ratings system in O.C.G.A. § 20-14-33, based on the two most recent rated school years. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause clearing away inconsistent existing statutes. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-19) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-21) - Sponsors: Bryce Berry, Bethany Ballard, Phil Olaleye, Gerald Greene, Leesa Hagan, Miriam Paris - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70490 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb517.md?full=1