---
title: HB 694. State Board of Education; establish five-year school pilot program to increase graduation rates and postsecondary education
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb694
cite_as: HB 694, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb694
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb694.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb694/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71049
date: 2025-03-04
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12
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: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb694.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 694
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-28
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Karen Lupton
  - Marvin Lim
  - David Wilkerson
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB694/2025
upstream_id: 1989282
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - school counseling
  - high school graduation rates
  - postsecondary education
  - education funding
  - public schools
---

# HB 694. State Board of Education; establish five-year school pilot program to increase graduation rates and postsecondary education

## Text

House Bill 694
By: Representatives Lupton of the 83rd, Lim of the 98th, and Wilkerson of the 38th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 14 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to elementary and secondary education grants, so as to provide for the State Board
of Education to establish a five-year school pilot program to increase the availability of
effective school counseling and postsecondary preparation services in secondary schools to
increase high school graduation rates and the percentage of students who continue into
postsecondary education; to provide for eligibility; to provide for grant funds for local
education agencies to increase the availability of effective school counseling at public
secondary schools; to provide for applications and selection to participate in the pilot
program; to provide for assessment and reporting on the impacts of the pilot program; to
authorize the State Board of Education to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to
implement the pilot program; to provide for waivers and variances of state rules, regulations,
policies, and procedures if necessary; to provide for automatic repeal; to provide for related
matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 14 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
elementary and secondary education grants, is amended by revising Code Section 20-2-640,
which is reserved, as follows:
"20-2-640.
<ins>(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Local education agency' shall have the same meaning as provided for in Code
Section 20-2-167.1.
(2) 'Local governing body' means the local board of education, governing board, or other
legal entity responsible for the governance and oversight of a local education agency.
(3) 'Participating school' means a public secondary school identified by the State Board
of Education or local governing body as participating in the pilot program.
(4) 'Postsecondary institution' shall have the same meaning as 'eligible postsecondary
institution' as defined in Code Section 20-3-519.
(5) 'School counselor' means an individual who holds a service certificate in School
Counseling P-12 issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
(b) The State Board of Education shall establish a pilot program to provide funding to
eligible local education agencies to increase the availability of effective school counseling
and postsecondary preparation services in secondary schools with the goal of increasing
the graduation rate within the state and increasing the percentage of students who
appropriately prepare for, apply to, and continue into postsecondary education.
(c) Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly, the pilot program shall include
funding for up to $3 million each school year, for up to five school years, beginning with
the 2027-2028 school year, to eligible local education agencies selected by the State Board
of Education to participate in the pilot program.
(d) To be eligible to participate in the pilot program, a local education agency shall submit
an application to participate in the pilot program, which application shall include:
</ins>
<ins>(1) A list of the participating school or schools within the local education agency and the
current number of school counselors and ratio of counselors to students at each
participating school;
(2) Whether the local education agency has entered into, or has committed to
establishing, one or more partnerships with postsecondary institutions to support and
increase the capacity and effectiveness of the counseling and postsecondary preparation
services provided to secondary school students enrolled in or receiving such services
from participating schools;
(3) Whether the local education agency has entered into, or has committed to
establishing, one or more partnerships with community organizations and with nonprofit
organizations, including, but not limited to, those that provide wraparound student
supports and dropout prevention services;
(4) A description of the local education agency or participating school's existing early
warning system or plans to develop an early warning system to identify students who may
be at risk of dropping out or who may be off-track for graduation;
(5) The local education agency's plan for use of the grant money, including the extent to
which the grant money will be used to increase the number of school counselors at
participating schools and to provide professional development for school counselors or
other faculty members to provide postsecondary preparation services at participating
schools;
(6) The local education agency's use of needs assessments that identify challenging
issues within the local education agency or participating schools in terms of student
learning and success;
(7) Identification of any programs or services provided by the local education agency or
participating schools that have helped to increase graduation rates and the level of
postsecondary success;
</ins>
<ins>(8) The attendance, grade-retention and promotion, and grading policies implemented
by the local education agency or participating schools;
(9) Whether the local education agency intends to provide matching funds to augment
any grant moneys received from the program and the anticipated amount and source of
any matching funds; and
(10) The local education agency's plan for continuing to fund the increases in school
counseling services and postsecondary preparation services following the expiration of
the grant.
(e)(1) The State Board of Education shall establish requirements and criteria for selecting
eligible local education agencies to participate in the pilot program in accordance with
the provisions of this Code section.
(2) When selecting participants for the pilot program, the State Board of Education shall
give priority to local education agencies that identify participating schools with dropout
rates or percentages of students eligible for free and reduced price school meals that
exceed the state-wide average.
(f) The State Board of Education shall establish reporting requirements for the local
education agencies participating in the pilot program. Such reporting requirements shall
include:
(1) The number of school counselors hired using grant moneys from the pilot program;
(2) Any professional development programs provided using grant moneys from the pilot
program;
(3) Any other services provided using grant moneys from the pilot program;
(4) Dropout rates and graduation rates, as defined by the department, for each
participating school for the years of the pilot program and the five years preceding the
school's participation in the pilot program;
(5) The percentage of graduates enrolled in a postsecondary institution, the percentage
of graduates who are working and not enrolled in a postsecondary institution, and the
</ins>
<ins>percentage of graduates who enlist in the armed forces for each participating school for
the years of the pilot program and the five years preceding the school's participation in
the pilot program;
(6) Information on the level of postsecondary preparation services provided to students
at participating schools and a description of such services; and
(7) Any additional information the State Board of Education, by rule, may require.
(g) To implement the pilot program, notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
contrary, the State Board of Education shall be authorized to waive or provide variances
to state rules, regulations, policies, and procedures and to provisions of this chapter that
may be reasonably necessary to meet the goals of the pilot program.
(h) The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry
out the provisions of this Code section.
(i)(1) By January 1, 2026, the Department of Education shall develop an application
process and seek applications from local education agencies for the pilot program to be
submitted no later than November 1, 2026.
(2)(A) The Department of Education shall monitor and annually assess the status of the
pilot program with cooperation and input from local education agencies participating
in the pilot program.
(B) Beginning no later than October 1, 2028, and by October 1 of each year thereafter,
the Department of Education shall provide to the State Board of Education a report of
the annual assessment provided for in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.
(j) This Code section shall stand repealed in its entirety on July 1, 2033.</ins> <del>Reserved."
</del> SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2025.
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 694 would create a five-year state pilot program funding school counselors and college-prep services in select Georgia public high schools, aiming to raise graduation rates and college enrollment.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia currently has no dedicated state pilot program funding extra school counseling and postsecondary preparation services in secondary schools. HB 694 would direct the State Board of Education to create one. Starting with the 2027-2028 school year, the program would provide up to $3 million per year for up to five years to local school districts chosen to participate.
Districts would apply, describing their counselor ratios, partnerships with colleges and nonprofits, early warning systems for at-risk students, and plans for using the money. The state would prioritize districts with high dropout rates or high percentages of students eligible for free and reduced price meals. Participating districts would have to report on outcomes like graduation rates and college enrollment. The Department of Education must open applications by January 1, 2026, with applications due November 1, 2026. The whole program, added as Code Section 20-2-640, would automatically repeal on July 1, 2033. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

### What it does

- Directs the State Board of Education to create a five-year pilot program funding school counseling and postsecondary prep services at selected public secondary schools.
- Provides up to $3 million per school year, for up to five years starting in 2027-2028, to local school districts chosen to participate, subject to state funding approval.
- Requires districts to apply with information on counselor ratios, partnerships with colleges and nonprofits, at-risk student tracking, and spending plans.
- Directs the state to prioritize districts with above-average dropout rates or above-average shares of students eligible for free and reduced price meals.
- Requires annual reporting on counselors hired, services provided, dropout and graduation rates, and postsecondary enrollment for participating schools.
- Allows the State Board of Education to waive normal state rules and regulations if needed to run the pilot program, and sets automatic repeal of the program on July 1, 2033.

### Who it affects

Local school districts and their boards, public secondary schools chosen to participate, school counselors certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, students at participating schools, the Department of Education, and the State Board of Education, which administers and funds the program.

### Why it matters

Selected school districts, especially those with higher dropout rates or more low-income students, could receive new state money to hire counselors and build college-prep partnerships. Students at those schools could see more counseling support, while the state tracks whether the effort actually improves graduation and college enrollment rates.

### Key provisions

- Subsection (a) defines key terms including 'local education agency,' 'participating school,' and 'school counselor' (someone holding a Georgia Professional Standards Commission service certificate).
- Subsection (c) caps funding at $3 million per school year for up to five years, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, subject to legislative appropriations.
- Subsection (d) lists ten required elements of a district's application, including counselor ratios, partnerships, early warning systems, and plans to sustain services after the grant ends.
- Subsection (e) requires the State Board of Education to set selection criteria and give priority to districts with high dropout rates or high shares of students eligible for free and reduced price meals.
- Subsection (f) requires annual reporting on counselors hired, services funded, dropout and graduation rates, and postsecondary enrollment outcomes.
- Subsection (g) lets the State Board of Education waive other state rules and regulations as needed to carry out the pilot program.
- Subsection (i) sets a January 1, 2026 deadline to develop the application process and a November 1, 2026 deadline for districts to apply.
- Subsection (j) automatically repeals the entire program on July 1, 2033.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-02-28)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-04)
- Sponsors: Karen Lupton, Marvin Lim, David Wilkerson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71049

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb694.md?full=1