HB 893: Education; replace terms charter system and charter systems with performance contract system and performance contract systems

Georgia law currently uses the terms 'charter system' and 'charter systems' in dozens of places in Title 20, the education section of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, to describe school districts that operate under special flexibility contracts with the state. This bill does not change what those systems do or how they are approved. Instead, it directs that everywhere those terms appear across 29 listed Code sections, from rules on literacy instruction and school funding to the Charter Schools Act of 1998, the words be swapped out for 'performance contract system' and 'performance contract systems.' The bill lists each affected Code section by number and subject, covering topics like student assessments, virtual schools, the Parents' Bill of Rights, and charter petition procedures. It would take effect July 1, 2025, and repeals any conflicting laws.

• Replaces the term 'charter system' with 'performance contract system' (and the plural forms) everywhere it appears in Title 20 of Georgia's education code.
• Lists 29 specific Code sections affected, ranging from student assessment rules to the Charter Schools Act of 1998.
• Sets an effective date of July 1, 2025 for the terminology change.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with the renaming.

School districts currently operating as charter systems, the State Board of Education, the Department of Education offices that oversee charter compliance and flexibility, local boards of education, and anyone who reads or applies Title 20's charter-related provisions, including school staff and parents covered by related rights and policies.

Because the bill only swaps terminology and does not alter the underlying rules, funding formulas, or approval processes for these school systems, day-to-day operations for schools and districts would likely stay the same, though anyone referencing Georgia law by the old term would need to adjust.

• Section 1 lists 29 Code sections in Title 20 where 'charter system' or 'charter systems' must be replaced with 'performance contract system' or 'performance contract systems.'
• Affected sections include core charter law provisions such as O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-2062 through 20-2-2077, which make up the Charter Schools Act of 1998.
• Other affected sections touch unrelated topics like face mask policy, internet acceptable-use policies, and turnaround eligible schools, where the term also appears.
• Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025.
• Section 3 repeals any laws in conflict with the renaming.

1. 2025-04-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-02House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-31House Hopper (House)

• Scott Hilton (R, HD-48)Primary sponsor
• Jan Jones (R, HD-47)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-29)

• charter schools
• education law
• school governance
• Georgia education code