HB 912: Quality Basic Education Act; $500,000.00 in matching grants for purpose of providing home reading programs for students in kindergarten through fourth grade; provisions

Georgia's Quality Basic Education Act currently does not include a specific grant program for home reading initiatives. This bill would add a new section to that law creating a matching grant program run by the State Board of Education and distributed through the Department of Education. Local school systems could get matching funds to partner with nonprofit organizations that deliver eligible home reading programs to students in kindergarten through fourth grade. To qualify, a program must mail or electronically deliver independent reading level books weekly, engage parents through regular calls or texts in multiple languages, use evidence based literacy instruction, provide data tracking, and keep total costs (including the local match) at or under $50.00 per student per semester. The state's total matching contribution cannot exceed $500,000.00 per fiscal year, and the State Board could also accept and pass through federal funds for the program. The board must write rules to carry it out.

• Adds a new Code section allowing the State Board of Education to give local school systems matching grants for home reading programs serving kindergarten through fourth grade students.
• Caps the state's total matching grant spending on this program at $500,000.00 per state fiscal year.
• Sets detailed eligibility rules for qualifying reading programs, including weekly book delivery, parent engagement contacts, and a $50.00 per student per semester cost cap.
• Requires participating nonprofits to secure and document the required local matching funds and report student progress data to the Department of Education.
• Authorizes the State Board of Education to accept and pass through federal funds to support these grants.
• Directs the State Board of Education to create rules and regulations to put the program into effect.

Local school systems (called local units of administration) that want to offer home reading programs, nonprofit organizations that run qualifying literacy programs, elementary students in kindergarten through fourth grade and their parents or guardians, and the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which would administer the grants.

Families in participating districts could gain access to weekly at-home reading materials and parent engagement support aimed at improving early literacy, while school systems would need to find local matching dollars and partner with a qualifying nonprofit to take advantage of the limited state funds.

• Section 1 adds new Code Section 20-2-259.1 to Georgia's Quality Basic Education Act establishing the matching grant program for kindergarten through fourth grade home reading programs.
• Subsection (b) lists eligibility criteria a home reading program must meet, including evidence based instruction, weekly parent contact in multiple languages, and individualized student data reporting.
• Subsection (b)(8) caps the combined program cost, including district matching funds, at $50.00 per student per semester.
• Subsection (c) limits total state matching grant funds to $500,000.00 per state fiscal year.
• Subsection (d) allows the State Board of Education to receive and administer federal funds for the grants, with the Department of Education serving as the pass through point.
• Subsection (e) requires the State Board of Education to set criteria, policies, and standards for implementing the program.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-04House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-04-02House Hopper (House)

• David Wilkerson (D, HD-038)Primary sponsor
• Michael Smith (D, HD-041)
• Doreen Carter (D, HD-093)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Brent Cox (R, HD-028)
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)

• early literacy
• education funding
• reading programs
• Quality Basic Education Act
• school grants