Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 971: Quality Basic Education Act; home study students and private school students to enroll in college and career academies located in certain RESA service areas and adjacent local school systems; provide
Last action March 31, 2026 · Senate Tabled
A Georgia House bill would let home study and private school students take courses at college and career academies located anywhere in their region, not just inside their home school district.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Under current Georgia law, home study students and private school students can only enroll in college and career academy courses if the academy sits inside their resident school system. HB971 expands that geographic reach so students can also enroll in a college and career academy located anywhere within the same regional educational service agency (RESA) service area as their residence, or in a local school system adjacent to their resident district, even if that adjacent district is in a different RESA area. The bill also narrows what counts as a qualifying 'course' under this law, limiting it to eligible career, technical, and agricultural education (CTAE) courses as defined in another section of Georgia code, rather than any course offered by the academy. All existing rules on fees, transportation responsibility, discipline, and funding for local school boards stay the same. The changes would take effect July 1, 2026, starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
What the bill does
- Expands where home study and private school students can enroll in college and career academy courses to include academies anywhere in the same RESA service area as their home, not just their own school district.
- Allows enrollment at academies in adjacent local school systems even when that adjacent system is in a different RESA service area.
- Narrows the definition of qualifying 'course' to eligible CTAE (career, technical, and agricultural education) courses as defined in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161.3, rather than any course an academy offers.
- Keeps in place existing rules requiring available space, no tuition charges, student responsibility for transportation, and compliance with the academy's code of conduct.
- Sets the changes to take effect July 1, 2026, applying starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
Who it affects
Home study students and private school students across Georgia, their families, local school systems and boards of education, college and career academies, and regional educational service agencies (RESAs) that would need to coordinate enrollment across district lines.
Why it matters
Students who live near a college and career academy just outside their home district, or anywhere in their broader region, would gain access to career and technical courses they previously could not take. Local school boards would still earn funding for these students but must coordinate enrollment across a wider geographic area.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-319.5 to expand eligible academy locations to the same RESA service area or an adjacent local school system, in addition to the student's own resident school system.
- Section 1 redefines 'course' to mean only eligible CTAE courses as defined in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161.3, narrowing what qualifies compared to current law.
- Section 1 retains the requirement that space be available and that local boards may not charge home study or private school students tuition for these courses.
- Section 1 keeps funding rules unchanged: local boards earn FTE (full-time equivalent) funds for enrolled students under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-160 in the same manner as nonresident students.
- Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.
- Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Local school systems are authorized to enroll home study students and private school students in one or more courses at a college and career academy which is geographically located within the student's resident school system, the same regional educational service agency (RESA) service area as the student's residence, or a local school system that is adjacent to the student's resident school system irrespective of whether such adjacent local school system is in the same RESA service area as the student's residence, so long as space is available in such course or courses.”
Discussed in meetings (17)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Education Committee, January 29, 2026
From 1:29:47 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair announced that the Curriculum and Academic Achievement Subcommittee would take up HB 971 at Monday’s meeting. The committee did not discuss the bill’s contents or vote on it.
House Education Committee, February 5, 2026
From 0:18:29 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 971 would let homeschool and private school students cross county or school-system boundaries to take career and technical courses at participating college and career academies without tuition. The sponsor said school systems could choose whether to participate, would receive state enrollment funding, and would not provide transportation. The sponsor described requests from parents seeking construction and welding classes and said expanded access would help local workforce development. In response to the chair, the sponsor confirmed that health occupations and related student organizations would be included. One committee member questioned whether students receiving private-school vouchers could also receive state-funded academy instruction. The sponsor said existing law already allowed that arrangement and the bill changed only geographic access. The same member asked whether public school students could use the bill to attend another district's academy. The sponsor said no. The chair and sponsor explained that separate agreements between districts already allowed some public school students to attend across district lines. The committee approved the bill by voice vote, with no opposition heard.
House Rules Committee, February 9, 2026
From 0:40:16 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 971 would let home-study and private-school students take career, technical and agricultural education courses at college and career academies at no cost, with participating school systems receiving student-based funding. The sponsor said participation would be optional for school systems and described existing participation at Golden Isles College and Career Academy and other academies as beneficial to students, schools and workforce development. No questions were asked, and the committee took no calendar action.
House Rules Committee, February 23, 2026
From 1:31:44 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1119
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 971 on the next day's House calendar without opposition. There was no substantive discussion.
House floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23)
From 4:32:21 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1164
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 971 would let home-school and private-school students attend participating college and career academies in neighboring counties or within their regional education service area. The sponsor said existing law allowed such students to attend within their own county without paying, with state funding going to the school system. The sponsor emphasized that participation would remain optional for school systems and described the change as a way to expand technical training and workforce development. During voting, another member asked whether public-school students could also take career courses in an adjoining district; the chair answered yes if schools opted in. The House passed the bill 164 to 0.
Senate Education and Youth Committee, March 17, 2026
From 0:20:03 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would expand an existing option for home-study and private-school students to attend college and career academies to include academies in the same regional education service area or an adjoining school district. The sponsor said school systems could choose whether to participate and would receive state student funding. Participation would cover career and technical courses, not academic courses, and related student activities, with the same fees charged to public-school students. The sponsor said more than 30 students already used the option at a local academy and described benefits for workforce preparation. One committee member supported expanding access to specialized facilities. Another member asked who would provide transportation and whether families might later seek state help. The sponsor answered that parents would remain responsible, the bill provided no transportation assistance, and the existing arrangement had produced no transportation problems since 2020. The committee approved the bill; no vote count was announced.
Senate Rules Committee, March 19, 2026
From 0:25:14 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would let private school and home-study students attend college and career academies in adjoining counties or regional education service areas without paying tuition. Participating school systems would receive student-based funding and could choose whether to participate. The sponsor said a local school system requested the expansion of an existing within-county option. No questions or scheduling decision followed.
Senate Rules Committee, March 20, 2026
From 0:13:46 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would allow home-school and private-school students to attend participating college and career academies in adjoining counties or education service districts. The sponsor said participation would be optional and the school system would retain the associated student funding. The sponsor said a school system requested the change and similar arrangements within counties had been successful. No questions or calendar decision followed.
Senate Rules Committee, March 23, 2026
From 0:23:33 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: In the presentation identified as HB 971, the sponsor said home-school and private-school students could attend college and career academies at no cost, with the school system receiving student-based funding. The sponsor said the school system wanted the change to serve local students and described broad support. No questions or vote followed.
Senate Rules Committee, March 25, 2026
From 0:32:19 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter described HB 971 as a college and career academy measure benefiting students, parents and public schools, including home-school and private-school students. No questions or action followed.
Senate Rules Committee, March 30, 2026
From 0:34:04 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 971 would let private-school and home-study students attend career academies without charge while allowing school systems to retain state education funding. The sponsor argued that it would help public education and local workforce development. After lunch, the chair added it as a measure missed earlier. The committee unanimously approved the calendar containing it.
- Read aloud: House floor session, January 15, 2026 (legislative day 4), 0:43:57
- Read aloud: House floor session, January 16, 2026 (legislative day 5), 0:58:55
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 6, 2026 (legislative day 14), 0:53:53
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 25, 2026 (legislative day 24), 0:31:53
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 18, 2026 (legislative day 33), 0:29:53
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 19, 2026 (legislative day 34), 0:44:35
Status timeline
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (10 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
- Todd Jones (R, HD-25)
- Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
- Lynn Smith (R, HD-70)
- Mitchell Horner (R, HD-3)
- Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
- Mike Hodges (R, SD-3)
Votes
- House voteFebruary 24, 2026
164 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 9 excused)
- Senate voteMarch 31, 2026
39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 excused)
Topics
- home study students
- private school students
- college and career academies
- career and technical education
- school enrollment rules