HR 1348: School superintendent; qualifications, duties, and salary shall be established by the board of education and elected by voters; provide - CA

Georgia's Constitution currently says each local school system has a superintendent appointed by the local board of education, who serves as the board's executive officer. This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment clarifying that the school board sets the superintendent's qualifications, duties, and salary under state law, and keeps appointment by the board as the default method. The amendment also lets the General Assembly pass a local law allowing a school system's superintendent to instead be elected directly by voters in that district, but only if a majority of that district's voters approve the switch in a referendum. The proposal would remove an outdated provision about school superintendents who were still elected before 1993. If the General Assembly approves this resolution, the amendment goes to Georgia voters statewide for ratification or rejection.

• Amends the Georgia Constitution to state that a school board sets the superintendent's qualifications, duties, and salary under general law.
• Keeps board appointment as the default way local school superintendents get their jobs.
• Authorizes the General Assembly to pass local laws letting a school system's voters elect their superintendent instead, if approved in a local referendum.
• Removes the outdated constitutional clause about elected superintendents serving out pre-1993 terms.
• Sends the proposed amendment to Georgia voters statewide for a yes-or-no ratification vote.

Local school superintendents, local boards of education, the General Assembly, and voters in each Georgia school district, who could gain the option to vote directly for their superintendent instead of having the school board appoint one.

If ratified, this would open the door for individual Georgia communities to switch from board-appointed to voter-elected school superintendents through a local vote, changing who controls who runs the school system's day-to-day administration and how accountable that person is to the public.

• Section 1 revises Article VIII, Section V, Paragraph III of the Constitution to state the board of education sets qualifications, duties, and salary of the superintendent as provided by general law.
• Section 1 keeps board appointment as the standard method but allows the General Assembly to pass local law permitting election by voters if a majority approve in a local referendum.
• Section 1 removes obsolete language about superintendents elected before January 1, 1993 finishing their terms.
• Section 2 sets the exact ballot language voters will see and directs that the amendment be submitted for statewide ratification under Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution.

1. 2026-02-24House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-02-18House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-17House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-12House Hopper (House)

• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)Primary sponsor
• David Wilkerson (D, HD-038)
• Trey Kelley (R, HD-016)
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)

• school superintendents
• education governance
• constitutional amendment
• local referendums
• school boards