--- title: HR 259. Looney, Dr. Mike; Georgia's 2024 Superintendent of the Year; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr259 cite_as: HR 259, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr259 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr259.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr259/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70355 date: 2025-02-13 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr258.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr260.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr259.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 259 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-13 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Lydia Glaize - Jan Jones - Charles Martin - Scott Hilton - Lisa Campbell - Robert Dawson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR259/2025 upstream_id: 1970339 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Fulton County Schools - Superintendent of the Year - education leadership - legislative commendation --- # HR 259. Looney, Dr. Mike; Georgia's 2024 Superintendent of the Year; commend ## Text House Resolution 259 By: Representatives Glaize of the 67th, Jones of the 47th, Martin of the 49th, Hilton of the 48th, Campbell of the 35th, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Dr. Mike Looney, Georgia's 2024 Superintendent of the Year; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Dr. Mike Looney has served as the superintendent of Fulton County Schools, Georgia's fourth-largest school district, since June 2019, where he oversees the education of more than 87,000 students across 104 schools; and WHEREAS, he has spearheaded initiatives that enhance academic achievement, career readiness, and leadership development for both students and educators with a strategic focus on dropout prevention, literacy, CTAE expansion, STEAM programs, middle school reform, and strong financial management; and WHEREAS, through his careful fiscal oversight, he has maintained the district's AAA credit rating, prioritizing investments in classrooms and student programs; and WHEREAS, within his first year as superintendent, Dr. Looney demonstrated decisive leadership in managing Georgia's first school-related COVID-19 case, drawing upon his 28 years of educational experience as well as his background as a retired United States Marine, father, and community leader to maintain student learning while ensuring safety; and WHEREAS, he then launched the district's "Bridge to Success" plan after the pandemic, a three-year transformational initiative aimed at addressing learning loss through targeted support, leading to students surpassing pre-pandemic levels in reading and math and achieving a record-high 90.7 percent graduation rate in 2023; and WHEREAS, his exceptional leadership and vision have earned him recognition as Georgia's 2024 Superintendent of the Year, adding to his prior distinction as Tennessee's Superintendent of the Year in 2015; and WHEREAS, as further testament to his dedication to Fulton County Schools, Dr. Looney represents the district on the Governor's Advisory Board, the Board of Directors for the Development Authority of Fulton County, and the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable individual be appropriately honored. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend Dr. Mike Looney, Georgia's 2024 Superintendent of the Year, for his years of service on behalf of the students of Fulton County as well as extend best wishes for continued success. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Dr. Mike Looney. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution formally commends Dr. Mike Looney, superintendent of Fulton County Schools, for being named Georgia's 2024 Superintendent of the Year. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives, not a change to state law. It recognizes Dr. Mike Looney, who has led Fulton County Schools, Georgia's fourth-largest school district, since June 2019, for being named Georgia's 2024 Superintendent of the Year. The resolution describes his work on academic achievement, career readiness programs, dropout prevention, literacy, and financial management, including maintaining the district's top AAA credit rating. It highlights his leadership during Georgia's first school related COVID-19 case and his 'Bridge to Success' recovery plan, which the resolution says helped students surpass pre-pandemic test scores and reach a record graduation rate. The House resolves to commend him and directs the Clerk of the House to send him a copy of the resolution. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Dr. Mike Looney for being named Georgia's 2024 Superintendent of the Year. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to Dr. Looney. - Makes no changes to Georgia law, funding, or school policy since it is a commendation, not a statute. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Dr. Mike Looney, superintendent of Fulton County Schools, and references the more than 87,000 students and 104 schools in that district. It has no legal effect on other schools, districts, or Georgians. ### Why it matters The resolution carries symbolic and honorary weight but does not change any law, funding, or policy affecting Georgia schools. Its practical effect is limited to the House's formal recognition of Dr. Looney and delivery of a commemorative copy to him. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount Dr. Looney's tenure since 2019, his oversight of 87,000 students across 104 schools, and his prior recognition as Tennessee's 2015 Superintendent of the Year. - The resolving clause formally commends Dr. Looney for his service to Fulton County students and wishes him continued success. - A further resolution directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Dr. Looney. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-13) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-13) - Sponsors: Lydia Glaize, Jan Jones, Charles Martin, Scott Hilton, Lisa Campbell, Robert Dawson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70355 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr259.md?full=1