---
title: SB 128. Quality Basic Education Act; grants to eligible local units of administration for students living in poverty; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb128
cite_as: SB 128, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb128
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb128.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb128/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70083
date: 2025-02-11
status: introduced
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb128.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 128
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-10
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Jason Esteves
- Harold Jones
- Kim Jackson
- Elena Parent
- Sonya Halpern
- Nan Orrock
- Derek Mallow
- RaShaun Kemp
- Ed Harbison
- Kenya Wicks
- Nabilah Islam Parkes
- Donzella James
- Gail Davenport
- Freddie Sims
- Tonya Anderson
- Randal Mangham
- Sally Harrell
- Nikki Merritt
- Michael Rhett
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB128/2025
upstream_id: 1964653
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- school funding
- education grants
- child poverty
- homeless students
- foster care
---
# SB 128. Quality Basic Education Act; grants to eligible local units of administration for students living in poverty; provide
## Text
Senate Bill 128
By: Senators Esteves of the 35th, Jones II of the 22nd, Jackson of the 41st, Parent of the 44th,
Halpern of the 39th and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the "Quality Basic Education Act," so as to provide for grants to eligible local
units of administration for students living in poverty; to provide for definitions; to provide
for the calculation of grant amounts; to provide that a minimum required portion of grant
funds be used by local units of administration for direct program expenditures for the benefit
of students living in poverty; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and
for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
"Quality Basic Education Act," is amended in Part 5, relating to program weights and
funding requirements, by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"20-2-192.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Student in foster care' means a student enrolled in a public school who is placed in
a foster family home, child care institution, or another substitute care setting approved
by the Department of Human Services or Division of Family and Children Services.
(2) 'Student living in poverty' means a student enrolled in a public school who meets one
or more of the following criteria:
(A) Lives in a family unit directly certified to be receiving Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits;
(B) Lives in a family unit directly certified to be receiving Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) benefits;
(C) Is a student in foster care; or
(D) Is a student without stable housing.
(3) 'Student without stable housing' means a student enrolled in a public school who
meets the definition of the term 'homeless children and youths' under the federal
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. Section 11301, et seq.,
in force and effect as of January 1, 2025.
(b) The State Board of Education shall provide grants to eligible local units of
administration for the purpose of supplementing services and instruction to students living
in poverty, subject to appropriations by the General Assembly. Such grants shall be
provided beyond those funds to which local units of administration otherwise are entitled
to by the provisions of this article and other statutes. The State Board of Education shall
establish the manner by which a local unit of administration shall demonstrate that it is
eligible to receive a grant under this Code section.
(c) The Department of Education shall calculate the grant amount for each eligible local
unit of administration to be used under this Code section by multiplying the total number
of students living in poverty who are enrolled in such eligible local unit of administration
as of the date of the initial enrollment count each year as set forth in Code Section 20-2-160
by an amount equal to 25 percent of the base amount calculated as set forth in Code Section
20-2-161. At least 90 percent of the grant funds received by an eligible local unit of
administration under this Code section shall be used for direct program expenditures for
the benefit of students living in poverty for which the grant is provided under this Code
section. Any portion of that 90 percent not so expended shall be returned to the State
Board of Education."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill would create a new state grant program sending extra funding to school districts based on how many of their students live in poverty, on top of existing school funding.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia currently funds public schools mainly through the Quality Basic Education formula, which does not specifically account for how many students in a district are homeless, in foster care, or in families receiving SNAP or TANF benefits. This bill would add a new section to that law creating grants aimed at students living in poverty.
The State Board of Education would award these grants to school districts (called local units of administration) that qualify, and the Department of Education would calculate each district's grant by counting its students living in poverty and multiplying that count by 25 percent of the base per-student funding amount used elsewhere in state law. Districts would have to spend at least 90 percent of the grant directly on programs for those students, and any unspent portion of that 90 percent would go back to the State Board of Education. The grants depend on the General Assembly actually appropriating the money.
### What it does
- Creates a new grant program under the Quality Basic Education Act specifically for students living in poverty, funded separately from existing school formula funding.
- Defines 'student living in poverty' to include students in families receiving SNAP or TANF benefits, students in foster care, and students without stable housing.
- Directs the Department of Education to calculate each district's grant by multiplying its count of poverty-affected students by 25 percent of the base per-student funding amount.
- Requires school districts to spend at least 90 percent of grant funds directly on programs benefiting students living in poverty.
- Requires unspent portions of that required 90 percent to be returned to the State Board of Education.
- Makes the entire grant program contingent on the General Assembly appropriating funding for it.
### Who it affects
Public school districts (local units of administration) across Georgia, students who are homeless, in foster care, or in families receiving SNAP or TANF benefits, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Education, which would administer eligibility rules and calculate grant amounts.
### Why it matters
If funded, districts with more students facing poverty-related hardship could receive additional money specifically for programs serving those students, rather than relying solely on general per-student formula funding. Because the grants require a separate legislative appropriation, whether any money actually reaches districts depends on future budget decisions.
### Key provisions
- New Code Section 20-2-192(a) defines 'student in foster care,' 'student living in poverty,' and 'student without stable housing,' the last tied to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act definition as of January 1, 2025.
- Subsection (b) directs the State Board of Education to provide the grants 'subject to appropriations by the General Assembly' and to set eligibility procedures for districts.
- Subsection (c) sets the grant formula: number of poverty-affected students multiplied by 25 percent of the base funding amount used in O.C.G.A. ยง 20-2-161.
- Subsection (c) requires at least 90 percent of grant funds to go toward direct program expenditures for students living in poverty, with unspent funds returned to the State Board of Education.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-10)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-11)
- Sponsors: Jason Esteves, Harold Jones, Kim Jackson, Elena Parent, Sonya Halpern, Nan Orrock, Derek Mallow, RaShaun Kemp, Ed Harbison, Kenya Wicks, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Donzella James, Gail Davenport, Freddie Sims, Tonya Anderson, Randal Mangham, Sally Harrell, Nikki Merritt, Michael Rhett
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70083
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb128.md?full=1