Georgia CommonsSB 295: State Board of Education; local school systems to maintain and publish a registry of all contracts worth more than $10,000.00; require
Last action January 12, 2026 · Senate Recommitted
A Georgia Senate bill would require every local school system to publish an online registry of contracts worth more than $10,000 that involve state funds, so the public can see how tax dollars are spent.
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 LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Currently, Georgia's local school systems are not required to keep a public, searchable list of large contracts paid for with state money. This bill adds a new section to the Quality Basic Education Act requiring each local school system to maintain a contract registry for any contract, agreement, or financial obligation over $10,000 that is paid for in whole or in part with state funds. The Department of Education must create a standard template for these registries by January 1, 2026, and local school systems must have their registries up by August 1, 2026, updating them at least quarterly (August 1, November 1, February 1, and May 1) and within 60 days of a new qualifying contract. Local boards of education must adopt policies implementing the requirement by July 1, 2026. Noncompliance is enforced under the state's existing school system enforcement law, and school systems cannot get a waiver from this requirement even if they otherwise qualify for waivers as a strategic waivers or charter system.
What the bill does
- Requires every local school system to maintain a public, searchable online registry of contracts, agreements, or financial obligations over $10,000 that use state funds.
- Directs the Department of Education to create a standard registry template by January 1, 2026, specifying required data fields.
- Requires registries to disclose contractor names, payment terms, funding sources, whether the contract was competitively bid, and prior employment or contracting ties between the contractor and the school system.
- Sets update deadlines: quarterly updates plus a 60-day window to add any new qualifying contract.
- Requires local boards of education to adopt implementing policies by July 1, 2026, and makes noncompliance enforceable under existing law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-243).
- Bars local school systems from claiming a waiver from this requirement, even under strategic waivers or charter system status.
Who it affects
Local school systems and their boards of education across Georgia, school district administrators who manage contracts and websites, vendors and contractors who do business with schools using state funds, and members of the public who want to track how school systems spend tax dollars.
Why it matters
Parents, taxpayers, and watchdogs would gain an online tool to see who school districts are paying, how much, and whether contracts were competitively bid or tied to former employees or lobbyists. School systems would face new administrative work and a firm compliance deadline with no waiver option.
Key provisions
- New Code Section 20-2-245(a) requires each local school system to maintain a public, searchable contract registry by August 1, 2026 for contracts over $10,000 funded with state money.
- Subsection (b) requires the Department of Education to create a registry template by January 1, 2026, listing 12 required data categories, including contractor names, funding sources, competitive bidding status, and past employment or contracting ties.
- Subsection (c) requires registries to be updated quarterly (August 1, November 1, February 1, May 1) and within 60 days of any new qualifying contract.
- Subsection (d) requires local boards of education to adopt implementing policies by July 1, 2026.
- Subsection (e) ties noncompliance to enforcement under an existing Code section (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-243).
- Subsection (f) exempts this requirement from waiver options normally available to strategic waivers school systems or charter systems.
- Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“each local school system shall maintain a contract registry that includes a complete record of all contracts, agreements, and other financial obligations by any other name in an amount greater than $10,000.00, if such contract, agreement, or other obligation is paid for or otherwise financed in whole or in part using state funds.”
“This Code section shall not be subject to waiver pursuant to Code Section 20-2-82 for a strategic waivers school system or Code Section 20-2-2063.2 or 20-2-2065 for a charter system.”
Status timeline
- Senate Recommitted (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
- Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
- John Albers (R, SD-056)
- Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
- Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
- Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
- Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
- Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
- Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
- Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
- Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
Topics
- school contracts
- government transparency
- education funding
- local school boards
- public records