Georgia CommonsSenate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 487: Education Workforce Data Governance Advisory Committee; within the Office of Student Achievement; establish
Last action February 19, 2026 · Senate Read Second Time
A Georgia Senate bill would replace an outdated teacher-certification study requirement with a new advisory committee inside the Office of Student Achievement that oversees education workforce data and educator recruitment efforts.
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 Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-14-28) requires the Office of Student Achievement to study how nationally certified teachers and Teacher Alternative Preparation Program teachers affect student performance, tied to a statewide data system. This bill deletes that requirement entirely. In its place, the bill creates the Education Workforce Data Governance Advisory Committee within the Office of Student Achievement. The committee would include one representative each from the Professional Standards Commission, the Department of Education, the Department of Early Care and Learning, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and the Georgia Student Finance Commission. It must meet at least quarterly and would help set standards for collecting and using education workforce data, build a shared data framework across agencies, develop a public data dashboard on educator recruitment and retention, and prepare an annual workforce report. The new Code section would automatically repeal on July 1, 2036.
What the bill does
- Repeals the existing requirement that the Office of Student Achievement study and report on how nationally certified and Teacher Alternative Preparation Program teachers affect student performance.
- Creates the Education Workforce Data Governance Advisory Committee within the Office of Student Achievement to guide education workforce data policy.
- Sets the committee's membership at six representatives, one each from the Professional Standards Commission, Department of Education, Department of Early Care and Learning, University System of Georgia, Technical College System of Georgia, and Georgia Student Finance Commission.
- Requires the committee to meet at least once per quarter.
- Directs the committee to help build a unified data framework, develop shared terminology, and create a public dashboard on educator recruitment and retention.
- Sets the new Code section to automatically expire (sunset) on July 1, 2036.
Who it affects
The Office of Student Achievement, the Professional Standards Commission, the Department of Education, the Department of Early Care and Learning, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and the Georgia Student Finance Commission, all of which would supply representatives to the new committee. Local school systems and educators are also affected through the data collection and public dashboard.
Why it matters
Georgia would move from a narrow, largely inactive teacher-certification study requirement to an ongoing, multi-agency effort to coordinate education workforce data. This could give the public and policymakers clearer, unified information on teacher shortages, recruitment, and retention across the state's school and college systems.
Key provisions
- Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 20-14-28, deleting the nationally certified teacher performance study and reporting requirement.
- Subsection (b) establishes the six-agency membership of the Education Workforce Data Governance Advisory Committee.
- Subsection (c) requires the committee to meet at least quarterly.
- Subsection (d) lists seven duties, including setting data standards, mapping data across agencies, and creating a public dashboard on educator recruitment and retention.
- Subsection (d)(7) ties the committee's work to the annual workforce report required under O.C.G.A. § 20-14-27(a)(4).
- Subsection (e) directs the committee to recommend ways to improve educator recruitment and retention.
- Subsection (f) sets an automatic repeal date of July 1, 2036 for the new Code section.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“The director shall establish the Education Workforce Data Governance Advisory Committee”
“Developing a public data dashboard which shall include all data collected by the office that can be made available to the public regarding educator recruitment and retention”
“This Code section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2036.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
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.
Senate Education and Youth Committee, February 17, 2026
From 0:26:21 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 487 would establish an Education Workforce Data Governance Advisory Committee within the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement to continue agency cooperation on teacher shortages. Citing an earlier report, the sponsor said Georgia had 5,358 teacher vacancies. The sponsor said the committee would meet quarterly, coordinate workforce data and develop a public recruitment and retention dashboard, with no additional cost. One member supported continued agency cooperation. Another asked whether the bill provided raises or other teacher incentives. The sponsor said it maintained collaboration, while separate legislation would address incentives, and could not answer whether an older tuition assistance program remained available. A third member questioned removing an annual reporting requirement and proposed an expiration date to avoid leaving inactive requirements in law. A witness for the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement recommended 10 years to track workforce trends. Asked why no laypeople would serve, presenters said membership was limited to agencies collecting relevant data. The committee unanimously approved a July 1, 2036 expiration amendment, approved adding a Georgia Student Finance Commission representative, and passed the bill by committee substitute. No final vote count was stated.
Senate Rules Committee, February 20, 2026
From 0:05:51 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described SB 487 as an agency bill intended to help agencies identify teacher needs. The sponsor cited a substantial teacher shortage and said the bill would continue earlier work on the issue. The chair said the bill was still under review and was not ready to move forward.
Status timeline
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Billy Hickman (R, SD-4)
- Chuck Payne (R, SD-54)
- Clint Dixon (R, SD-45)
- Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-31)
- RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-38)
Topics
- education workforce data
- teacher recruitment and retention
- Office of Student Achievement
- education policy
- public data dashboard