SB 578: DeKalb County; board of education; the description of the education districts; change

DeKalb County currently elects its county board of education from districts set out in a 1963 law that has been amended over time. This bill redraws those districts based on new mapping (Appendix A) tied to the 2020 census, replacing the old boundary descriptions. It keeps the board at seven members but changes the structure: six members would be elected from six numbered districts, while a seventh, at-large district covering the whole DeKalb County School District would elect the board's chairperson. Current board members would keep serving out their existing terms. The changes would not take effect automatically; DeKalb County must hold a referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2026 asking voters to approve or reject the new district plan and at-large chairperson. If approved, the new districts and chairperson election take effect January 1, 2029 (with some provisions effective January 1, 2028 to allow the 2028 election). If rejected or if the election is not held, the bill is automatically repealed 365 days after the election date, and the county election superintendent can be compelled by court order to hold the vote.

• Redraws the six geographic education districts for electing DeKalb County school board members using new 2020 census-based mapping in Appendix A.
• Creates a seventh, at-large education district covering the entire DeKalb County School District, whose elected member serves as board chairperson.
• Requires current board members to finish their existing terms rather than being immediately replaced when the new map takes effect.
• Requires DeKalb County to hold a referendum in November 2026 asking voters to approve or reject the new district plan and at-large chairperson.
• Sets the new districts and chairperson election to take effect January 1, 2029, with some provisions effective January 1, 2028 for the 2028 election.
• Automatically repeals the Act if voters reject it or if the referendum is not held as required, and allows a court to order the election superintendent to conduct the vote if they fail to do so.

DeKalb County voters and residents within the DeKalb County School District, current and future members of the DeKalb County Board of Education, the county election superintendent who must run the referendum, and DeKalb County government, which pays the election's costs.

If approved by voters, this would change how DeKalb County residents choose their school board, replacing the current districting scheme with new boundaries and adding a chairperson elected countywide rather than from a single district, directly affecting who represents each neighborhood on school policy decisions.

• Section 1 rewrites the 1963 Act's Section 1 to describe seven education districts, six geographic and one at-large district electing the chairperson, based on the 'DekSB-SD10-p1-2026' map in Appendix A.
• Section 1(c) defines 'VTD' (voting precinct) and city boundary references according to the 2020 U.S. Census for Georgia.
• Section 1(d) and (e) address unassigned or noncontiguous areas, assigning them to the contiguous district with the least population per the 2020 census.
• Section 2 allows current board members to complete their current terms rather than face immediate reelection under the new map.
• Section 3 requires a countywide referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2026, with the ballot language asking voters to approve or reject the new six-district-plus-chairperson structure.
• Section 3 sets the new plan's effective date as January 1, 2029 (January 1, 2028 for provisions needed to run the 2028 board election) if approved, and provides for automatic repeal 365 days after the election if not approved or not held.
• Section 3 allows a court to issue a writ of mandamus forcing the election superintendent to hold the referendum if they fail to do so.
• Section 4 makes the rest of the Act effective upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without signature.

1. 2026-02-26Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-25Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-010)Primary sponsor
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)

• DeKalb County schools
• school board elections
• redistricting
• local referendum
• education policy