---
title: SB 82. "Local Charter School Authorization and Support Act of 2025"; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb82
cite_as: SB 82, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb82
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb82.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb82/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69808
date: 2025-04-28
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28
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: 1232
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb82.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 82
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-04-28
last_action: Effective Date 2025-04-28
sponsors:
  - Clint Dixon
  - Steve Gooch
  - Jason Anavitarte
  - Chuck Payne
  - Matt Brass
  - Shawn Still
  - Bo Hatchett
  - Scott Hilton
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB82/2025
upstream_id: 1952980
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - charter schools
  - education funding
  - school boards
  - K-12 education policy
---

# SB 82. "Local Charter School Authorization and Support Act of 2025"; enact

## Text

25 LC 49 2367S
Senate Bill 82
By: Senators Dixon of the 45th, Gooch of the 51st, Anavitarte of the 31st, Payne of the 54th,
Brass of the 6th and others
AS PASSED
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 31 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the1
"Charter School Act of 1998," so as to enact the "Local Charter School Authorization and2
Support Act of 2025"; to provide for the State Board of Education in collaboration with the3
State Charter Schools Commission to establish a program for the purposes of promoting and4
supporting the approval of new local charter school petitions b y local boards of education5
and to provide incentive grants to local boards of education that approve new local charter6
school petitions; to provide for the award and use of such incentive grants; to provide for the7
Department of Education to implement and administer such incentive programs and for the8
Office of Charter School Compliance to provide technical assistance to local school systems;9
to require local boards of education to provide certain written statements to the State Board10
of Education and the Office of Charter School Compliance upon d enying a local charter11
school petition whereupon the corresponding state charter school petition is approved by the12
State Charter Schools Commission, subject to an exception; to provide for accountability for13
local boards of education that deny two or more local charter school petitions whereupon the14
corresponding state charter school petition is approved by the State Charter Schools15
Commission during a certain period; to provide for local boards of education to reconsider16
the denial of local charter school petitions; to require the Of fice of Charter School17
Compliance to prepare guidelines for local boards of education for the evaluation of charter18
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
school petitions; to revise reporting; to provide for legislative findings and intent; to provide19
for automatic repealers; to provide for related matters; to pro vide for an effective date; to20
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.21
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:22
SECTION 1.23
(a) The General Assembly finds that charter schools, including locally authorized charter24
schools, provide innovative and effective educational opportunities for students in Georgia.25
(b) It is the intent of the General Assembly to:26
(1) Encourage local school systems to serve as local authorizers of charter schools;27
(2) Provide financial incentives to local school systems that authorize and oversee charter28
schools; and29
(3) Ensure accountability for local school systems that consistently deny charter petitions30
that are subsequently approved by the State Charter Schools Commission.31
SECTION 2.32
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Local Charter School Authorization and33
Support Act of 2025."34
SECTION 3.35
Article 31 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the "Charter36
School Act of 1998," is amended by revising Code Section 20-2-2064, relating to approval37
or denial of petition relative to the "Charter Schools Act of 1998," as follows:38
"20-2-2064.39
(a) A charter petitioner seeking to create a conversion charter school must shall submit a40
petition to the local board of the local school system in which the proposed charter school41
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
will be located. The local board must shall by a majority vote approve or deny a petition42
no later than 90 days after its submission unless the petitione r requests an extension;43
provided, however, that a denial of a petition by a local board shall not preclude the44
submission to the local board of a revised petition that addresses deficiencies cited in the45
denial; and provided, further, that the local board shall not a ct upon a petition for a46
conversion charter school, including, but not limited to, a con version charter for a high47
school cluster, until such petition:48
(1)(A) Has been freely agreed to, by secret ballot, by a major ity of the faculty and49
instructional staff members of the petitioning local school at a public meeting called50
with two weeks' advance notice for the purpose of deciding whet her to submit the51
petition to the local board for its approval; and52
(B) Has been freely agreed to, by secret ballot, by a majority of the parents or53
guardians of students enrolled in the petitioning local school present at a public meeting54
called with two weeks' advance notice for the purpose of deciding whether to submit55
the petition to the local board for its approval; or56
(2) If for a high school cluster, has been approved by a majority of the school councils57
in the high school cluster and has been freely agreed to, by se cret ballot, by at least 6058
percent of the combined vote of the faculty and instructional staff members of the high59
school cluster and the parents or guardians of students who reside in the attendance zone60
of such high school cluster present at a public meeting called with two weeks' advance61
notice for the purpose of deciding whether to submit the petition to the local board for its62
approval. Each school council within the high school cluster s hall appoint two63
representatives to a committee that shall conduct the vote.64
(3) The provisions of this This subsection shall not apply to a system charter school65
petitioning to be a conversion charter school.66
(b) A charter petitioner seeking to create a start-up charter school must shall submit a67
petition to the local board of the local school system in which the proposed charter school68
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
will be located. The local board must shall by a majority vote approve or deny a petition69
no later than 90 days after its submission unless the petitione r requests an extension. A70
denial of a petition by a local board shall not preclude the submission to the local board of71
a revised petition to the local board that addresses deficiencies cited in the denial.72
(c) A system charter school's school council or governing coun cil, as applicable, may73
petition to become a conversion charter school. The petition shall be submitted to the local74
board of the charter system in which the school is located. The local board must shall by75
a majority vote approve or deny a petition no later than 90 days after its submission unless76
the petitioner requests an extension; provided, however, that a denial of a petition by a local77
board shall not preclude the submission to the local board of a revised petition to the local78
board that addresses deficiencies cited in the denial.79
(d)(1) A local board shall approve a petition that complies with the rules, regulations,80
policies, and procedures promulgated in accordance with Code Se ction 20-2-2063 and81
the provisions of this title and is in the public interest.82
(2) If a local board denies a petition, it must shall within 60 20 business days provide a83
written statement of denial to the charter petitioner, the stat e board, and the Office of84
Charter School Compliance specifically state stating the reasons for the denial, list and85
listing all deficiencies with respect to Code Section 20-2-2063, detailing existing access86
to school choice options for students in the local school syste m, and assessing the87
academic performance of existing local schools in the area the charter school proposed88
to serve. Within three days of such written statement being re ceived by the Office of89
Charter School Compliance, such written statement shall be publ ished on the public90
website of the Office of Charter School Compliance and provide a written statement of91
the denial to the charter petitioner and the state board.92
(3) If a local board denies a local charter school petition wi th a single-school system93
attendance zone and the corresponding state charter school peti tion with single-school94
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
system attendance zones is subsequently approved by the State C harter Schools95
Commission as provided in Code Section 20-2-2084:96
(A) The Office of Charter School Compliance shall notify the l ocal board of such97
approval; and98
(B) The state board and the Office of Charter School Complianc e may, upon review99
of the local school system's written statement of denial provid ed for in paragraph (2)100
of this subsection and the State Charter Schools Commission's rationale for approving101
the charter petition, provide guidance to or recommend authorizer training for the local102
school system, as appropriate.103
(4)(A) Except as provided for in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, if the local board104
of a local school system with enrollment of 10,000 to 60,000 st udents based on such105
local school system's full-time equivalent program count calculated as provided for in106
subsection (b) of Code Section 20-2-160, denies two or more loc al charter school107
petitions with single-school system attendance zones, and the c orresponding state108
charter school petitions with single-school system attendance zones are subsequently109
approved by the State Charter Schools Commission as provided in Code110
Section 20-2-2084 during the same term of such local school system's charter system111
contract or strategic waivers school system contract, such local school system shall not112
be eligible or authorized to renew its charter system status gr anted under Code113
Section 20-2-2063.2 or any strategic waivers granted under Article 4 of this chapter for114
up to three years following the termination or expiration of its current charter system115
contract or strategic waivers school systems contract, or until the state board determines116
the local school system has demonstrated its commitment to incr easing student117
performance and encouraging innovation through high quality loc al charter petition118
authorizations.119
(B) Except as provided for in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph, if the local board of120
a local school system with enr ollment of more than 60,000 stude nts, based on such121
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
local school system's full-time equivalent program count calculated as provided for in122
subsection (b) of Code Section 20-2-160, denies three or more l ocal charter school123
petitions with single-school system attendance zones, and the c orresponding state124
charter school petitions with single-school system attendance zones are subsequently125
approved by the State Charter Schools Commission as provided in Code126
Section 20-2-2084 during the same term of such local school system's charter system127
contract or strategic waivers school system contract, such local school system shall not128
be eligible or authorized to renew its charter system status gr anted under Code129
Section 20-2-2063.2 or any strategic waivers granted under Article 4 of this chapter for130
up to three years following the termination or expiration of its current charter system131
contract or strategic waivers school systems contract, or until the state board determines132
the local school system has demonstrated its commitment to incr easing student133
performance and encouraging innovation through high quality loc al charter petition134
authorizations.135
(C) The provisions of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph shall not apply to136
a local school system with a charter system contract or strategic waivers school system137
contract that, according to the terms of such contract in place on January 1, 2025, will138
expire on or before July 1, 2025, until the term of such local school system's new or139
renewed charter system contract or strategic waivers school system contract begins.140
(5) This paragraph and paragraphs 3 and 4 of this subsection sh all stand automatically141
repealed on July 1, 2035.142
(e) The state board or the Charter Advisory Committee, if dire cted by the state board to143
do so, may mediate between the local board and a charter petiti oner whose petition was144
denied to assist in resolving issues which led to denial of the petition by the local board."145
SECTION 4.146
Said article is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:147
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
"20-2-2064.2.148
(a) The State Board of Education in collaboration with the Sta te Charter Schools149
Commission shall establish a program for the purposes of promot ing and supporting the150
approval of new local charter school petitions by local boards of education and to provide151
incentive grants to local boards of education that approve new local charter school152
petitions. The State Charter Schools Commission shall promulga te such rules and153
regulations as it deems necessary to carry out the provisions and intent of this Code section.154
(b)(1) Subject to appropriations, for each new local charter school petition approved by155
a local board of education after June 30, 2025, such local board of education shall receive156
an incentive grant of $250,000.00 by August 1 of each of the three years following such157
approval, provided that such local charter school remains authorized by such local board158
of education. In the event that available appropriations are n ot sufficient to cover the159
total amount of such incentive grants provided for in this subsection, the amount of each160
such grant shall be reduced proportionally, providing incentive grants in equal amounts161
to each such local board of education.162
(2) Incentive grants provided for in paragraph (1) of this sub section shall be provided163
only for the approval of new local charter school petitions and not for the approval or164
renewal of an existing local charter school.165
(c) Incentive grants awarded pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section may be used166
by the receiving local board of edu cation for expenses incurred by the local board of167
education in its role as a local charter school authorizer, which may include, but shall not168
be limited to, hiring qualified personnel and providing for ove rsight, compliance169
monitoring, and professional development related to local charter school authorization.170
(d) The Department of Education shall implement and administer the incentive grant171
program provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section and the Office of Charter172
School Compliance shall provide technical assistance necessary to local school systems in173
support of compliance with the requirements of this Code section.174
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
(e) This Code section shall stand automatically repealed on July 1, 2035."175
SECTION 5.176
Said article is further amended in Code Section 20-2-2069, relating to the Office of Charter177
School Compliance and the Office of District Flexibility, by re vising subsection (a) as178
follows:179
"(a) There is established within the State Charter Schools Commission an Office of Charter180
School Compliance, which shall be staffed with personnel as pro vided for in181
subsection (d.1) of Code Section 20-2-2082, who shall report directly to the State Board182
of Education for purposes of this subsection. The responsibilities of such office shall be183
to:184
(1) Prepare charter school guidelines to be approved by the state board;185
(2) Distribute charter school petition information to inquiring parties;186
(3) Process all charter school petitions and coordinate with t he Charter Advisory187
Committee established pursuant to Code Section 20-2-2063.1 to facilitate its review and188
recommendations to the state board;189
(4) Administer any state or federal charter school implementation grant program;190
(5) Contract with an independent party to evaluate the performance of charter schools,191
as such performance relates to fulfilling the terms of their charters;192
(6) Compile information necessary to produce the annual report required by Code193
Section 20-2-2070, which shall include, but shall not be limited to, information regarding194
the effectiveness of the incentives and the adherence of local school systems to the195
requirements provided for in Code Sections 20-2-2064 and 20-2-2064.2; and196
(7) Prepare guidelines for local boards of education for the evaluation of charter school197
petitions. Such guidelines shall be published on the public website of the Department of198
Education and shall include:199
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
(A) Criteria for evaluating the academic, operational, and financial plans of the charter200
petitioner;201
(B) Best practices for conducting a thorough and objective review of charter petitions;202
(C) Procedures for public hearings and community input on charter petitions; and203
(D) A standardized evaluation rubric for use by local boards of education during the204
evaluation of charter petitions; and205
(8) Provide technical assistance to Assist local school systems as charter school206
authorizers as challenges arise, support local school systems as needed to implement best207
practices in charter school authorization, and regularly engage with local school systems208
to promote charter school authorization at the local level."209
SECTION 6.210
Said article is further amended by revising Code Section 20-2-2070, relating to annual report211
to General Assembly, as follows:212
"20-2-2070.213
No The state board shall report to the General Assembly no later than December 31 of each214
year, the state board shall submit a report on the status of the charter school program to the215
Speaker of the House of Representatives; the President of the Senate; the chairpersons of216
the House Committee on Education, the Senate Education and Yout h Committee, the217
House Committee on Appropriations, and the Senate Appropriations Committee; and the218
Office of Planning and Budget."219
SECTION 7.220
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law221
without such approval.222
S. B. 82
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25 LC 49 2367S
SECTION 8.223
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.224
S. B. 82
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## 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.

Senate Bill 82 creates a state incentive program that pays local Georgia school boards $250,000 grants for approving new local charter schools, and holds boards accountable when they repeatedly deny petitions later approved by the state.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia charter schools can currently be approved either by a local school board or, if the local board denies a petition, by the State Charter Schools Commission at the state level. This bill, the 'Local Charter School Authorization and Support Act of 2025,' directs the State Board of Education and the State Charter Schools Commission to build a program encouraging local boards to approve charter petitions themselves rather than have them go to the state.
Local boards that approve a new local charter school after June 30, 2025 would get a $250,000 incentive grant each year for three years, subject to available state funding, to help pay for oversight and compliance costs. If a local board denies a petition that the state commission later approves, it must publish a written explanation, and boards that deny too many petitions could lose their ability to renew special 'charter system' status for up to three years. The Office of Charter School Compliance must also write new guidelines for evaluating petitions. Most of these accountability provisions expire automatically on July 1, 2035, and the law takes effect once signed by the Governor.

### What it does

- Creates a grant program paying local school boards $250,000 per year for three years for each new local charter school petition they approve after June 30, 2025.
- Requires local boards that deny a charter petition to publish a written statement within 20 business days explaining the denial and detailing school choice options and academic performance in the area.
- Blocks local school systems from renewing their 'charter system' status for up to three years if they deny two or more (or three or more, for larger districts) local charter petitions that the State Charter Schools Commission later approves.
- Directs the Office of Charter School Compliance to write and publish new statewide guidelines and a standardized rubric for evaluating charter petitions.
- Changes the state board's annual charter school report deadline to December 31 and expands which legislative committees receive it.
- Sets most of the new accountability and incentive provisions to automatically repeal on July 1, 2035.

### Who it affects

Local school boards and school districts across Georgia that authorize charter schools, charter school petitioners and organizers, the State Board of Education, the State Charter Schools Commission, the Office of Charter School Compliance, and the Department of Education, which will administer the new grant program.

### Why it matters

Local school boards would face financial incentives to approve charter petitions themselves and real consequences, including losing charter system renewal rights, if they deny petitions the state later approves. This changes the practical calculus for whether charter schools get authorized locally or by the state.

### Key provisions

- Section 3 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2064 to require denied petitions to be explained in writing within 20 business days and published online within three days by the Office of Charter School Compliance.
- Section 3 penalizes local school systems that deny two or more (or three or more for districts over 60,000 students) local charter petitions later approved by the state commission, barring charter system renewal for up to three years.
- Section 3 exempts systems whose charter contracts expire on or before July 1, 2025 from the penalty until their new contract term begins.
- Section 4 creates new Code Section 20-2-2064.2 establishing the $250,000-per-year, three-year incentive grant for boards approving new local charter petitions, reduced proportionally if funding is insufficient.
- Section 4 limits incentive grants to new charter petitions only, not renewals of existing charter schools, and lets grant money be used for authorizer staffing, compliance monitoring, and training.
- Section 5 requires the Office of Charter School Compliance to publish new evaluation guidelines, including a standardized rubric and public hearing procedures, for local boards reviewing charter petitions.
- Section 6 changes the state board's annual charter school report deadline to no later than December 31 and adds legislative committees as recipients.
- Section 7 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's signature or becoming law without signature.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2025-04-28)
- Last action: Effective Date 2025-04-28 (2025-04-28)
- Sponsors: Clint Dixon, Steve Gooch, Jason Anavitarte, Chuck Payne, Matt Brass, Shawn Still, Bo Hatchett, Scott Hilton
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69808

> The history, votes, and amendments (1,232 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb82.md?full=1