--- title: SR 1020. Johnson, Dr. Stephanie; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr1020 cite_as: SR 1020, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1020 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1020.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1020/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74371 date: 2026-03-25 status: passed 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1019.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1021.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1020.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 1020 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-25 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sonya Halpern - Sally Harrell - Harold Jones - RaShaun Kemp - Elena Parent text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR1020/2025 upstream_id: 2137380 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - education leadership - Georgia Department of Education - legislative honor - ceremonial resolution --- # SR 1020. Johnson, Dr. Stephanie; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 1020 By: Senators Halpern of the 39th, Harrell of the 40th, Jones II of the 22nd, Kemp of the 38th and Parent of the 44th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Dr. Stephanie Johnson for her dedicated service to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE); and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Dr. Stephanie Johnson, a native of Chatom, Alabama, has served with excellence by way of her commitment to prioritizing education, students, and families through her membership as the Georgia Department of Education's Deputy Superintendent for School and District Effectiveness since July 2017; and WHEREAS, Dr. Stephanie Johnson's leadership has been recognized statewide through her position as Chief Turnaround Officer of GaDOE since 2017, where she specializes in statewide school improvement, educational equity and accessibility, and student achievement; and WHEREAS, she has been a proponent for education through her service as a successful turnaround School Principal of Sequoyah Middle School, Jonesboro High School, and Maynard Jackson High School—following her position as Assistant Principal of Morrow High School and Lead Guidance Counselor of Mount Zion High School; and WHEREAS, her academic accolades include graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English from the University of Alabama, completing a Master of Education in Secondary Education and English Language Arts from the University of West Alabama, several leadership certificates and educational degrees from the University of South Alabama, and obtaining her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from Capella University; and WHEREAS, Dr. Stephanie Johnson extends her commitment to uplifting the community through her various presentations at annual professional conferences, including the Georgia Council for Exceptional Children in 2025, the GaDOE Federal Programs Conference in 2024, and the Georgia Compensatory Educational Leadership Annual Conference in 2024; and WHEREAS, she has received multiple honors, awards, and forms of recognition. Dr. Stephanie Johnson was featured in the Hidden Heroes video segment by the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement, recognized as an Outstanding Georgia Citizen and Goodwill Ambassador for the State in 2016, awarded the Georgia 2017 Servant Leader Award, 2017 Greatest Influential Leader in Changing a Community Award from Georgia House of Representatives, awarded the 60 for 60 Honorees from the University of Alabama Alumni Association in 2023, awarded the APS Chief of Schools Principal Award in 2017, awarded the Georgia Principal of the Year Award in 2016, etc. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Dr. Stephanie Johnson for her outstanding service, leadership, and advocacy in the realms of education and youth development. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Dr. Stephanie Johnson. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Senate resolution honors Dr. Stephanie Johnson of the Georgia Department of Education for her career in school leadership and turnaround work across the state. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate. It does not change any law. Instead, it formally recognizes Dr. Stephanie Johnson, who has served as the Georgia Department of Education's Deputy Superintendent for School and District Effectiveness and Chief Turnaround Officer since 2017. The resolution recounts her career, including work as a principal at several Georgia schools, her academic degrees, and various awards she has received. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for Dr. Johnson as a keepsake of the honor. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Dr. Stephanie Johnson for her service to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE). - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Dr. Johnson. - Creates no new law, funding, or policy change; it is a ceremonial statement by the Senate. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Dr. Stephanie Johnson, an official at the Georgia Department of Education. It has no legal or practical effect on the public, schools, or other state employees. ### Why it matters The resolution has no effect on Georgia law or policy. Its significance is symbolic, recording the Senate's formal recognition of one educator's career and contributions to school leadership in the state. ### Key provisions - The preamble (the 'WHEREAS' clauses) recounts Dr. Johnson's career at GaDOE since 2017, her prior work as a school principal and assistant principal, and her academic credentials. - The resolved clause states that the Senate recognizes and commends Dr. Johnson for her service, leadership, and advocacy in education and youth development. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to Dr. Johnson. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-25) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-25) - Sponsors: Sonya Halpern, Sally Harrell, Harold Jones, RaShaun Kemp, Elena Parent - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74371 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1020.md?full=1