--- title: SR 237. Professional Standards Commission; provide recommendations to support the state's K-12 education workforce and teacher and school leader pipeline; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr237 cite_as: SR 237, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr237 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr237.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr237/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70642 date: 2025-04-02 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr236.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr238.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 475 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr237.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 237 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-02 last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute sponsors: - Billy Hickman - John Kennedy - Steve Gooch - Jason Anavitarte - Chuck Payne text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR237/2025 upstream_id: 1978353 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - teacher shortage - K-12 education - teacher retention - HOPE scholarship - education workforce --- # SR 237. Professional Standards Commission; provide recommendations to support the state's K-12 education workforce and teacher and school leader pipeline; urge ## Text 25 LC 49 2353S (SCS) Senate Resolution 237 By: Senators Hickman of the 4th, Kennedy of the 18th, Gooch of the 51st, Anavitarte of the 31st and Payne of the 54th ADOPTED SENATE A RESOLUTION Urging the Professional Standards Commission, in collaboration with the Department of1 Education, the Department of Early Care and Learning, the Teachers Retirement System of2 Georgia, the Office of Student Achievement, the University Syst em of Georgia, the3 Technical College System of Georgia, and the Georgia Student Fi nance Commission, and4 with input from education associations, to provide recommendati ons to support the state's5 K-12 education workforce and teacher and school leader pipeline; and for other purposes.6 WHEREAS, the strength and success of the state's education syst em is essential to the7 economic, social, and cultural development of the state; and8 WHEREAS, the recruitment, retention, and professional developme nt of highly qualified9 educators are critical to ensure that all students receive a high quality education; and10 WHEREAS, the state is experiencing challenges in addressing tea cher shortages and11 retaining experienced educators in the early childhood and K-12 education workforce; and12 WHEREAS, data show a strong correlation between comprehensive preparation in teacher13 education programs and higher teacher retention rates, undersco ring the importance of14 effective educator preparation programs; and15 S. R. 237 - 1 - 25 LC 49 2353S (SCS) WHEREAS, innovative programs and pathways to enter the teaching profession can attract16 a diverse and talented pool of candidates and strengthen the education workforce; and17 WHEREAS, supporting teacher retention through mentorship progra ms, professional18 development, and enhanced working conditions can improve educat or satisfaction and19 student outcomes; and20 WHEREAS, partnerships and collaboration between state and local education agencies, local21 school systems, postsecondary educational institutions, and other stakeholders are essential22 to addressing the complex challenges facing the education workforce.23 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that:24 (1) The Professional Standards Commission is urged to lead a collaborative effort with25 input from education associations and the Department of Education, the Department of26 Early Care and Learning, the Teachers Retirement System of Geor gia, the Office of27 Student Achievement, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System28 of Georgia, and the Georgia Student Finance Commission so as to provide the Governor29 and the General Assembly with comprehensive recommendations to strengthen the K-1230 education workforce;31 (2) Such recommendations should address, but not be limited to, the following priorities:32 (A) Encouraging innovative programs to enter the early childhood and K-12 teaching33 profession, such as enhanced student teaching models, apprentic eship programs, and34 "tutors to teachers" pathways; 35 (B) Collecting, reviewing, and providing data for the success of graduates employed36 in the teaching profession in Georgia from all teacher education programs, both in state37 and out of state, to include placement, effectiveness, and retention rates after one, three,38 five, and ten years;39 S. R. 237 - 2 - 25 LC 49 2353S (SCS) (C) Exploring partnerships with postsecondary educational inst itutions and other40 stakeholders to support improvements to teacher education progr ams and make41 recommendations as to the effectiveness and amount of funding to compensate student42 teachers and the need to reinstate HOPE access to support the teacher workforce;43 (D) Improving public awareness of the benefits, including the Teacher Retirement44 System, and rewards of the teaching profession to attract a diverse and talented pool of45 candidates; and46 (E) Focusing on teacher and school leader retention strategies, including building and47 expanding mentorship programs for new teachers and improving sc hool leader48 professional development and other factors that contribute to teacher turnover;49 (3) In making such recommendations, particular emphasis should be placed on data50 evaluation and evidence based practices that improve all aspects of the teacher and school51 leader workforce; and 52 (4) The Professional Standards Commission should submit such recommendations to the53 Governor according to a time frame determined by the Office of Planning and Budget, and54 to the Senate no later than December 1, 2025, along with any proposed legislation, policy,55 or budget changes needed to implement their recommendations.56 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed57 to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to representatives of58 the Professional Standards Commission, the Department of Educat ion, the Department of59 Early Care and Learning, the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, the Office of Student60 Achievement, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia,61 the Georgia Student Finance Commission, and the Office of Planning and Budget. 62 S. R. 237 - 3 - ## 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 Georgia Senate resolution urges the Professional Standards Commission to work with several state education agencies and produce recommendations by December 1, 2025 to strengthen the state's K-12 teacher and school leader pipeline. ### Plain-language summary Georgia has been facing teacher shortages and struggles to retain experienced educators in early childhood and K-12 schools. This resolution does not change any law directly. Instead, it urges the Professional Standards Commission to lead a collaborative effort with the Department of Education, the Department of Early Care and Learning, the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, the Office of Student Achievement, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and the Georgia Student Finance Commission, along with education associations. The resolution asks these groups to study and recommend ways to attract new teachers, track graduate outcomes from teacher education programs, explore student teacher pay and reinstating HOPE scholarship access for teacher candidates, promote awareness of teaching career benefits like the Teachers Retirement System, and build mentorship and retention programs. The Commission is asked to submit recommendations, along with any proposed legislation or budget changes, to the Governor and to the Senate no later than December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Urges the Professional Standards Commission to lead a collaborative effort with multiple state education agencies and education associations to study the K-12 teacher pipeline. - Directs that recommendations address innovative entry pathways into teaching, such as apprenticeships and 'tutors to teachers' programs. - Calls for collecting and reviewing data on teacher education program graduates, including placement and retention rates after one, three, five, and ten years. - Asks for exploration of student teacher compensation and reinstating HOPE scholarship access to support the teacher workforce. - Requests recommendations on teacher and school leader retention strategies, including mentorship programs and professional development. - Sets a deadline of December 1, 2025 for the Commission to submit recommendations and any proposed legislation or budget changes to the Senate. ### Who it affects The Professional Standards Commission, the Department of Education, the Department of Early Care and Learning, the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, the Office of Student Achievement, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and the Georgia Student Finance Commission, along with current and prospective K-12 teachers and school leaders in Georgia. ### Why it matters If these agencies follow through, Georgia could see new proposals affecting how teachers are recruited, trained, paid as student teachers, and retained, potentially including changes to HOPE scholarship access and mentorship programs, though the resolution itself creates no binding requirements or funding. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) urges the Professional Standards Commission to lead a collaborative effort with named state agencies and education associations to produce comprehensive recommendations. - Paragraph (2)(A) asks for recommendations on innovative pathways into teaching, including enhanced student teaching models and apprenticeship programs. - Paragraph (2)(B) calls for data collection on teacher education graduates' placement, effectiveness, and retention rates over multiple years. - Paragraph (2)(C) asks for exploration of student teacher compensation funding and reinstating HOPE access for the teacher workforce. - Paragraph (2)(D) requests efforts to raise public awareness of teaching career benefits, including the Teachers Retirement System. - Paragraph (2)(E) focuses on teacher and school leader retention strategies, including mentorship and professional development. - Paragraph (4) sets a submission deadline of December 1, 2025 for recommendations to the Senate, along with any proposed legislation, policy, or budget changes. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-02) - Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (2025-04-02) - Sponsors: Billy Hickman, John Kennedy, Steve Gooch, Jason Anavitarte, Chuck Payne - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70642 > The history, votes, and amendments (475 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr237.md?full=1