--- title: SR 257. Charter Schools Day; recognize February 26, 2025 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr257 cite_as: SR 257, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr257 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr257.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr257/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70779 date: 2025-02-26 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/sr256.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr258.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr257.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 257 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-26 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Clint Dixon - Ricky Williams - Russ Goodman - Sam Watson - Billy Hickman text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR257/2025 upstream_id: 1983836 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - charter schools - education - public schools - school choice --- # SR 257. Charter Schools Day; recognize February 26, 2025 ## Text Senate Resolution 257 By: Senators Dixon of the 45th, Williams of the 25th, Goodman of the 8th, Watson of the 11th and Hickman of the 4th A RESOLUTION Recognizing February 26, 2025, as Charter Schools Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Georgia's first charter school law was enacted in 1993, and there are currently 96 charter schools operating in communities throughout the state; and WHEREAS, charter schools are tuition-free, public schools that have fair and open enrollment procedures and serve students and families in all 159 counties in Georgia; and WHEREAS, a recent national study of charter school performance conducted by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that students in charter schools outperformed their peers in traditional public schools by an average of 16 additional days of learning in reading and six additional days of learning in math; and WHEREAS, the members of this body commend the dedicated teachers and leaders serving in Georgia's charter schools and celebrate the 65,000 public school students enrolled in charter schools throughout the state; and WHEREAS, additional charter school seats are needed to serve the 21,000 students who currently appear on charter school wait lists in Georgia. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize February 26, 2025, as Charter Schools Day at the state capitol. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the Georgia Charter Schools Association, the public, and the press. ## 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 recognizes February 26, 2025, as Charter Schools Day at the Georgia state capitol, honoring charter school students, teachers, and leaders across the state. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It declares February 26, 2025 as Charter Schools Day at the state capitol, citing Georgia's history of charter schools since 1993 and noting that 96 charter schools currently operate across all 159 counties, serving about 65,000 students. The resolution cites a Stanford University study finding charter school students gained more learning days in reading and math compared to peers in traditional public schools. It also notes 21,000 students remain on charter school wait lists. The resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies to the Georgia Charter Schools Association, the public, and the press. ### What it does - Formally recognizes February 26, 2025, as Charter Schools Day at the Georgia state capitol. - Commends teachers and leaders working in Georgia's charter schools. - Cites statistics on charter school enrollment, performance, and wait lists to support the recognition. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the Georgia Charter Schools Association, the public, and the press. ### Who it affects Charter school students, teachers, and administrators across Georgia's 159 counties, the Georgia Charter Schools Association, and members of the public who may receive distributed copies of the resolution. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal force or funding but publicly acknowledges the role of charter schools in Georgia's education system, drawing attention to enrollment numbers, wait lists, and research on student performance discussed in the text. ### Key provisions - The resolution recites background facts, including that Georgia's charter school law dates to 1993 and that 96 charter schools now operate statewide. - Cites a Stanford University study finding charter school students gained an average of 16 extra days of learning in reading and six in math. - Formally resolves that the Senate recognizes February 26, 2025 as Charter Schools Day at the state capitol. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the Georgia Charter Schools Association, the public, and the press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-26) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-26) - Sponsors: Clint Dixon, Ricky Williams, Russ Goodman, Sam Watson, Billy Hickman - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70779 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr257.md?full=1