--- title: SR 278. Looney, Dr. Mike; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr278 cite_as: SR 278, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr278 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr278.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr278/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70904 date: 2025-02-27 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/sr277.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr279.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr278.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 278 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-27 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sonya Halpern - RaShaun Kemp - John Albers - Shawn Still - Nan Orrock - Josh McLaurin - Jason Esteves - Donzella James - Brandon Beach - Matt Brass text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR278/2025 upstream_id: 1986144 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - education leadership - Fulton County Schools - legislative honors - Georgia Senate resolutions --- # SR 278. Looney, Dr. Mike; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 278 By: Senators Halpern of the 39th, Kemp of the 38th, Albers of the 56th, Still of the 48th, Orrock of the 36th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Dr. Mike Looney, Georgia's 2025 Superintendent of the Year; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Dr. Mike Looney has served as the superintendent of Fulton County Schools, Georgia's fourth-largest school district, since June 2019, where he oversees the education of more than 87,000 students across 104 schools; and WHEREAS, he has spearheaded initiatives that enhance academic achievement, career readiness, and leadership development for both students and educators with a strategic focus on dropout prevention, literacy, CTAE expansion, STEAM programs, middle school reform, and strong financial management; and WHEREAS, through his careful fiscal oversight, he has maintained the district's AAA credit rating, prioritizing investments in classrooms and student programs; and WHEREAS, within his first year as superintendent, Dr. Looney demonstrated decisive leadership in managing Georgia's first school-related COVID-19 case, drawing upon his 28 years of educational experience as well as his background as a retired United States Marine, father, and community leader to maintain student learning while ensuring safety; and WHEREAS, he then launched the district's "Bridge to Success" plan after the pandemic, a three-year transformational initiative aimed at addressing learning loss through targeted support, leading to students surpassing pre-pandemic levels in reading and math and achieving a record-high 90.7 percent graduation rate in 2023; and WHEREAS, his exceptional leadership and vision have earned him recognition as Georgia's 2025 Superintendent of the Year, adding to his prior distinction as Tennessee's Superintendent of the Year in 2015; and WHEREAS, as further testament to his dedication to Fulton County Schools, Dr. Looney represents the district on the Governor's Advisory Board, the Board of Directors for the Development Authority of Fulton County, and the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable individual be appropriately honored. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Dr. Mike Looney, Georgia's 2025 Superintendent of the Year, for his years of service on behalf of the students of Fulton County as well as extend best wishes for continued success. 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. Mike Looney. ## 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 formally recognizes Dr. Mike Looney, superintendent of Fulton County Schools, as the state's 2025 Superintendent of the Year. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate rather than a change to state law. It honors Dr. Mike Looney, who has led Fulton County Schools, Georgia's fourth-largest school district, since 2019, overseeing more than 87,000 students across 104 schools. The resolution recounts his record, including maintaining the district's AAA credit rating, leading the district through the first Georgia school-related COVID-19 case, launching a post-pandemic 'Bridge to Success' recovery plan, and reaching a record graduation rate. It notes he was also Tennessee's Superintendent of the Year in 2015. The Senate resolves to commend him and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send him a copy of the resolution. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Dr. Mike Looney as Georgia's 2025 Superintendent of the Year for his service to Fulton County Schools. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute an official copy of the resolution to Dr. Looney. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a symbolic statement of praise passed by the Senate. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Dr. Mike Looney and the Fulton County Schools district he leads, including its more than 87,000 students and 104 schools, though it has no legal effect on any group. ### Why it matters The resolution has no practical or legal effect on Georgians; it is a public, official statement from the Senate honoring an educator's career and record in Fulton County Schools, serving as a form of civic recognition rather than policy. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe Dr. Looney's tenure since June 2019 leading Fulton County Schools and his focus on literacy, career readiness, and financial management. - The resolution notes he maintained the district's AAA credit rating and led the district through Georgia's first school-related COVID-19 case. - It highlights the 'Bridge to Success' plan and a 90.7 percent graduation rate reached in 2023. - The resolving clause states the Senate recognizes and commends Dr. Looney for his service and wishes him continued success. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to Dr. Looney. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-27) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-27) - Sponsors: Sonya Halpern, RaShaun Kemp, John Albers, Shawn Still, Nan Orrock, Josh McLaurin, Jason Esteves, Donzella James, Brandon Beach, Matt Brass - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70904 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr278.md?full=1