--- title: SR 476. Senate Study Committee on Local School System Flexibility Options; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr476 cite_as: SR 476, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr476 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr476.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr476/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71716 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/sr475.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr477.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 429 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr476.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 476 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-02 last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted sponsors: - Sonya Halpern - Billy Hickman - Clint Dixon - Freddie Sims - Ricky Williams - Jason Esteves - Michael Rhett - RaShaun Kemp text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR476/2025 upstream_id: 2016113 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - education policy - school waivers - class size rules - teacher pay - legislative study committees --- # SR 476. Senate Study Committee on Local School System Flexibility Options; create ## Text 25 LC 61 0247 Senate Resolution 476 By: Senators Halpern of the 39th, Hickman of the 4th, Dixon of the 45th, Sims of the 12th, Williams of the 25th and others ADOPTED SENATE A RESOLUTION Creating the Senate Study Committee on Local School System Flexibility Options; and for1 other purposes.2 WHEREAS, Georgia law permits the State Board of Education to wa ive compliance with3 certain provisions of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated to grant flexibility4 to local school systems and charter schools with the goal of improving student performance;5 and6 WHEREAS, local school systems and charter schools are authorize d to seek exemptions7 from state laws and regulations, including but not limited to class size requirements, teacher8 salary minimums, special education provisions, curriculum stand ards, and operational9 guidelines; and10 WHEREAS, all but two of Georgia's 180 local school systems curr ently hold class size11 waivers, potentially impacting student learning environments and teacher workload; and12 WHEREAS, local school systems utilizing waivers may also modify compensation13 structures, certification requirements, teacher planning time, and student support services,14 S. R. 476 - 1 - 25 LC 61 0247 raising questions about the long-term effects on educator retention and instructional quality;15 and16 WHEREAS, the Georgia State Board of Education recently extended all existing waivers for17 an additional five years, underscoring the need for a comprehen sive review of their18 implementation, effectiveness, and oversight; and19 WHEREAS, a thorough study is necessary to assess whether the fl exibility provided by20 waivers has enhanced educational outcomes, improved operational efficiency, and21 maintained equity and accountability across local school systems.22 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:23 (1) Creation of Senate study committee. There is created the Senate Study Committee24 on Local School System Flexibility Options.25 (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of six members of the26 Senate to be appointed as follows:27 (A) Four members appointed by the President of the Senate; and28 (B) Two members appointed by the Senate Minority Leader. 29 The President shall designate a member of the committee as chai rperson of the30 committee.31 (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,32 issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or33 legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.34 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee35 may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or36 convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and37 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.38 S. R. 476 - 2 - 25 LC 61 0247 (5) Allowances and funding.39 (A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided40 for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.41 (B) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member42 of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds43 necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds44 appropriated to the Senate.45 (6) Report.46 (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that47 include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the48 same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolut ion, subject to49 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.50 (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not i nclude suggestions for51 proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)52 of this paragraph.53 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of54 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.55 A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with56 the Secretary of the Senate.57 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary58 of the Senate a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.59 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.60 S. R. 476 - 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 would create a study committee to examine how local school systems use waivers from state education rules, including class size limits and teacher salary minimums. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law lets the State Board of Education waive certain requirements in Title 20 of state law for local school systems and charter schools, in areas like class size, teacher salary minimums, special education rules, and curriculum standards, with the goal of improving student performance. Nearly every one of Georgia's 180 school systems currently holds a class size waiver, and the State Board recently extended all existing waivers for another five years. This resolution creates the Senate Study Committee on Local School System Flexibility Options to review how these waivers are being used and whether they have helped or hurt educational outcomes, operational efficiency, equity, and accountability. The committee will have six senators, four picked by the President of the Senate and two by the Senate Minority Leader. It can meet, gather information, and recommend legislation. The committee must file any report before it is abolished on December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Creates the Senate Study Committee on Local School System Flexibility Options to examine state education waivers granted to local school systems. - Sets committee membership at six senators: four chosen by the President of the Senate and two by the Senate Minority Leader. - Directs the committee to study waiver impacts on class sizes, teacher pay, special education services, and curriculum, and recommend possible legislation. - Authorizes standard legislative per diem and travel allowances (under O.C.G.A. ยง 28-1-8) for up to five meeting days unless more are approved, paid from Senate funds. - Requires the committee to file a report or committee meeting minutes with the Secretary of the Senate if it approves findings by majority vote. - Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025. ### Who it affects Georgia senators appointed to the committee, the State Board of Education, local school system administrators and school boards, teachers, students, and charter schools that currently operate under state waivers from class size, salary, and curriculum rules. ### Why it matters Because nearly all Georgia school systems already use waivers affecting class sizes, teacher pay, and other rules, this study could shape future legislation on how much flexibility schools keep and how that flexibility is monitored, though the resolution itself changes no waiver rules. ### Key provisions - Paragraph 1 creates the Senate Study Committee on Local School System Flexibility Options. - Paragraph 2 sets committee composition at six senators, with the Senate President naming the chairperson. - Paragraph 3 charges the committee with studying waiver-related issues and recommending action or legislation. - Paragraph 5 caps paid allowances at five meeting days unless additional days are authorized, funded through Senate appropriations. - Paragraph 6 requires a report or committee minutes to be filed with the Secretary of the Senate if approved by majority vote. - Paragraph 7 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-02) - Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted (2025-04-02) - Sponsors: Sonya Halpern, Billy Hickman, Clint Dixon, Freddie Sims, Ricky Williams, Jason Esteves, Michael Rhett, RaShaun Kemp - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71716 > The history, votes, and amendments (429 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr476.md?full=1