---
title: SR 952. Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sr952
cite_as: SR 952, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr952
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr952.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr952/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74086
date: 2026-03-31
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 469
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr952.md?full=1
bill_number: SR 952
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-31
last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted
sponsors:
  - Gail Davenport
  - Freddie Sims
  - Tonya Anderson
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR952/2025
upstream_id: 2134006
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Rosenwald schools
  - African American history
  - Georgia education history
  - legislative study committees
---

# SR 952. Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee; create

## Text

Senate Resolution 952
By: Senators Davenport of the 17th, Sims of the 12th and Anderson of the 43rd
ADOPTED SENATE
A RESOLUTION
Creating the Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, in the early 1900s, Julius Rosenwald, one of the early presidents and part owner
of Sears, Roebuck and Co., partnered with Booker T. Washington, a Black educator and
leader, to fund construction of schools in poor, rural African American school districts across
the South; and
WHEREAS, Rosenwald schools were cooperatively built with donations of land and labor
from the local communities and matching financial contributions from the Rosenwald
Foundation; and
WHEREAS, the foundation helped fund the construction of almost 5,000 schools for Black
children around the South, which helped lift generations of African Americans out of
poverty; and
WHEREAS, the program provided funding for more than 240 Rosenwald schools in 103 of
Georgia's 159 counties, and at least 35,000 children attended those schools; and
WHEREAS, school integration brought an end to operation of the Rosenwald schools,
though many continued to serve their communities long after; and
WHEREAS, Rosenwald and Washington's program dramatically transformed the country
by profoundly reshaping the African American experience, yet its scope and impact are
largely unknown and remain hidden history; and
WHEREAS, the history of Rosenwald schools in Georgia and their impact on the education
and economic prosperity of African Americans in the state is deserving of study.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:
(1) Creation of Senate study committee. There is created the Senate Rosenwald
Schools Study Committee.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the
Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate. The President shall designate a
member of the committee as chairperson of the committee.
(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,
issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or
legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee
may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or
convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and
accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.
(5) Allowances and funding.
The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in
Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances
authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for
more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out
the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the Senate.
(6) Report.
(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that
include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the
same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to
subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for
proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report subject to subparagraph (C)
of this paragraph.
(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of
abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.
A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with
the Secretary of the Senate.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary
of the Senate a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.
(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026.

## 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 creates a five-member study committee to research the history and impact of Rosenwald schools built for Black students across Georgia in the early 1900s.

### Plain-language summary

In the early 1900s, Sears executive Julius Rosenwald partnered with educator Booker T. Washington to help fund schools for Black children in poor, rural Southern communities. Georgia had more than 240 of these schools across 103 counties, serving at least 35,000 children, but this history is not widely known today.
This resolution creates the Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee, made up of five state senators appointed by the President of the Senate, who also names the chairperson. The committee is directed to study the history, needs, and impact of Rosenwald schools in Georgia and recommend any legislation it thinks is appropriate. Members get standard legislative daily allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to five meeting days, paid from Senate funds. The committee must file any approved report before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Creates the Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee made up of five Georgia senators appointed by the President of the Senate.
- Directs the committee to study the history and impact of Rosenwald schools on African American education and economic prosperity in Georgia.
- Authorizes the committee to recommend legislation based on its findings.
- Provides legislative daily allowances to committee members for up to five meeting days, funded through the Senate's budget.
- Requires the chairperson to file any approved report with the Secretary of the Senate before the committee ends.
- Sets the committee to automatically dissolve on December 1, 2026.

### Who it affects

This resolution mainly affects the five state senators appointed to serve on the committee and the Senate administrative staff who process its funding and reports. More broadly, it affects Georgians interested in the history of Rosenwald schools and their impact on Black communities.

### Why it matters

The committee's work could surface historical research and lead to future legislation, such as preservation efforts or educational initiatives, related to Rosenwald schools. Because it is a study committee, it does not change any law itself but sets up a process for lawmakers to examine the issue.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph (1) formally creates the Senate Rosenwald Schools Study Committee.
- Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at five senators appointed by the President of the Senate, who designates the chairperson.
- Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying Rosenwald schools' history and recommending action or legislation.
- Paragraph (5) ties member pay to allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days unless extended, funded by Senate appropriations.
- Paragraph (6) lays out reporting requirements, including that any report must be approved by majority vote before filing with the Secretary of the Senate.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-03-31)
- Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted (2026-03-31)
- Sponsors: Gail Davenport, Freddie Sims, Tonya Anderson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74086

> The history, votes, and amendments (469 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr952.md?full=1