--- title: SR 972. Henderson-Baker, Mrs. Shakila; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr972 cite_as: SR 972, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr972 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr972.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr972/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74177 date: 2026-03-19 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/sr971.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr973.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr972.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 972 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-19 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sonya Halpern - Donzella James - Brian Strickland - Emanuel Jones - Tonya Anderson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR972/2025 upstream_id: 2135925 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Georgia Senate resolution - education advocacy - Newton County schools - school board leadership --- # SR 972. Henderson-Baker, Mrs. Shakila; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 972 By: Senators Halpern of the 39th, James of the 28th, Strickland of the 42nd, Jones of the 10th and Anderson of the 43rd A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker for her dedicated service to the Newton County Board of Education and the Georgia School Boards Association; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker, born and raised in Covington, Georgia, has served with excellence and upheld her commitment to prioritizing education, students, and families through her membership on the Newton County Board of Education since January 2011; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Henderson-Baker's leadership has been recognized statewide through her service as Vice President of the Georgia School Boards Association for the 2020–2021 year and her election as Georgia School Boards Association President-Elect; and WHEREAS, she has advocated for public education through her service on the Georgia School Boards Association Governmental Operations Committee and her appointment to represent District 4 on the Georgia School Boards Association Board of Directors; and WHEREAS, her academic accomplishments include graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Fort Valley State University and earning a Master of Science in Psychology and Counseling from Troy University, and she is continuing her education through studies at Piedmont University toward a certificate in Early Childhood Education; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Henderson-Baker extends her commitment to uplifting the community through her professional work as a Mental Health Clinician and Behavioral Specialist, combined with active volunteerism as an after-school tutor and coordinator for The Young Legends teen-mentoring group, which has made a profound impact on the well-being and development of Georgia's youth; and WHEREAS, she serves as a cornerstone in the community as a charter and current member of the Chi Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., providing essential service to the citizens of Newton and Rockdale counties; and WHEREAS, the continued success of the Newton County School System and the Georgia School Boards Association reflects her extraordinary vision, leadership, and dedication to advancing public education and educational advocacy. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker for her outstanding service, leadership, and advocacy in the realms of education and youth development. 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 Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker. ## 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 honors Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker of Covington for her service on the Newton County Board of Education and the Georgia School Boards Association. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal statement from the Georgia Senate recognizing Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker for her work in education. It does not change any Georgia law; it commends her service on the Newton County Board of Education since January 2011 and her leadership roles with the Georgia School Boards Association, including Vice President and President-Elect. The resolution also notes her academic background, her professional work as a mental health clinician and behavioral specialist, and her community volunteering with youth mentoring programs and her sorority chapter. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for her. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker for her service on the Newton County Board of Education and the Georgia School Boards Association. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Mrs. Henderson-Baker. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement by the Senate. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Mrs. Shakila Henderson-Baker. It also references the Newton County Board of Education, the Georgia School Boards Association, and the Newton County School System, whose work is described in the resolution's praise of her service. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect and changes nothing about how schools operate. Its significance is symbolic, giving official Senate recognition to a local school board member's long service and leadership in statewide education advocacy. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount her service on the Newton County Board of Education since January 2011 and her leadership roles in the Georgia School Boards Association. - The resolved clause has the Senate recognize and commend her for her service, leadership, and advocacy in education and youth development. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to her. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-19) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-19) - Sponsors: Sonya Halpern, Donzella James, Brian Strickland, Emanuel Jones, Tonya Anderson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74177 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr972.md?full=1