Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB381: SB381 Quality Basic Education Act; grants to eligible local units of administration for students living in poverty; provide

Last action January 13, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would create a new state grant program that gives extra funding to school districts based on how many students they enroll who live in poverty, including homeless and foster youth.

In plain language

Georgia's school funding law, the Quality Basic Education Act (O.C.G.A. Title 20, Chapter 2), currently distributes money to local school districts through a formula based on program weights, but it does not include a specific add-on tied to student poverty. This bill would add a new section, O.C.G.A. § 20-2-193, creating a grant program for districts (called local units of administration) that enroll students living in poverty. The bill defines a student living in poverty as one who is in a family receiving SNAP or TANF benefits, is in foster care, or lacks stable housing under federal homeless-student rules. The Department of Education would calculate each district's grant by multiplying its count of these students by 25 percent of the state's per-student base funding amount. Districts would have to spend at least 90 percent of the grant directly on programs for these students, returning any unspent portion to the State Board of Education. The grants depend on the General Assembly appropriating money for them.

What the bill does

Creates a new state grant program under the Quality Basic Education Act for local school districts that enroll students living in poverty.
Defines which students count as living in poverty, including those in families getting SNAP or TANF benefits, students in foster care, and students without stable housing.
Directs the Department of Education to calculate each district's grant by multiplying its poverty-student count by 25 percent of the state per-student base funding amount.
Requires districts to spend at least 90 percent of grant money directly on services for the students the funds are meant to help.
Requires districts to return any unspent portion of that required 90 percent to the State Board of Education.
Makes the grants conditional on the General Assembly appropriating money for the program each year.

Who it affects

Public school districts across Georgia (called local units of administration), the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which must set eligibility rules and calculate grants, and students in poverty, including those in foster care or without stable housing, along with families receiving SNAP or TANF benefits.

Why it matters

If funded, districts with more low-income, foster care, or homeless students would receive extra money on top of their normal state school funding, intended to pay for direct services like tutoring, counseling, or other support for those students, rather than general district budgets.

Key provisions

Section 1 adds new Code section O.C.G.A. § 20-2-193 to the Quality Basic Education Act, defining 'student in foster care,' 'student living in poverty,' and 'student without stable housing.'
Subsection (b) directs the State Board of Education to provide grants to eligible districts for services and instruction for students living in poverty, subject to legislative appropriations.
Subsection (c) sets the grant formula: the number of poverty students enrolled at the initial enrollment count multiplied by 25 percent of the base per-student funding amount under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161.
Subsection (c) also requires at least 90 percent of grant funds to go toward direct program expenditures for the benefited students, with unspent amounts returned to the State Board of Education.
Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

Status timeline

2026-01-13Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2026-01-12Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

school funding
education poverty programs
homeless students
foster care
Quality Basic Education Act