HB1256: HB1256 Georgia Appreciation for Educators Act; enact

Georgia currently has no dedicated student loan repayment program specifically for veteran public school teachers. House Bill 1256, called the Georgia Appreciation for Educators Act, would add a new program to the Georgia Student Finance Authority's duties to repay student loans held by eligible teachers. To qualify, a person must be a Georgia resident, have graduated from an eligible postsecondary institution in the state, and have worked as a public school teacher in Georgia for at least five years. Approved teachers would sign a repayment agreement with the authority covering up to five years of annual installment payments, and they would have to keep teaching and remain Georgia residents throughout that term. The authority can end an agreement for sufficient cause. Importantly, the whole program only operates if the General Assembly actually appropriates money for it each year.

• Creates a new student loan repayment program at the Georgia Student Finance Authority for qualifying public school teachers.
• Limits eligibility to Georgia residents who graduated from an eligible Georgia postsecondary institution and have taught at least five years in a Georgia public school.
• Requires recipients to sign a repayment agreement setting a payment schedule of up to five years in annual installments.
• Requires recipients to remain Georgia residents and keep teaching in a Georgia public school for the full term of the agreement, or risk the authority terminating it.
• Makes the entire program contingent on the General Assembly appropriating (setting aside) funding for it in the state budget each year.
• Directs the authority to write rules and regulations to run the program, including how loans that are already in default or covered by another repayment program are excluded.

Public school teachers in Georgia who graduated from Georgia colleges or universities and have taught for at least five years, along with the Georgia Student Finance Authority, which would administer applications, agreements, and payments under the new program.

If funded, teachers with qualifying student loans could see part of their debt paid off over several years as long as they keep teaching and living in Georgia. Because payments depend entirely on yearly state appropriations, the actual benefit teachers receive could vary or not materialize if funds aren't set aside.

• Section 1 gives the Act its short title, the 'Georgia Appreciation for Educators Act.'
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-3-467, defining 'eligible applicant,' 'eligible postsecondary institution,' 'recipient,' 'student loan,' and 'teacher' for the program.
• Subsection (c) allows the authority to repay a recipient's student loans in exchange for at least five years of teaching service in a Georgia public school.
• Subsection (d) requires recipients to sign a loan repayment agreement and lets the authority terminate an agreement for sufficient cause, as long as that power isn't used arbitrarily.
• Subsection (e) caps repayment terms at five years of annual installments, ties payments to teaching service, and requires recipients to stay Georgia residents and remain employed as teachers throughout the agreement.
• Subsection (g) makes all repayments contingent on the General Assembly appropriating funds for the program each year.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-11House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-10House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-09House Hopper (House)

• Bryce Berry (D, HD-056)Primary sponsor
• Tangie Herring (D, HD-145)
• Mekyah McQueen (D, HD-061)
• Samuel Park (D, HD-107)
• Rhonda Burnough (D, HD-077)
• El-Mahdi Holly (D, HD-116)

• teacher pay and benefits
• student loan repayment
• education funding
• Georgia Student Finance Authority