HB1293: HB1293 Education; updated eligibility requirements for the Dual Achievement Program; provide

The Dual Achievement Program lets certain Georgia students who have left high school attend a technical college, earn technical credentials, and still receive a high school diploma. HB 1293 rewrites the program's eligibility rules in Chapter 4 of Title 20 of Georgia's code, replacing a system built around withdrawing from high school with a phased set of rules running through July 1, 2028. Students already enrolled by June 30, 2028 keep their original eligibility terms. Under the final rules, participants must be 18 to under 23, withdrawn from public school, without a diploma, and required to take part in wraparound support services like tutoring and career counseling. The bill also lets some 16 and 17 year olds join if they live in an area zoned for a 'completion special school' that isn't yet operating, and it keeps such students enrolled in their home school only for administrative and accountability tracking. It removes the program's prior participation agreement and QBE funding rules and directs the state board to build a new funding formula for the program starting in Fiscal Year 2028. It also strikes the program's scheduled July 1, 2031 repeal date, and the changes take effect once the Governor signs the bill or it becomes law without a signature.

• Replaces the Dual Achievement Program's eligibility rules with a phased timeline running through July 1, 2028, changing who can enroll and when.
• Lets students already enrolled by June 30, 2028 keep participating under their original eligibility terms even after the rules change.
• Creates a new category of 'completion special school' and lets 16 or 17 year olds in an unstaffed zone for one of these schools join the program early.
• Requires participating students to receive wraparound services such as academic advising, career counseling, tutoring, and case management.
• Removes existing requirements for participation agreements, QBE (Quality Basic Education) funding rules, and separate accountability assessments tied to the program.
• Deletes the program's scheduled July 1, 2031 automatic repeal and instead requires the state board to build a permanent funding formula starting in Fiscal Year 2028.

Georgia students aged roughly 16 to under 23 who have left or are leaving public high school without a diploma, their parents or guardians, resident public schools and school districts, units of the Technical College System of Georgia, and the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which jointly administer and fund the program.

Students who want a path back to a high school diploma through technical college training would face different age, withdrawal, and support-service requirements depending on when they enroll, while schools and the technical college system get a new funding formula instead of the current QBE-based arrangement and lose the fixed 2031 shutdown date for the program.

• Code Section 20-4-140 adds new definitions for 'completion special school,' 'completion special school attendance zone,' 'Dual Achievement Program,' and 'wraparound services.'
• Code Section 20-4-141(e) requires that before July 1, 2028, students complete at least six of nine required 9th and 10th grade courses and pass a readiness assessment to be eligible.
• Code Section 20-4-141(f) sets different eligibility documentation requirements depending on whether a student enrolls before July 1, 2026, or between July 1, 2026 and July 1, 2028.
• Code Section 20-4-141(g) sets the permanent post-July 1, 2028 eligibility standard: age 18 to under 23, withdrawn from public school, no diploma yet, admission requirements met, and required participation in wraparound services.
• Code Section 20-4-141(h) allows 16 or 17 year olds in a completion special school zone without an operating school to still qualify if they meet the other requirements.
• Code Section 20-4-141.1 requires the State Board of Education to pay the state board a proportional share of QBE formula earnings for each eligible student based on time spent at the technical college.
• Code Section 20-4-142 removes the program's July 1, 2031 automatic repeal and instead directs the state board and the Office of Planning and Budget to develop a funding formula starting in Fiscal Year 2028.
• Section 2 makes the Act effective as soon as the Governor signs it or it becomes law without his signature.

1. 2026-05-05Effective Date 2026-05-05
2. 2026-05-05Act 389
3. 2026-05-05House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-19Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-19Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2026-03-18Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2026-03-16Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)Primary sponsor
• Charles Martin (R, HD-049)
• Robert Dickey (R, HD-134)
• Kasey Carpenter (R, HD-004)
• Tim Fleming (R, HD-114)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2026

   166 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #651

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 19, 2026

   53 yea, 0 nay (0 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #747

• dual achievement program
• high school diploma alternatives
• technical college system of georgia
• school dropout prevention
• education funding formula