SB 295: State Board of Education; local school systems to maintain and publish a registry of all contracts worth more than $10,000.00; require

Currently, Georgia's local school systems are not required to keep a public, searchable list of large contracts paid for with state money. This bill adds a new section to the Quality Basic Education Act requiring each local school system to maintain a contract registry for any contract, agreement, or financial obligation over $10,000 that is paid for in whole or in part with state funds. The Department of Education must create a standard template for these registries by January 1, 2026, and local school systems must have their registries up by August 1, 2026, updating them at least quarterly (August 1, November 1, February 1, and May 1) and within 60 days of a new qualifying contract. Local boards of education must adopt policies implementing the requirement by July 1, 2026. Noncompliance is enforced under the state's existing school system enforcement law, and school systems cannot get a waiver from this requirement even if they otherwise qualify for waivers as a strategic waivers or charter system.

• Requires every local school system to maintain a public, searchable online registry of contracts, agreements, or financial obligations over $10,000 that use state funds.
• Directs the Department of Education to create a standard registry template by January 1, 2026, specifying required data fields.
• Requires registries to disclose contractor names, payment terms, funding sources, whether the contract was competitively bid, and prior employment or contracting ties between the contractor and the school system.
• Sets update deadlines: quarterly updates plus a 60-day window to add any new qualifying contract.
• Requires local boards of education to adopt implementing policies by July 1, 2026, and makes noncompliance enforceable under existing law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-243).
• Bars local school systems from claiming a waiver from this requirement, even under strategic waivers or charter system status.

Local school systems and their boards of education across Georgia, school district administrators who manage contracts and websites, vendors and contractors who do business with schools using state funds, and members of the public who want to track how school systems spend tax dollars.

Parents, taxpayers, and watchdogs would gain an online tool to see who school districts are paying, how much, and whether contracts were competitively bid or tied to former employees or lobbyists. School systems would face new administrative work and a firm compliance deadline with no waiver option.

• New Code Section 20-2-245(a) requires each local school system to maintain a public, searchable contract registry by August 1, 2026 for contracts over $10,000 funded with state money.
• Subsection (b) requires the Department of Education to create a registry template by January 1, 2026, listing 12 required data categories, including contractor names, funding sources, competitive bidding status, and past employment or contracting ties.
• Subsection (c) requires registries to be updated quarterly (August 1, November 1, February 1, May 1) and within 60 days of any new qualifying contract.
• Subsection (d) requires local boards of education to adopt implementing policies by July 1, 2026.
• Subsection (e) ties noncompliance to enforcement under an existing Code section (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-243).
• Subsection (f) exempts this requirement from waiver options normally available to strategic waivers school systems or charter systems.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senado)
2. 2025-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senado)
3. 2025-03-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)
4. 2025-02-28Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
5. 2025-02-27Senate Hopper (Senado)

• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)Patrocinador principal
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)

• school contracts
• government transparency
• education funding
• local school boards
• public records