GA
Georgia House Bill HB796

Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

Georgia House Bill HB796 Compare Versions

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11 25 LC 61 0230
22 House Bill 796
33 By: Representatives Lupton of the 83
44 rd
55 and Lim of the 98
66 th
77
88 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
99 AN ACT
1010 To amend Part 4 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
1111 1
1212 Annotated, relating to financing under the "Quality Basic Education Act," so as to revise2
1313 QBE program weights based on recommendations of the 2015 Education Reform3
1414 Commission; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other4
1515 purposes.5
1616 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6
1717 SECTION 1.7
1818 Part 4 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,8
1919 relating to financing under the "Quality Basic Education Act," is amended by revising Code9
2020 Section 20-2-161, relating to the Quality Basic Education Formula, as follows:10
2121 "20-2-161.11
2222 (a) The high
2323 middle school general education program is declared to be the base program12
2424 against which the cost of all other instructional programs shall be compared. The amount13
2525 of funds needed by each full-time equivalent student in the base program, in order that such14
2626 program can be sufficiently funded to provide quality basic education to all enrolled15
2727 students, shall be known as the 'base amount' and shall reflect program components which16
2828 H. B. 796
2929 - 1 - 25 LC 61 0230
3030 constitute the program weight for the high middle school general education program in17
3131 Code Sections 20-2-182 through 20-2-186. However, the General Assembly shall annually18
3232 establish through the General Appropriations Act the base amount to be used each year. 19
3333 In the event that the base amount so established when multiplied by the program weights20
3434 in subsection (b) of this Code section requires funds in excess of the appropriation for the21
3535 Quality Basic Education Formula grants, the funds which are appropriated for the Quality22
3636 Basic Education Formula shall be prorated to each of the Quality Basic Education Formula23
3737 cost categories.24
3838 (b) As the cost of instructional programs varies depending upon the teacher-student ratios25
3939 and specific services typically required to address the special needs of students enrolled,26
4040 state authorized instructional programs shall have the following program weights and27
4141 teacher-student ratios:28
4242 (1) Kindergarten program......................................29
4343 30
4444 31
4545 32
4646 1.6901
4747 weight and
4848 1 to 15
4949 ratio
5050 (2) Kindergarten early intervention program.......................33
5151 34
5252 35
5353 36
5454 2.0951
5555 weight and
5656 1 to 11
5757 ratio
5858 H. B. 796
5959 - 2 - 25 LC 61 0230
6060 (3) Primary grades program (1-3)................................37
6161 38
6262 39
6363 40
6464 1.3029
6565 weight and
6666 1 to 17
6767 ratio
6868 (4) Primary grades early intervention program (1-3).................41
6969 42
7070 43
7171 44
7272 1.8388
7373 weight and
7474 1 to 11
7575 ratio
7676 (5) Upper elementary grades program (4-5)........................45
7777 46
7878 47
7979 48
8080 1.0417
8181 weight and
8282 1 to 23
8383 ratio
8484 (6) Upper elementary grades early intervention program (4-5).........49
8585 50
8686 51
8787 52
8888 1.8340
8989 weight and
9090 1 to 11
9191 ratio
9292 (7) Middle school program (6-8).................................53
9393 54
9494 55
9595 56
9696 1.1439
9797 weight and
9898 1 to 20
9999 ratio
100100 H. B. 796
101101 - 3 - 25 LC 61 0230
102102 (8) High school general education program (9-12) ..................57
103103 58
104104 59
105105 60
106106 1.0000
107107 weight and
108108 1 to 23
109109 ratio
110110 (9) Career, technical, and agricultural education61
111111 laboratory program (9-12)......................................62
112112 63
113113 64
114114 65
115115 1.1762
116116 weight and
117117 1 to 20
118118 ratio
119119 (10) Program for persons with disabilities:66
120120 Category I...................................................67
121121 68
122122 69
123123 2.4763
124124 weight and
125125 1 to 8
126126 ratio
127127 (11) Program for persons with disabilities:70
128128 Category II..................................................71
129129 72
130130 73
131131 74
132132 2.9213
133133 weight and
134134 1 to 6.5
135135 ratio
136136 (12) Program for persons with disabilities:75
137137 Category III.................................................76
138138 77
139139 78
140140 79
141141 3.7151
142142 weight and
143143 1 to 5
144144 ratio
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146146 - 4 - 25 LC 61 0230
147147 (13) Program for persons with disabilities:80
148148 Category IV.................................................81
149149 82
150150 83
151151 84
152152 6.0106
153153 weight and
154154 1 to 3
155155 ratio
156156 (14) Program for persons with disabilities:85
157157 Category V..................................................86
158158 87
159159 88
160160 89
161161 2.5307
162162 weight and
163163 1 to 8
164164 ratio
165165 (15) Program for intellectually gifted students:90
166166 Category VI.................................................91
167167 92
168168 93
169169 1.7340
170170 weight and
171171 1 to 12
172172 ratio
173173 (16) Remedial education program ...............................94
174174 95
175175 96
176176 97
177177 1.3698
178178 weight and
179179 1 to 15
180180 ratio
181181 (17) Alternative education program ..............................98
182182 99
183183 100
184184 101
185185 1.5026
186186 weight and
187187 1 to 15
188188 ratio
189189 H. B. 796
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191191 (18) English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) program .........102
192192 103
193193 104
194194 105
195195 2.6313
196196 weight and
197197 1 to 7
198198 ratio
199199 (1) Students enrolled in pre-kindergarten through grade three...106 0.2954 weight
200200 (2) Students enrolled in grades four and five................107 0.0813 weight
201201 (3) Students enrolled in grades nine through 12..............108 0.0845 weight
202202 (4) Career, technical, and agricultural education students......109 0.0496 weight
203203 (5) Students with disabilities – Category A..................110 0.4263 weight
204204 (6) Students with disabilities – Category B..................111 0.7401 weight
205205 (7) Students with disabilities – Category C..................112 1.8517 weight
206206 (8) Students with disabilities – Category D..................113 2.5761 weight
207207 (9) Students with disabilities – Category E..................114 5.1056 weight
208208 (10) Students identified as intellectually gifted...............115 0.3377 weight
209209 (11) Economically disadvantaged students..................116 0.0997 weight
210210 (12) English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) program117
211211 students..............................................118 0.2035 weight
212212 (c) For purposes of calculating the annual allotment of funds to each local school system,
213213 119
214214 the program weights may be carried to as many additional decimal places as needed and120
215215 may be varied from the weights stated in subsection (b) of this Code section, consistent121
216216 with cost-of-living adjustments granted by the General Assembly for salaried and122
217217 nonsalaried components, by not more than 1 1/2 percent.123
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220220 (d) The total funds needed for the Quality Basic Education Program for each local school
221221 124
222222 system shall be calculated annually. Such total shall represent the product of the following125
223223 calculations for each of the programs identified in subsection (b) of this Code section:126
224224 (1) Multiply the average full-time equivalent program count pursuant to subsection (b)127
225225 of Code Section 20-2-160 by the respective program weight established in subsection (b)128
226226 of this Code section;129
227227 (2) Multiply the product computed in paragraph (1) of this subsection by the base130
228228 amount as established in the General Appropriations Act; and131
229229 (3) Add the product computed in paragraph (2) of this subsection to the program132
230230 adjustment amount for training and experience for the instructional program in133
231231 accordance with subsection (e) of this Code section.134
232232 The process and associated components contained within this Code section shall be known135
233233 as the 'Quality Basic Education Formula.'136
234234 (e) The State Board of Education shall annually calculate for each instructional program137
235235 provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section for each local school system the amount138
236236 of additional funds needed beyond the amounts reflected in the base amount and the139
237237 program weights, in order to pay the state minimum salaries pursuant to Code140
238238 Section 20-2-212. The calculation of such additional amount shall be based on all141
239239 certificated professional personnel who were employed by the local school system as of the142
240240 month of October for the most recent year that these data are available; provided, however,143
241241 that the amount needed for training and experience for personnel funded through144
242242 categorical grants shall only be included in the appropriate categorical grant. The amount145
243243 shall be reported for each program identified in subsection (b) of this Code section for each146
244244 full-time equivalent program count date and by segment of the school day and for each147
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247247 categorical program. Such additional amount shall be known as 'program adjustment
248248 148
249249 amount for training and experience' and this amount shall be noted in total in the language149
250250 section of the General Appropriations Act each year.150
251251 (f) As the relative costs of the various program components will change over time and as151
252252 some components will need to be added or removed, the Governor shall appoint a task152
253253 force every three years for the purposes of reviewing the effectiveness of existing program153
254254 weights and recommending to the General Assembly any changes needed. This task force154
255255 shall be comprised of members or staff of the General Assembly, the State Board of155
256256 Education, the Governor's office, and representatives of local school systems."156
257257 SECTION 2.157
258258 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.158
259259 H. B. 796
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