Legislative Priorities

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The Atlanta Board of Education advocates for the following priorities for legislative action in the 2026 session of the 158th Georgia General Assembly, as well as for policy action by the Georgia State Board of Education and Department of Education. The Board also affirms guiding principles to assist our legislative representatives in responding to other issues that arise during the session.

First Reading - 12/3/2025

2026 Legislative Priorities

Equitable Funding

Provide equitable, student-centered education funding, including continued full funding of QBE and updating of the state school funding formula to include weights for poverty
• Monitor federal disinvestment in PreK-12 public schools and advocate for increased state funding to replace federal resources (Title 1 funding, MTSS and PBIS programs, supports to students with disabilities, etc.)
• Appropriate to school systems adequate funding, including continued full funding of Quality Basic Education.
• Require local fiscal impact statements on all legislation creating new mandates or programs for school systems and all legislation impacting education funding.
• Delay the implementation of any legislation impacting funding or creating new mandates/programs to provide schools and districts with at least one (1) year to adjust budgets, reduce costs and implement.
• Oppose legislative proposals that would divert public school funds away from public schools.
• Provide for dedicated state funding of K-12 literacy instruction, coaching, professional learning and middle and high school literacy remediation.

Protect Local School Board Governance

Protect the governance role of local boards of education
• Advocate for the passage of local legislation that will update the Charter of the Atlanta Independent School System to remove residency requirements for certain district employees and change the reporting structure for the Internal Audit and Board of Education Office functions.
• Monitor legislative proposals impacting the authority of school boards over Superintendent hiring.
• Protect the role of local boards of education in selecting instructional and library materials.
• Provide input on legislative proposals related to reforms to school district financial safeguards.
• Monitor legislative proposals for changes to state assessment requirements.
• Monitor state legislative and agency action on curriculum standards.

Protect APS Property Tax Base

Protect the Atlanta Public Schools property tax base to support quality instruction for all students
• Promote the responsibility of all citizens for funding public schools, which provide a common good for our community.
• Support legislation addressing commercial property digests as a resource for school funding.
First Reading – 12/3/2025
• Protect APS’s ability to raise funds to support educational equity among its schools.
• Support the passage of legislation that requires measured, incremental corrections of undervalued property assessments.
• Provide for closer state scrutiny of county tax assessment procedures and their impact on public school funding.

Maximize Resources for Local School District

Prioritize Universal Pre-K

Prioritize early childhood education to provide state funding for universal Pre-K
• Identify permanent, stable funding sources to expand Georgia prekindergarten to all eligible four-year-olds.
• Provide for weights in pre-kindergarten lotteries for educationally disadvantaged
students, at the discretion of the program operator.
• Support birth-to-three programs that are aligned with Pre-K to 3rd grade literacy goals.
• Increase access to high-quality early childhood education opportunities for low-income families.
• Provide for a consistent, high-quality statewide evaluation system for Pre-K and early childhood educators.

Monitor recommendations of legislative study committees

Local School District Autonomy and Flexibility

Strengthen the Teacher Pipeline and Quality

Strengthen the teacher pipeline and teacher quality by providing resources for recruitment and retention (i.e., certification flexibility, compensation, affordable benefits and reliable retirement)
• Advocate for passage of HB 310, the Student Teacher Promotion Act.
• Allow school social workers to receive credit on the state salary schedule for the advanced clinical licensure (LCSW) degree.

Address Inequalities in Education

Strategically support legislation addressing inequities impacting public school students and families
• Increase state funding of services and supports for students with disabilities.
• Advocate for the expansion of Medicaid in order to allow federal reimbursement to public school districts for the provision of certain health services in schools.
• Protect the civil rights of students and school district employees.

School Security and Safety Enhancements

Guiding Principles

Adequate Support for Schools and Teachers

Effective teachers and leaders are the most critical factor in achieving the Atlanta Public Schools’ mission to graduate students ready for college, career and life.

The Atlanta Board of Education supports measures to attract, retain, and develop effective teachers and leaders. Additionally, in order to improve student performance, the Atlanta Board of Education supports an accountability system that ensures that all students are ready for college and careers.
Accountability should be balanced with appropriate support for schools and teachers and should be focused on student academic growth and graduation rates rather than on punitive actions toward schools, teachers and students. Accountability systems should also balance the need for timely data with the imperative to give teachers the maximum amount of instructional time for teaching and learning. Mandated assessments should be fewer and smarter, exemplifying the following principles: worth taking, high quality, time-limited, fair—and supportive of fairness—in equity in educational opportunity, fully transparent to students and parents, one of multiple measures, and tied to improved learning.

Strong Public School Options

The Atlanta Board of Education believes in strong, high quality public school choices for families and opposes legislation and mandates that divert public resources to for-profit entities, private schools and home study.

Providing strong choice options and investing in innovation requires that districts have stability in the policy framework to support quality planning. The Atlanta Board of Education requests that the General Assembly and the state limit unnecessary mid-stream changes to state initiatives.

Local Control & Flexibility

The unique challenges of educating urban students require solutions tailored to the Atlanta context.

The Atlanta Board of Education believes that the school district is in the best position to make decisions that affect our schools and communities such as resource allocation, the school calendar, curriculum development, the use of school facilities, and conditions of employment for personnel. The Atlanta Board of Education opposes actions that limit the constitutional authority and autonomy of local school boards and supports actions that provide flexibility in local decision-making. The Board also opposes actions that limit the flexibility provided to Georgia charter systems and charter schools.