ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Education announced its list of 2025 legislative priorities on Monday, and the items they’re looking to prioritize are split into three categories: Safety, Success and Support.
In a statement published along with the legislative priorities, Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods said Georgia’s public education system is “at a critical moment.”
According to the document, provided by GaDOE, Woods is seeking additional funding to have school resources officers in every school, as well as new crisis alert systems, plus enhanced record sharing between school districts, state agencies and local law enforcement.
“Our legislative priorities this year focus on steps we can take to ensure a safe, successful, supported education system – from enhancements to school safety to funding for ongoing literacy initiatives. I look forward to working with our partners in the General Assembly to pursue legislation that will benefit the students of our state,” Woods said in a statement.
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Among the other priorities listed, the Department of Education plans to request character education programs, as well as a goal of giving every Georgia fourth grader a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution.
The department will also be asking legislators to fund increased compensation for educators with leadership degrees, expansion of the return to work option for reading, math and special education, as well as the removal of a July 2026 sunsetting of the program., and an overall expansion of teacher salaries for those who have worked for more than 21 years.
Lawmakers are also being asked to set a statewide policy for cell phone use at schools to minimize distractions and bullying. Another legislative request announced by the department was a request for facilities funding to go to charter schools, among others.
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Channel 2 Action News has requested more information about the character education priority and is waiting for details.
Here is the full list of legislative priorities announced by the Georgia Department of Education, and how they were categorized.
Safe
- SROs. Fund a School Resource Officer in every school.
- Crisis Alert System. Fund a crisis alert system in every school.
- Mental Health. Expand the state’s APEX program in schools.
- Dedicated Safety Funding. Support and continue the flexibility of line-item school safety funding.
- Coordination. Fund a school safety coordinator position at GaDOE.
- Record Sharing. Establish policy that supports increased record sharing among school districts, state agencies, and law enforcement.
- Cell Phones. Establish statewide model policies for cell phone use that minimize instructional distractions and bullying, while providing appropriate access in safety and medical situations.
- Fentanyl Awareness Education and Narcan Funding. Protect students through increased awareness and access to life-saving resources.
Successful
- Literacy. Establish a Literacy Trust to support state literacy requirements, providing state funding to school districts for universal screeners, high-quality curricula, school-level coaches, training, implementation, and teacher stipends.
- Numeracy. Support the newly revised Georgia K-12 math standards to build upon early successes.
- Understanding Our Founding. Provide all fourth grade students with a pocket U.S. Constitution.
- Workforce Development. Fund summer Work-based Learning (WBL) opportunities. outfit CTAE labs offering high -demand career programs, support WBL for at-risk youth.
- Leadership Pipeline. Restore funding to increase compensation for educators who earn a leadership degree.
- Teacher Pipeline. Expand the Return to Work option to include reading, math, and special education as statewide high-need subject areas and remove the July 2026 sunset.
- Acknowledge Experienced & Dedicated Educators. Expand the teacher salary step increases beyond 21 years of service.
- Treat Teachers as Professionals. Secure a minimum number of personal days for teachers and classified staff. Fully Fund Education. Fully fund QBE.
Supported:
- Support Barrow County and Hurricane-Impacted Areas. Acknowledge the need for additional resources and supports for Barrow County Schools and schools impacted by Hurricane Helene.
- Modernize the Funding Formula. Modernize the QBE funding formula with a poverty weight, funding for technology, and updated funding weights for bus drivers, custodians, paraprofessionals, media specialists, substitutes, school nurses, school social workers, school counselors, and school psychologists.
- Make Afterschool Not an Afterthought. Fund afterschool and summer learning programs to expand instructional time, address learning loss, and support working families.
- Character Education. Fund character education programs.
- Connectivity & Cybersecurity. Continue providing critical PeachNet connectivity and cybersecurity tools to all schools, especially those in rural and low-wealth areas.
- Facilities. Provide facilities funding for charter schools.
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