The Georgia General Assembly concluded the 2026 legislative session on Tuesday, April 2. The session included several notable wins for charter schools, along with a few legislative challenges, despite sustained advocacy efforts. Below are key highlights and areas where progress fell short.
Wins:
Senate Bill 369 (HB 1257 Provisions)
SB 82 Cleanup
Senate bill 369 contains language, drafted by the State Charter Schools Commission. The legislation builds on SB 82 and strengthens the framework for rulemaking and incentive grants. Senate Bill 82, which passed during the 2025 legislative session, addresses the state’s charter school access issue by incentivizing local school districts to approve more charter schools and holding districts accountable if they repeatedly deny high-quality charter petitions.
Drop-out Recovery Schools Provision
Adds a new definition for “completion charter schools,” recognizing them as schools specifically designed to serve students who are off-track for graduation or need alternative pathways.
Creates a tailored framework of rules and standards for these schools, rather than holding them to the exact same model as traditional charter schools.
Allows existing charter schools to convert into completion charter schools if they choose to focus on this student population.
Establishes separate performance expectations, acknowledging that success metrics for re-engaging and graduating at-risk students should differ from traditional academic benchmarks.
Multi-School Governance Provision
The bill includes a provision to create a scalable charter school governance model, by allowing the same governing board to oversee both the nonprofit organization and the school. This legislation enables a centralized structure that can extend across multiple campuses. Instead of building a brand-new board for every school, an organization can replicate its model under one aligned governing body—making expansion faster and more consistent. The bill signals thoughtful growth of proven models, which can attract strong organizations to invest and expand in Georgia.
Virtual School Athletic Participation
The legislation allows virtual school students to participate in athletics at their zoned brick-and-mortar schools. This language was originally part of HB 1218 sponsored by Rep. Robert Flournoy.
Losses:
Senate Bill 498
Senate Bill 498, sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon, was championed by GCSA and would have created the Georgia Charter School Facilities Authority to help charter schools address significant challenges in financing facilities by supporting construction and renovation projects through revolving loans and other funding. The bill passed the Senate, cleared the House Education Committee, and was approved by the full House after its language was added to House Bill 1396. It then required a final “agree” vote from the Senate to reach final passage. Despite support in both chambers, time ran out on the final day of the session.
House Bill 1308
HB 1308, sponsored by Rep. Debra Silcox, would have improved charter school access to unused district-owned facilities.
Senate bill 475
SB 475, sponsored by Sen. RaShaun Kemp, promoted fair treatment of charter schools in ESPLOST (Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) awards.
As always, we’re grateful to our member schools, and we will continue to keep you informed about any future developments or advocacy efforts.
