SB15 would expand coursework covering Black and African American history with a special emphasis on their contributions to American society. Something of a counterpoint to proposed legislation banning the teaching of “divisive concepts” to do with race, the bill would expand the teaching of Black history beyond slavery and the Civil Rights movement.
HB910 would give pay raises and bonuses to teachers and school employees. The Governor’s proposed budget allots $500,000 which would pay for across-the-board $5,000 raises to 100,000 state and University System of Georgia employees. Full-time teachers and staff in K-12 schools would receive a $2,000 bonus; part-timers would get $1,000. Teachers are expected to be offered a $2,000 raise in fiscal 2023.
SB449, aka the Parent’s Bill of Rights, would give parents the right to review all educational material used in their children’s school. The committee adjourned before all public comments could be taken but the chair assured those who wanted to comment that they would be able to have their say. Atop worries about increased teacher workload, creation of an adversarial relationship between parents and educators, and the vagueness of the legislation’s language, opponents are afraid that it could lead to grudge-motivated complaints
SB328, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-53, Chickamauga), a graduate of Gordon Lee High School, would disband the Georgia High School Association to rid it of its “evilness.” The bill would create a new association in charge of high school athletics. The GHSA upgraded the Senator’s alma mater from Class A to Class AA, making the Trojans less competitive. SB334 would overturn a decision by GHSA to combine Class A championship games between public and private school teams. Sen. Mullis does not want Gordon Lee to have to compete against private schools. As the chair of the Senate Rules Committee said, “Sometimes you produce legislation to make a better Georgia. Sometimes you produce legislation to get people’s attention.”
