Gold Dome Update 

Highlights from the House

2022 has been quite a year for our school aged children as we celebrate the much awaited “return to normalcy.” School events and extracurricular activities have resumed, all Georgia children have the opportunity for in person learning and we have taken steps to ensure personal liberties and freedoms are kept intact for parents to choose the best course of action where the health of their child is concerned. For the last few years, we have been learning, evaluating, and processing how to properly handle the unprecedented impact the pandemic would have in all facets of our society. 

During COVID, and beyond, we watched many advocates push for closed schools, masked children and distance learning that DID NOT work for parents or students. There is no doubt that as time passes, we now see how those policies would have been detrimental to all, highlighting that we made the right decisions in Georgia in the best interests of our children and their development. Mental health issues, which include a rise of depression and suicidal thoughts have plagued our school aged children while standardized tests have seen a huge decline in comparison of the same tests given in 2019, prior to the pandemic. Can you Imagine how much worse off we would be in Georgia had we continued the “lockdowns?”

 

Despite pressures from opposition, our state leadership took bold initiatives to keep our schools open, unmask our children and protect parental rights. While these examples are obvious, I challenge you to take a closer look at the numerous strides we have made in the last few years to increase the educational opportunities within our state. Truth be told, we have long been taking bold initiatives and steps to better our educational systems through innovative ideas, going against the traditional train of thought that one size “fits all,” especially where education is concerned. Below I have taken the liberty of highlighting for you the many ways our conservative leadership has changed our educational systems for the better.

 

Fully funded our K-12 public schools,

giving teachers a $5,000 pay-raise.

 

Passed legislation to limit our testing requirements,

allowing teachers to teach.

 

Increased transparency in local school curriculum.

 

Protected the rights of parents and their ability to voice

concerns within their local school systems.


Expanded opportunities for work experience through private partnerships with Georgia businesses.

 

Incentivized career and technical training through dual enrollment and career, technical, and agricultural education programs.


 

Want to learn in more detail how we have improved our systems over the last four years?

 


2019

House Bill 59 allows parents or guardians on active duty to pre-enroll a student in a K-12 school when official military orders to transfer into or within the state of Georgia are received. 

Senate Bill 25 seeks to increase safety for students by clarifying that drivers must stop for school buses on roadways separated by a grass median, unpaved area, or physical barrier.

Senate Bill 60 creates the ‘Jeremy Nelson and Nick Blakley Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act’, which would require the Department of Education to develop and publish guidelines for dealing with cardiac arrest.

 


2020

House Bill 444 also known as the Dual Enrollment Act; limits the number of credit hours the dual enrollment program will fund to 30 hours. Under the provisions of this bill, grade-level participation is limited to 11th and 12th graders; however, to continue producing a skilled workforce, 10th grade students may participate in dual enrollment courses provided by the Technical College System of Georgia.

 

Senate Bill 367 eliminates the fifth-grade end-of-grade social studies assessment and reduces the number of end-of-course assessments in high school from eight to four. Further, school systems must administer the state required end-of-grade assessment for grades three through eight within 25 school days of the last day of school.

 


2021

HB 32 creates an income tax credit for a teacher recruitment and retention program managed by the State Board of Education. Eligible teachers include those with a bachelor's degree in education from a postsecondary institution in Georgia that has a teacher certification program certified by the PSC. Additionally, a teacher must accept their first school-year contract in the 2021-2022 school year in a high-need subject area in a rural school or a school that performed in the lowest five percent of schools in this state and must hold a valid five-year induction or professional certificate from the PSC.

 

SB 88 allows the Georgia teacher of the year to serve as advisor ex-officio to the State Board of Education. Under the provisions of this bill, local school systems are required to support a pathway for non-traditional teacher certification programs for armed forces veterans to become certified teachers. This legislation further revises the tiered evaluation system and requires the Professional Standards Commission to create innovative programs to promote teacher education programs at historically black colleges and universities.

 

SB 42 allows home study students to participate in extracurricular and interscholastic activities within the student's resident public school system. SB 42 describes the eligibility requirements for participation, notably, that students must register for a course within their resident school 30 days before the beginning of the semester the activity will take place.


HB 606 will allow the inclusion of the Georgia Independent School Association in the list of accepted accrediting agencies for the purposes of establishing HOPE eligibility for private high schools.

 

SB 66 creates a nonprofit corporation in order to receive private donations to fund grants to public schools. Grants given will be awarded for the implantation of academic and organizational innovations to improve student achievement. This legislation also authorizes an income tax credit for education donations.

 

SB 153 directs the General Assembly to study alternative education models and funding focused on dropout prevention, high school credit recovery, and education services of adult and incarcerated students during 2021 and 2022 and make recommendations back to the General Assembly upon conclusion.

 

SB 246 adds 'The Learning Pod Protection Act,' which exempts learning pods from being regulated by state, local, or local school systems when the student's primary educational program is offered through remote virtual learning.

 


2022

HB 385 allows Retired educators are welcome to return to work as we actively work to decrease our current teaching shortage

 

HB 911 restores pandemic cuts, brings about a much-deserved teaching pay raise and allows for a historic investment into our K-12 education systems.

 

SB 397 benefits Students through new developed Diplomas Voucher Bill.

 

HB 1331 Streamlines Workforce Readiness Programs.

 

HB 1435 Streamlines student access loans.

 

SB 220 will guarantee that our high school students will receive a course in financial literacy. 

As you can see, much has been accomplished over the past few years where education is concerned. We are fully committed to ensuring our children are prepared to take the next steps, no matter where their path leads. As your Representative, I look forward to hearing from you on how we can better our policies to benefit our state and her citizens. Thank you for allowing us the honor of serving as your voice under the Gold Dome as we work towards simple, smart and effective government. May God bless you and may He continue to bless the great state of Georgia! 


Respectfully,

Shaw Blackmon

Representative of Georgia's 146th House District

 

Representative Shaw Blackmon

District 146


Email: Shaw.Blackmon@house.ga.gov

Phone: 404-463-7583

Address: 133 State Capitol

Atlanta, Georgia 30334



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