Lt.
Governor Burt Jones is prioritizing the expansion of school choice, fostering,
and safety measures for Georgia public schools in the 2025-2026 legislative
sessions. Key initiatives include expanding the Georgia Promise Scholarship to
foster families, supporting Senate Bill 446 for continued scholarship funding,
implementing strict school safety measures, and focusing on workforce
development through educational partnerships.
Key 2025-2026 Education Initiatives & Planning:
Georgia Promise Scholarship Expansion (SB 233/SB 446): Jones championed the Georgia Promise Scholarship, which provides funds for educational expenses outside the public school system. For the 2025-2026 sessions, he is focusing on expanding eligibility to foster children and securing permanent funding for these scholarships.
School Safety Measures: Following legislative action in early 2025, plans include mandatory mobile panic alert systems in schools, increased penalties for threats, and requiring high-needs schools to adopt positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS).
Workforce Development & Teacher Prep: Jones supports linking education to workforce needs, including fostering partnerships between businesses and schools. He also supports initiatives like the new elementary education program at Savannah State University.
Parental Rights and Curriculum: A central theme of his agenda is "putting parents in the driver's seat" of their children's education, emphasizing educational freedom and, as {Link: of Jan 2026 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUBNKk2gCOD/} indicated, continued support for school choice initiatives.
While there is active implementation of artificial intelligence curriculum (AI4GA) in some Georgia schools to improve digital literacy, Lt. Governor Jones' public, legislative priorities currently focus more on school choice, safety, and funding mechanisms.
Lt. Governor Burt Jones’ current plans for Georgia public school improvement focus heavily on expanding "school choice," enhancing safety infrastructure, and addressing the teacher shortage.
1.
Expansion of School Choice
Jones
has positioned school choice as a primary driver for school improvement,
arguing that empowering parents through competition forces schools to
improve.
Senate
Bill 446 (2026): Jones is prioritizing this bill to codify Georgia’s
permanent participation in a federal tax credit program for
scholarship-granting organizations.
Foster
Care Expansion: He is championing Senate Bill 152, which would expand
the Georgia
Promise Scholarship to
include biological and adoptive children of foster parents, providing $6,500
for private tuition or tutoring.
Funding Restoration: He has pledged to restore $100 million to the Promise Scholarship program after it was previously cut in House budget proposals.
2.
School Safety Enhancements
Following
major security concerns, Jones is backing several "practical
initiatives" to harden school campuses:
"Alyssa’s
Law": A priority to require all public schools to install mobile
panic alarm systems linked directly to emergency responders.
Security
Grants: Support for $50 million in one-time safety grants for
school systems to use for their specific security needs.
Stricter Penalties: Pushing for legislation that tries juveniles as adults for attempted homicides or terroristic threats directed at schools.
3.
Teacher Workforce & Literacy
Jones
is addressing the "formative years" of education by targeting teacher
shortages and early reading:
Teacher
Pipeline: He recently supported expanding Savannah
State University’s teacher education program to specifically combat the
shortage of elementary school teachers.
Literacy Support: He supports the Georgia Literacy Act of 2026 (HB 1193), which invests in literacy coaches and aligns school curriculum with the "science of reading" to ensure proficiency by the end of third grade.
4.
Other Key Initiatives
Vocational
Training: Prioritizing funding for technical education labs in
high schools to equip students for high-demand workforce careers.
Mental
Health: Allocating nearly $50 million for student mental health
support and crisis counseling.
Curriculum Oversight: Continuing to advocate for a ban on "divisive concepts" (critical race theory) and emphasizing civics-based education.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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