The City Schools of Decatur Board of Education advocates on behalf of Decatur Schools on issues that impact Decatur students and matters of federal and state education policy.

Advocacy in the 2022 legislative session:

• Board members attended hearings and shared their opposition to SB 375, SB 377, HB 888, and HB 1084. Click here to view the Board's letter to the legislators that represent the City of Decatur. 

Over the course of the 2021 legislative session, the Board advocated for the following issues:

• SB 292 - Senior Homestead Exemption

  • Once SB 292 has been signed by Governor Kemp, the exemptions will be on the November 2021 ballot. If approved by City of Decatur voters, the exemptions will go into effect on January 1, 2022, and remain in effect through 2023. Due to the last-minute decrease in the sunset provision, the Board will work with the DeKalb delegation to address that in a future legislative session.

  • The House amended the bill to sunset after two years instead of the typical 5-years

  • The House did not capture every detail negotiated between CSD and Dekalb

• SB 293 - City Schools of Decatur Annexation Process
  • Related to SB 293, the HR 222, created by the House, creates a Study Committee on Annexation and Cityhood. The committee will be composed of five members of the House, who will be appointed by the Speaker and will be dissolved on December 1, 2021. The findings and recommendations of this study committee will likely result in the introduction of legislation in the 2022 legislative session.

• SB 59 - Charter System Funding
  • Keeps state funding levels for charter systems in place while allowing charter systems to earn 3.785% of the base amount for each full-time student.

These bills completed the legislative process and have been signed into law by Governor Kemp.