Rep. Dan Gasaway (R-Homer) represents the 28th GA House District. His district includes Stephens and Banks Counties and the southern end of Habersham.
Week six of the General Assembly was certainly one for the memory books for me, but not because of events under the Gold Dome. I, like many of you, spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday without electricity in my home. Because I respond to email at night, no electricity or internet for three days put me behind in responding to some of you. The power is back on now, and I thank all the EMC and Georgia Power employees locally, and from across our state, who came to our rescue. The weather didn’t affect business at the state capitol though. Here is an update on some of the progress made.
The House passed an important measure related to our state’s education system this week. House Bill 100 is designed to better ensure that children are developmentally prepared to begin school. This statute requires that a child be 5 years old by August 1 in order to be eligible to enroll in kindergarten, rather than the current date of September 1. This change will go into effect for the 2017-2018 school year. Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, the date will be July 1. Many schools across our state begin their school year the first week in August, which, under current law, means that children who are only 4 years old can enroll and begin kindergarten.
Some educators have expressed concern that younger students are sometimes not truly developmentally prepared or mature enough to begin kindergarten. These students who have never been in a classroom environment (Pre-K) can hinder the progress of the other older students in the class. Since school systems return to school earlier now than in years past, HB 100 simply aligns the age requirement date with the start date of the new school year. This legislation will provide children with a better opportunity for success throughout their educational careers by ensuring that they are well prepared and mature enough to begin that journey. Many have contacted me with concerns about this legislation. The initial effective dates were not thought through as well as they should have been by the author. I believe the new effective dates as passed will fix any concerns.
The House also passed and sent to the Governor’s desk HB 75, the supplemental budget for Fiscal Year July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015. House Bill 75 adjusts state funds by a positive $276.1 million to a total of $21.1 billion for the year ending June 30, 2015. The increase includes an additional $191.7 million for the mid-year adjustment for K-12 Education.
I enjoyed seeing young people from the community at the capitol this past week and I look forward to hosting many in the upcoming week.
Anyone with questions about these issues or any other issues before the General Assembly may reach me at 404-656-0325 or [email protected].
