Decatur board reviews draft 2026 legislative priorities emphasizing safety, mental health, funding and local authority

City Schools of Decatur on Oct. 14 reviewed a draft of the district’s 2026 legislative priorities, which district staff said will guide advocacy during the second year of the biennium in the Georgia General Assembly.

Chief of Communications M'Call Hartmaronga and Courtney Burnett presented four focus areas: safety and security; mental health; funding and local authority/governance. Staff recommended continuing priority items from past years — for example stable state funding for school safety grants and cybersecurity monitoring, opposition to the expansion of private-school tax credits and vouchers, and support for increased counselor funding to approach the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommendation of 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio (the district said state funding remains at 450:1).

Burnett said the district will work with the new lobbyist team (McGuireWoods and Gilbert Carroll) and host the district’s delegation at a legislative luncheon; she said the final priorities will be brought back to the board for adoption in November. The draft also included a new priority to protect and expand student voice in governance (for example, state frameworks allowing student board members under defined conditions), and repeated the district’s position opposing state actions that would override local boards of education.

Board members asked staff for clarifications on counselor-funding ratios, operational costs associated with safety grants, and expressed support for expanding student voice with technical assistance and possible state-level toolkit or funding support. Staff said many draft priorities remain repeated items from prior years and will be refined with feedback from the board and partners prior to a November adoption vote.

No formal action was taken on the priorities at the Oct. 14 work session; staff will return with a final draft for board consideration in November.