GOSA proposes $9 million for 'Top State for Talent', seeks to sunset Governor's School Leadership Academy

Fran Dondor, executive director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, told the committee the office's amended fiscal 2026 budget and the governor's requested fiscal 2027 budget include focused one-time and operational changes aimed at workforce and literacy goals. "My name is Fran Dondor. I am the executive director of the governor's office of student achievement," she said, introducing the presentation and turning it over to Jackie Lundberg, the office's chief operating officer.

GOSA asked for $9,000,000 in one-time salary and implementation funds to support startup costs, vendor contracts and staff related to the governor's "Top State for Talent" initiative, which Lundberg described as an anticipated package to be carried by the legislature next week. "This is the work of the governor's education and workforce strategy team...implementation cost of 9,000,000," Lundberg said.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed for more detail about the initiative's specifics and timing, but GOSA said the administration intends to file legislation soon and that some details remain with the governor's team. Leader Wade said Representative Matthew will carry the bill on the floor.

Alongside new investments, GOSA proposed reductions and one-time lapses that affect the amended budget. The office recommends returning $314,719 tied to three positions that were eliminated through attrition in the Governor's School Leadership Academy; GOSA leaders characterized the proposal as a sunsetting of the decade-old program. "It has been a decade-old program...we have seen the decline in participation," Fran Dondor said, arguing the program is personnel-heavy relative to statewide reach.

GOSA also reported timing-based savings of $282,688 from a universal screener contract that led to a delay in implementation, and about $46,142 from an unfilled position. The office proposed eliminating a prior one-time $1,500,000 research allocation tied to its unified literacy plan's second phase. GOSA said the America250 literacy funds—requested before the current executive team—are intended as a one-time collaborative effort with Georgia Reads and library partners to support literacy around the nation's 250th anniversary.

What happens next: Committee members said they would wait for the formal bill drop before debating the Top State for Talent details; GOSA committed to providing any additional requested documentation. The committee took no formal votes during the presentation.