Senate subcommittee hears bill to expand early-literacy coaches, training and screening but takes no vote

A Senate subcommittee on Appropriations heard testimony on House Bill 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, which seeks to expand statewide early-literacy services by adding roughly 1,313 school-based literacy coaches paid through QBE and establishing new review and governance structures; no vote was taken at the hearing.

The bill sponsor told senators the measure aims to get more third graders reading on grade level and to align classroom instruction to the “science of reading,” arguing that early mastery of reading will improve lifetime outcomes and the state’s economic prospects. “Reading helps us dream big,” the sponsor said while outlining the bill’s goals.

Provisions and funding The bill would direct approximately $31.2 million in QBE funds in fiscal year 2027 as a first-year allocation to support school-based literacy coaches, which sponsors described as a down payment toward a statewide complement of about 1,313 coaches. A presenter for the bill provided a line-item breakdown that repurposes roughly $18.4 million already appropriated, and included smaller allocations: $150,000 for professional learning through the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), $330,000 to support review of high-quality…