GEORGIA CONSTITUTION OF 1976
(text as ratified by Georgia voters on November 2, 1976)

 

 

ARTICLE VIII.

EDUCATION

SECTION I.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Paragraph I. System of Common Schools; Free Tuition. The provision of an adequate education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia, the expense of which shall be provided for by taxation.

SECTION II.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Paragraph I. State Board of Education; Method of Appointment. There shall be a State Board of Education, composed of one member from each Congressional District in the State, who shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Governor shall not be a member of the State Board of Education. The members in office on the effective date of this Constitution shall serve out the remainder of their respective terms. Thereafter, all succeeding appointments shall be for seven year terms from the expiration of the various term. Vacancies upon said Board caused by expiration of term of office shall be similarly filled by appointment and confirmation. In case of a vacancy on said Board by death, resignation, or from any other cause other than the expiration of such member's term of office, the Board shall by secret ballot elect his successor, who shall hold office until the end of the next session of the General Assembly, or if the General Assembly be then in session to the end of that session. During such session of the General Assembly the Governor shall appoint the successor member of the Board for the unexpired term and shall submit his name to the Senate for confirmation. All members of the Board shall hold office until their successors are appointed and qualified. The members of the State Board of Education shall be citizens of this State who shall have resided in Georgia continuously for at least five years preceding their appointment. No person employed in a professional capacity by a private or public education institution, or by the State Department of Education, shall be eligible for appointment or to serve on said Board. No person who is or has been connected with or employed by a school book publishing concern shall be eligible to membership on the Board, and if any person shall be so connected or employed after becoming a member of the Board, his place shall immediately become vacant. The said State Board of Education shall have such powers and duties as provided by law and existing at the time of the adoption of the Constitution of 1945, together with such further powers and duties as may now or hereafter be provided by law.

SECTION III.

STATE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT

Paragraph I. State School Superintendent; Election, Term, Etc. There shall be a State School Superintendent, who shall be the executive officer of the State Board of Education, elected at the same time and in the same manner and for the same term as that of the Governor. The State School Superintendent shall have such qualifications and shall be paid such compensation as may be fixed by law. No member of the State Board of Education shall be eligible for election as State School Superintendent during the time for which he shall have been appointed.

SECTION IV.

BOARD OF REGENTS

Paragraph I. University System of Georgia; Board of Regents. There shall be a Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and the government, control, and management of the University System of Georgia and all of its institutions in said system shall be vested in said Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Said Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia shall consist of one member from each Congressional District in the State, and five additional members from the State-at-large, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Governor shall not be a member of the said Board. The members in office on the effective date of this Constitution shall serve out the remainder of their respective terms. Thereafter all succeeding appointments shall be for seven year terms from the expiration of the previous term. Vacancies upon said Board caused by expiration of term of office shall be similarly filled by appointment and confirmation. In case of a vacancy on said Board by death, resignation of a member, or from any other cause other than the expiration of such member's term of office, the Board shall by secret ballot elect his successor, who shall hold office until the end of the next session of the General Assembly, or if the General Assembly be then in session to the end of that session. During such session of the General Assembly the Governor shall appoint the successor member of the Board for the unexpired term and shall submit his name to the Senate for confirmation. All members of the Board of Regents shall hold office until their successors are appointed. The said Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia shall have the powers and duties as provided by law existing at the time of the adoption of the Constitution of 1945, together with such further powers and duties as may now or hereafter be provided by law.

SECTION V.

LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS

Paragraph I. School Districts. Authority is granted to county and area boards of education to establish and maintain public schools within their limits. The General Assembly may, by special or local law, provide for consolidation and merger of any two or more county school districts, independent school systems, or any portion or combination thereof, into a single area school district under the control and management of an area board of education. No such consolidation or merger shall become effective until approved by a majority of the voters voting in each of the school districts or school systems affected in a referendum held thereon in each school district or school system being consolidated or merged, provided 51% of the registered voters in each district or system concerned shall vote in such election and provided a majority of said voters voting shall vote in the affirmative. Any area school district so established shall constitute a separate political subdivision of this State, and the school districts or school systems or portions thereof incorporated therein shall stand abolished, and title to all school properties and assets therein shall vest in the area board ofeducation [sic].

Paragraph II. Boards of Education. Except as provided in Paragraph I of this section, each county, exclusive of any independent school system now in existence in a county, shall compose one school district and shall be confined to the control and management of a County Board of Education.

(a) Except as may now or hereafter be provided by any local or special law adopted pursuant to the provisions of subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph or as provided in any local constitutional amendment applicable to any county school district, the Grand Jury of each county shall select five citizens of their respective counties, who shall constitute the County Board of Education. The members of any such County Board of Education in office on the effective date of this Constitution shall serve out the remainder of their respective terms. Thereafter, all succeeding appointments shall be for five-year terms from the expiration of the previous term. In case of a vacancy on any such County Board of Education by death, resignation of a member, or from any other cause other than the expiration of such member's term of office, the remaining members of such County Board of Education shall by secret ballot elect his successor, who shall hold office until the next Grand Jury convenes at which time said Grand Jury shall appoint the successor member of such County Board of Education for the unexpired term. The members of any such County Board of Education of any such county shall be selected from that portion of the county not embraced within the territory of an independent school district.

(b) Notwithstanding provisions contained in subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph or in any local constitutional amendment applicable to any county school district, the number of members of a county board of education, their term of office, residence requirements, compensation, manner of election or appointment, and the method for filling vacancies occurring on said boards, may be changed by local or special law conditioned upon approval by a majority of the qualified voters of the county school district voting in a referendum thereon. Members of county boards of education shall have such powers and duties and such further qualifications as may be provided by law.

(c) The number of members of an area board of education, their manner of election or appointment, their terms, residence requirements, qualifications, powers, duties and the method for filling vacancies on said boards shall be as provided by law enacted pursuant to Paragraph I of this section. Subsequent to the creation of an area school district, the number and manner of election or appointment of members of the area board of education and method for filling vacancies occurring on said boards, and their terms of office and residence requirements may be changed by local or special law, conditioned upon approval by a majority of the qualified voters in each of the original political subdivisions of the area school district voting in a referendum thereon. Members of area boards of education shall have such powers, duties, and further qualifications as provided by law.

(d) The General Assembly shall have authority to make provision for local trustees of each school in a county system and confer authority upon them to make recommendations as to budgets and employment of teachers and other authorized employees.

Paragraph III. Meetings of Boards of Education. All official meetings of County or Area Boards of Education shall be open to the public.

Paragraph IV. Power of Boards to Contract With Each Other. Any two or more county boards of education, independent school systems, or area boards of education, or any combination thereof, may contract with each other for the case, education, and transportation of pupils and for such other activities as they may be authorized by law to perform.

Paragraph V. School Superintendent. There shall be a school superintendent of each school district, who shall be the executive officer of the board of education.

(a) Except as may now or hereafter be provided by any local or special law adopted pursuant to the provisions of subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph or as provided in any local constitutional amendment applicable to any county school superintendent, the county school superintendent shall be elected by the people and his term of office shall be for four years and run concurrently with other county officers. The qualifications and the salary of the County School Superintendent shall be fixed by law.

(b) Notwithstanding provisions contained in subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph or in any local constitutional amendment applicable to any county school superintendent, the term of office of County school superintendents, their residence requirements and the method of their election or appointment may be changed by local or special laws conditioned upon approval by a majority of the qualified voters of the county school district voting in a referendum thereon. County school superintendents shall have such qualifications, powers, duties and compensation as may be provided by law.

(c) The manner of election or appointment, the qualifications, term of office, residence requirements, powers, duties and compensation of any area school district superintendent shall be as provided by law enacted pursuant to Paragraph I of this section. Subsequent to the

creation of an area school district, the manner of election or appointment of the area school superintendent, and his tenure, and residence requirements, may be changed by local or special law, conditioned upon approval by a majority of the qualified voters in each of the original political subdivisions of the area school district voting in a referendum thereon. Area school superintendents shall have such powers, duties, and further qualifications as provided by law.

Paragraph VI. Independent Systems Continued; New Systems Prohibited. Authority is hereby granted to municipal corporations to maintain existing independent school systems, and support the same as authorized by special or general law, and such existing systems may add thereto colleges. No independent school system shall hereafter be established.

Paragraph VII. Certain Systems Protected. Public school system established prior to the adoption of the Constitution of 1877 shall not be affected by this Constitution.

SECTION VI.

GRANTS, BEQUESTS AND DONATIONS

Paragraph I. Grants, Bequests and Donations Permitted. The State Board of Education and the Regents of the University System of Georgia may accept bequests, donations and grants of land, or other property for the use of their respective systems of education.

Paragraph II. Grants, Bequests and Donations to County and Area Boards of Education and Independent School Systems. County and Area Boards of Education and independent school systems may accept bequests, donations and grants of land, or other property, for the use of their respective systems of education.

SECTION VII.

LOCAL TAXATION FOR EDUCATION

Paragraph I. Local Taxation for Education. The fiscal authority of each county shall annually levy a school tax for the support and maintenance of education, not greater than twenty mills per dollar as certified to it by the county board of education, upon the assessed value of all taxable property within the county located outside any independent school system or area school district therein. The independent school system of Chatham County and the City of Savannah being co-extensive with said county, the levy of said tax shall be on all property in said county as recommended by the governing body of said system. The certification to be made by an Area Board of Education to the fiscal authorities of the territories comprising an area school district shall be in such amount and within such limits as may be prescribed by local law applicable thereto, and upon such certification being made it shall be the duty of such fiscal authorities to levy such tax in accordance with such certification, but such levy shall not be greater than twenty mills per dollar upon the assessed value of the taxable property therein. School tax funds shall be expended only for the support and maintenance of public schools, public education, and activities necessary or incidental thereto, including school lunch purposes. The twenty mill limitation provided for herein shall not apply to those counties now authorized to levy a school tax in excess thereof.

Paragraph II. Increasing or Removing Tax Rate. The twenty mill limitation provided in Paragraph I above may be removed or increased in a county and in territories comprising an area school district under the procedure set out hereinafter. The county or area board of education, in order to instigate the procedure, must pass a resolution recommending that the limitation be removed and upon presentation of such resolution to the judge of the probate court or to the proper authorities of territories comprising an area school district, as the case may be, it shall be their duty, within ten days of receipt of the resolution to issue the call of an election to determine whether such limitation shall be removed. The election shall be set to be held on a date not less than twenty nor more than thirty days from the date of the issuance of the call and shall have the date and purpose of the election published in the official organ of the county or counties once a week for two weeks preceding the date of the election. If a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly voting in such election vote in favor of such proposal, there shall be no limitation in such county or in such territories comprising the area school district and the county or area board of education may recommend any number of mills for the purposes set out in Paragraph I above. In lieu of recommending that the limitation be removed entirely, the county or area board of education may recommend that it be increased and shall specify the amount in the resolution. The election provisions for increase shall be the same as for removal and if the proposal is favorably voted upon the county or area board of education may recommend any number of mills up to the specified amount. It shall be the duty of the judge of the probate court or the proper authorities, as the case may be, to hold the election, to canvass the returns and declare the results. It shall also be their duty to certify the results to the Secretary of State. The expense of the election shall be borne by the county or by the territories comprising an area school district, as the case may be.

SECTION VIII.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

Paragraph I. Freedom of Association. Freedom from compulsory association at all levels of public education shall be preserved inviolate. The General Assembly shall by taxation provide funds for an adequate education for the citizens of Georgia.

SECTION IX.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS

Paragraph I. Special School; Creation; Taxes and Bonds. The board of education of any county, area school district or independent school system, or any combination thereof, may establish, pursuant to local law enacted by the General Assembly, one or more area schools, including special schools such as vocational trade schools, schools for exceptional children, and schools for adult education, in one or more such political subdivisions; provide [sic], however, that the establishment and operation of such schools pursuant to such local law, and any subsequent amendments thereof, shall be first approved by a majority of the voters thereon in each of the school districts or systems affected thereby in separate referendums held in the manner provided by law. The government, powers and duties of boards of education participating in the establishment or operation of such schools and respecting such schools shall be defined in the local law authorizing the same, and such participating political subdivision shall be authorized to incur bonded indebtedness and to require the levy of school tax funds required for the establishment and operation of such schools in such amount and manner as shall be provided in such local law. Schools established pursuant to provisions of this section shall be operated in conformity with regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education pursuant to provisions of law. The State is hereby authorized to expend funds for the support and maintenance of such schools in such amount and manner as may be provided by law. Special schools, including vocational trade schools, established prior to November 8, 1966, pursuant to the amendment to Article VII, Section VI, Paragraph I of the Constitution of 1945 proposed by a resolution approved March 17, 1960 (Ga. L. 1960, p. 1259) and ratified on November 8, 1960, shall not be affected by this Paragraph; any political subdivision which established such a school is hereby authorized to levy taxes for the support of such school regardless of whether it is located within the territorial limits of such subdivision and any such political subdivision is hereby authorized to incur bonded indebtedness for the support of, or acquisition and construction of facilities for such school. Any such bonded indebtedness shall be incurred pursuant to provisions of Article IX, section VII of this Constitution and the laws of this State relative to incurring other bonded indebtedness. The State is hereby authorized to expend funds for the support of such established schools in such amount and manner as may be provided by law.

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