As the new year begins, the Georgia Department of Education is turning its attention to the 2026 General Assembly, releasing a new list of legislative priorities aimed at shaping education policy under the Gold Dome.

The department’s agenda highlights several major focus areas, including school funding, campus safety, student wellbeing, literacy and mathematics achievement, workforce development, and staffing needs. State School Superintendent Richard Woods says the priorities are built around the GaDOE’s Student Bill of Rights, a framework tied to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary that outlines what the department calls every student’s fundamental right to a safe, well-rounded education.

Woods said the 2026 priorities “outline the next steps to ensure every Georgia student is prepared for life,” and he signaled the department will work with lawmakers to translate parts of the list into legislation during the session.

Each year, GaDOE releases a priorities list as a roadmap for discussions with legislators. Even with a long agenda, most items typically do not become law, but they often guide the broader debate and influence which bills get attention. One example is the ongoing effort to modernize Georgia’s Quality Basic Education funding formula, which determines state funding for local school systems. That goal was not completed last session and is now carried into 2026.

Still, officials point out that some priorities from last year did result in new laws, including additional funding for mental health services, new school safety initiatives, and a cell phone ban for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

This year’s priorities include proposals that would build on those measures—such as expanding the cell phone ban to include high school students, increasing mental health support funding, and providing resources aimed at ensuring every school has at least one student resource officer.

Woods said he looks forward to working with Governor Brian Kemp and lawmakers to continue building on Georgia’s education initiatives and advancing the state’s workforce and talent development goals.