“In an unprecedented school year, I join all Georgians in thanking educators and school staff for going above and beyond to provide a quality education, nutrition, and learning resources to their students,” said Governor Kemp. “This year during Teacher Appreciation Week, I was proud to sign our Teacher Pipeline Package and other education legislation into law to strengthen Georgia’s commitment to our students, educators, and school staff.”

On May 4, 2021, Governor Kemp signed his teacher pipeline legislation, [SB 88](https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB88/2021), which:

  • Allows Georgia’s Teacher of the Year to serve as an ex officio member of the State Board of Education;
  • Encourages qualified veterans to teach;
  • Requires the Professional Standards Commission to establish standards and procedures for alternative and nontraditional teacher certification programs;
  • Provides additional coaching and mentoring for new teachers and teachers who need assistance to be effective in the classroom;
  • Adds undergraduate and graduate education courses for differentiated and literacy instruction; and
  • Promotes teaching as a career though the historically black colleges and universities in Georgia.

Last week Governor Kemp also signed [HB 32](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB32/2021), a bill that creates a tax credit for educators teaching in rural and high needs subjects.

These pieces of legislation join other significant achievements in education this year:

  • Governor Kemp and Superintendent Woods partnered to allocate a $1,000 bonus from federal coronavirus relief funds to school employees.
  • Governor Kemp and the General Assembly restored $567 million in school funding in the 2022 budget.