Georgia State Board of Education
Local School Board Governance
Introduction
Senate Bill 84 (SB 84) was passed by the Georgia General Assembly in 2010. This bill provides for
various changes to Georgia law relating to local boards of education. Major revisions include the
following:
To revise provisions relating to the eligibility for election as a local board of education member;
To limit the size of local boards of education;
To revise provisions relating to per diem and expenses for local board members;
To provide for the fundamental role of local boards of education and local school superintendent;
To prohibit certain conflicts of interest of board members;
To provided for a code of ethics for local board of education members;
To provide for removal of board members under certain circumstances; and
To revise provisions relating to training of local board of education members.
State Board of Education Rule 160-5-1-.36 (Code BBB) Local School Board Governance was
adopted by the State Board of Education at its October 14, 2010 meeting. The effective date of
the rule is November 3, 2010. The rule requires the State Board of Education (SBOE) to adopt a
model code of ethics including conflicts of interest provisions. In addition, the rule requires the
SBOE to adopt a training program for members of local boards of education.
Local School Board Governance Standards was adopted by the State Board of Education at its
November 10, 2010 meeting. Consistent with its expectation of high standards and
accountability and its statutory authority, the SBOE began working on local board governance
standards in 2008. The main purpose of the development of local board governance standards is
to strengthen and undergird local control of school systems through the continuing development
of the highest quality public servants who model effective school board governance within their
communities. To this end, the “Standards” will be used to ensure alignment with training
frameworks and curricula designed to meet the “training” requirements for local school board
members required in SB 84.
Please see attachment below for the State Board of Education Rule 160-5-1-.36
Local School Board Governance