Refugee and International Students Equalization (RISE) Program;

If this bill is passed, it will update the part of the Code of Georgia about the "Quality Basic Education Act."

• Code of Georgia: These are the rules or laws for the state of Georgia that say what people in Georgia can and cannot do.

• Quality Basic Education Act: A law in Georgia that explains how schools should be run and given money to give students a good, basic education.

This bill:

• Sets up the Refugee and International Students Equalization (RISE) program.

• Provides money and support for international and refugee students.

  • Refugee: A person who had to leave their home country because it was too dangerous to stay.

• Sets a program of 1.2000, which means it gets more money than other programs to support the students and teachers.

  • For every 7 students, there should be 1 teacher.

Definition of "international student" includes:

• School-age kids, whether or not they’re a citizen or not.

• Born outside the U.S.

• Currently living in Georgia.

• Enrolled in a public school in Georgia and starting for the first time in the last 36 months.

• Covers unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers, and refugee kids.

  • Unaccompanied minors: A person who had to leave their home country because it was too dangerous to stay

  • Asylum seekers: People who come to another country asking for protection because they are unsafe in their home country.

The State Board of Education will develop a program for international students, depending on the amount of money set aside by the General Assembly.

• State Board of Education: A group of people in Georgia who make rules and choices about how schools should work.

• General Assembly: The group of people elected to make laws in Georgia. It includes the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The goal of the program is to offer services (education, housing, healthcare, counseling, support getting healthy food, and transportation) to help international students do well in school.

The State Board of Education will set the rules and guides for which students can get these services.

If this bill passes, it changes part of the Georgia Code about the Quality Basic Education Formula, which is A system Georgia uses to figure out how much money each school should get based on the number of students and their needs.

If passed, the changes start on July 1, 2025, and will apply from the 2026-2027 school year on.

If this bill becomes law, it gets rid of any other laws that stop this one from working.