TITLE 20 EDUCATION

Section 2. Elementary and Secondary Education, 20-2-1 through 20-2-2180.

ARTICLE 6 QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION

20-2-167.1. Public meetings on proposed annual operating budget; notice; electronic copies; exception for certain nonprofits.

1. As used in this Code section, the term:
   1. "Governing body" means the local board of education, governing council, governing board, or other entity by whatever name responsible for creating and implementing the budget of a local education agency.
   2. "Local education agency" means any local school system and any charter school subject to the provisions of Article 31 or 31A of this chapter, except this shall not include college and career academies that are charter schools; conversion charter schools, as defined in Code Section 20-2-2062, whose charter is not held by a nonprofit corporation; or system charter schools, as defined in Code Section 20-2-2062.
2. Each governing body shall hold at least two public meetings, which shall not occur within the same week, for the purpose of providing an opportunity for public input on its proposed annual operating budget before adopting any budget; provided, however, that any other public meeting or hearing held that is related to the budget as required by law shall satisfy all or a portion of such requirement. The governing body of a charter school with a state-wide attendance zone and students residing in 25 percent or more of Georgia's counties or in three or more counties which are not geographically contiguous shall conduct one such public meeting virtually and one such public meeting in the county in which its primary business office is located. The public meetings shall be advertised in a local newspaper of general circulation which shall be the same newspaper in which other legal announcements of the board of education are advertised.
3. A summary of the annual operating budget proposed by the governing board and the annual operating budget adopted by the governing board shall be posted on a publicly available area of such governing body's website. The summary of the annual operating budget adopted by the governing body shall be maintained on such publicly available area of the website until the annual operating budget for the next fiscal year is adopted by the governing body. In the event a governing body elects to post the line item detailed proposed and adopted annual operating budgets on a publicly available area of its website, it shall be deemed in compliance with this subsection.
4. Upon request, each governing body shall provide to any person an electronic copy of the line item detailed adopted annual operating budget in a format suitable for analysis at no cost within three business days of such request, and the summary of the budget required by subsection (c) of this Code section shall give notice of such right.
5. The provisions of this Code section shall not be construed to apply to the operating budget or accounting records of a nonprofit corporation itself that operates a charter school.

(Code 1981, §20-2-167.1, enacted by Ga. L. 2016, p. 820, § 1/HB 65.)