Sen. Matt Brass Turned One Mother’s Concern Into Statewide Change

When Coweta County mother Melissa Nettles Thomas brought a concern about Georgia’s Pre-K eligibility rules to State Sen. Matt Brass, she was looking for help for her son. What followed was a legislative effort that ultimately changed state law for families across Georgia.

Earlier this year, Brass introduced Senate Bill 589, legislation that expands access to Georgia’s voluntary Pre-K program and gives parents greater flexibility when deciding when their children are ready to begin school. The bill passed unanimously through the Georgia General Assembly before being signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp.

The legislation began with a conversation between Brass and Thomas, who had spent more than a year advocating for her son, Hampton.

Because Hampton has an August birthday, Thomas wanted the option to enroll him in Pre-K rather than begin kindergarten at just four years old. At the time, Georgia law allowed local school districts to decide whether children who had skipped Georgia Lottery-funded Pre-K at age four could attend as five-year-olds. Some districts permitted it. Others did not.

Thomas said she met with local school officials nearly a year before her son was scheduled to begin school. She explained that she did not believe he was developmentally ready for kindergarten and hoped he could attend Pre-K instead.

The answer was no.

This school year, Hampton entered kindergarten at four years old. According to Thomas, he was quickly placed into early intervention classes — an outcome she had worried about from the beginning.

Many parents would have stopped there. Thomas decided to keep pushing.

In February, Coweta County School Board Member Buzz Glover invited her to the Georgia State Capitol as a parent liaison, where she had the opportunity to discuss the issue with legislators. One of those conversations was with Brass.

“I explained that no schools in Georgia actually begin on or after September 1, and that parents — not school systems — should have the ability to decide when their child is ready for Pre-K or kindergarten,” Thomas later wrote in a public Facebook post.

Brass agreed there was a problem worth addressing.

Rather than treating the issue as an isolated concern, he viewed it as a challenge affecting families throughout Georgia. He introduced Senate Bill 589 to provide parents with greater flexibility while maintaining access to Georgia’s voluntary Pre-K program.

Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, parents or guardians will have the option to enroll a child in Pre-K if the child is four or five years old by September 1. The law also ensures that four- and five-year-old applicants are treated equally when competing for available Pre-K slots.

The legislation ultimately passed with unanimous support from both the House and Senate.

Listening to constituents

Brass, who has represented the area in the Georgia Senate since 2017 and currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, said some of the most meaningful legislation begins when constituents bring real-world problems to their elected officials.

“The best ideas don’t always start under the Gold Dome. They often come from parents who are trying to solve a problem for their family,” Brass said.

“Melissa’s story highlighted an issue that was affecting families across Georgia. Parents know their children better than any government agency or school system. I believed they deserved more flexibility and a stronger voice in that decision-making process.”

For Thomas, the experience demonstrated that one person can make a difference.

What began as an effort to help her own child ultimately resulted in a law that will affect families across the state for years to come.

On May 12, Thomas attended the bill signing with Gov. Brian Kemp at the State Capitol, watching the legislation become law.

“I am deeply grateful to Buzz Glover for believing in this issue and providing me with the opportunity to make a change, to Senator Matt Brass for listening and fighting for change, to every member of the Georgia House and Senate who voted YES on this bill, and Brian Kemp for signing it into action,” she wrote.

Thomas acknowledges the new law came too late to change Hampton’s own educational path. He will repeat kindergarten. But she believes future families will benefit from options that were unavailable to her.

“What started as a mother advocating for her own child became a law change for the entire state of Georgia,” she wrote.

For Brass, that outcome reflects what public service should look like: listening, responding, and turning constituent concerns into meaningful action.

“Good legislation starts with listening,” Brass said.

“One of the most important parts of this job is making sure people know they have someone willing to listen when they see a problem. This law is a reminder that citizens can make a difference and that government works best when it listens.”

Families will begin seeing the changes created by Senate Bill 589 during the 2026-27 school year.

For more information about Sen. Matt Brass visit www.brassforga.com