First District RESA

What First District RESA does

First District RESA is a Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) established under Georgia state law in 1965 and headquartered in Metter, Georgia. It operates as a public educational service agency serving 19 school districts and 2 GNETS programs across Southeast and Coastal Georgia — the largest geographic footprint of any of Georgia's 16 RESAs. The agency delivers shared educational services through six core divisions: GLRS Services (special education support and assistive technology), Alternative Certification (GATAPP, endorsement, and APEL leadership certification programs), Whole Child Supports (GaMTSS framework including PBIS and mental health resources), Technology Services (AI training, custom app development, digital literacy, cybersecurity), ELA Programs (literacy coaching and curriculum support), and Math Initiatives (mathematics education enhancement). Its technology stack includes 50,000+ managed devices across 16 networks (reported 99.9% uptime), an Admin Portal authenticated via Google Workspace, custom-built Community Resource Mapping tools, Glide Apps-based mobile applications, and integrations with Canvas LMS.

The revenue model is a hybrid public-funding structure: 80% of base funding flows from the Georgia Department of Education, with the remaining 20% contributed by member districts proportionate to their size and capacity. Supplemental fee-based revenue comes from professional development enrollment, alternative certification programs (APEL at $5,000-$6,000; endorsements at $825-$1,100 for member districts / $1,075-$1,100 for non-members), and program-specific grants. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct engagement with district superintendents who govern the agency through a Board of Control, supplemented by the Course Connect online platform for professional development registration and event calendar management. Customer segments include school districts (primary, geography-based), educators and aspiring teachers (persona-based, for alternative certification pathways), and students with diverse learning needs (use-case-based, served through GLRS).

In July 2024 the agency launched "Let's Read, Georgia!" — a statewide literacy initiative placing regional literacy coaches across all 16 Georgia RESAs — extending its organizational influence beyond its traditional 18-county service area in a coordination capacity. The agency is not subject to acquisition or venture capital investment and operates under statutory mandate; its 101-250 employees support what is structurally a regulated cooperative model for regional education service delivery in Georgia.

Name

First District RESA

Legal name

First District RESA

Website

https://fdresa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

First District RESA is a publicly-funded Regional Educational Service Agency, established under Georgia state law in 1965, delivering shared educational services — including special education support, alternative teacher certification, AI training, and curriculum development — to 19 school districts and 2 GNETS programs across Southeast and Coastal Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Educational Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping Resources (State/NAEYC/Head Start) (EDACAJAN)

Keywords

• Educational support services
• Professional development
• Alternative teacher certification
• Special education support
• School district services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklet

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. State Funding: Primary funding source providing 80% of base funding from the state of Georgia
2. Member District Contributions: Member districts contribute remaining 20% based on their size and capacity
3. Professional Development Programs: Alternative certification, endorsement programs, and APEL leadership certification generating program fees from educators and districts

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First District RESA is a Regional Educational Service Agency delivering shared educational services to 19 school districts and 2 GNETS programs across Southeast and Coastal Georgia. Its core offerings include professional development and training for educators, alternative teacher certification pathways (GATAPP, APEL, endorsements), special education support through the Georgia Learning Resources System (GLRS), ELA and Mathematics curriculum support, whole child social-emotional and behavioral services, and educational technology services including AI training and custom app development.

Product overview

First District RESA is a Regional Educational Service Agency offering a portfolio of educational support services organized into six core divisions: GLRS Services (special education support), Alternative Certification (GATAPP and endorsement programs for educator certification), Whole Child Supports (social-emotional and behavioral services via GaMTSS), Technology Services (AI training and custom app development), ELA Programs (literacy support), and Math Initiatives (mathematics education enhancement). Additional offerings include the APEL leadership certification program, endorsement programs for specialized teaching credentials, the Let's Read, Georgia! statewide literacy initiative, a Community Resource Map for families of students with disabilities, and the Young Georgia Authors writing competition. The organization operates as a shared services hub serving 19 school districts across Southeast and Coastal Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GLRS Services (Georgia Learning Resources System)

Quantifiable outcome

• 23% reading improvement through ELA programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Georgia Department of EducationcoreOthersPrimary funder providing 80% of base funding. GLRS is a statewide network funded by the Georgia Department of Education providing specialized support for students with disabilities.
• Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GAPSC)coreOthersRegulatory body for educator certification in Georgia. FDRESA programs (GATAPP, APEL, endorsements) are aligned with GAPSC requirements and guidelines.
• 19 Member School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistricts contribute 20% of funding and are governed by the Board of Control composed of district superintendents. Partnership model enables shared resources and expertise.
• Georgia Southern UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity System of Georgia institution collaborating with FDRESA for educator preparation and professional development.
• East Georgia State CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical college in the region collaborating with FDRESA for educational support services.
• Ogeechee Technical CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical college in the region working with FDRESA for educational support services.
• Regional Library SystemssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the complete support system for the region, collaborating with FDRESA alongside colleges.
• Course ConnectcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform powering professional development events and training calendar for FDRESA (altocourseconnect.com)

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Georgia Virtual School: Georgia Virtual School provides online coursework and digital learning programs to K-12 students statewide, partially overlapping with First District RESA's Technology Services division in digital literacy and instructional technology support.

Regional players

• Georgia Cyber Academy: Georgia statewide online charter school serving K-12 students statewide. Compares as a Georgia-based K-12 education provider with statewide reach that may overlap with First District RESA member district students, though operating under a different charter model.

Direct peers

• Central Georgia RESA: One of Georgia's 16 RESAs providing the same statutory shared services to school districts in central Georgia under identical state funding mechanisms, offering direct comparability in scope, divisions, and target customer profile.
• North Georgia RESA: One of the 16 Georgia RESAs operating under the same statutory framework, providing shared educational services to member districts in north Georgia—directly comparable in governance, funding model, and service mix.
• Southwest Georgia RESA: Sibling Georgia RESA serving member districts in southwest Georgia with the same statutory mandate, professional development programs, and GLRS special education support—directly comparable operational and funding structure.
• West Georgia RESA: Another Georgia RESA delivering statutorily mandated shared services to member districts, with overlapping divisions in professional learning, alternative certification, and special education support—closely comparable in operating model and customer base.
• Coastal Plains RESA: Another of Georgia's 16 Regional Educational Service Agencies operating under the same statutory framework, serving member districts with similar shared services including professional development and special education support—direct comparable in mandate, funding model, and service portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Georgia Department of Education: The state-level education agency that funds and oversees all 16 Georgia RESAs including First District RESA. Comparable as the umbrella organization that sets policy, channels state appropriations, and operates complementary statewide programs like GaMTSS.
• Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA): National membership organization representing ESAs/BOCES/intermediate units across the U.S. Provides peer benchmarking, advocacy, and best-practice sharing—comparable as the broader ecosystem entity for regional educational service agencies.

Others

• Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GAPSC): State regulatory body that certifies Georgia educators and approves educator preparation programs including First District RESA's GATAPP, APEL, and endorsement programs. Comparable as the governing standards body whose requirements shape First District RESA's certification offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fd_RESA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First District RESA