(a) The State Board of Education shall establish a state-wide network of regional educational service agencies for the purposes of: providing shared services designed to improve the effectiveness of educational programs and services to local school systems; providing instructional programs directly to selected public school students in the state; and providing Georgia Learning Resources System services. The regional educational service agencies established by the state board may legally be referred to as "RESA" or "RESA's."

(b) The State Board of Education shall establish the service area of each regional educational service agency as a geographically defined area of the state. All local school systems, Department of Technical and Adult Education facilities and institutions, and University System of Georgia facilities and institutions that are located in the designated geographical area shall be members of that regional educational service agency.

(c) Every state supported postsecondary institution shall be an active member of a regional educational service agency.

(d) Each regional educational service agency and its employees shall be subject to or exempt from taxation in the same manner as are school systems and school system employees.

(e) All employees and volunteers of a regional educational service agency shall be immune from liability to the same extent as are employees and volunteers of a school system.