As of Monday, February 27, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Rockdale Citizen
ATLANTA -- The state House and a state Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment last week that would allow the state to create charter schools even when local school boards don't approve of them.
The measure passed in the House 123-48 Wednesday, barely garnering the required two-thirds majority, and the Senate's Education and Youth Committee voted 7-5 for the measure Thursday.
House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, the bill's lead sponsor, said the constitutional amendment would clarify state law after a May ruling from the state Supreme Court outlawed the Georgia Charter Schools Commission. The court ruled the commission was illegally creating charter schools over the objection of districts.
A House vote on the bill earlier this month fell 10 votes shy of the required two-thirds majority to approve it. Jones and other supporters spent the last two weeks tweaking the bill and working to win enough support to get it passed.
Brad Smith, a member of the Rockdale County school board, said some language has been tweaked to better benefit local funding, but there's no guarantee that won't change later.
"The state is going to do what it wants to do," he said.
Members of the Newton and Rockdale County boards of education have expressed their opposition to the measure, mainly because it takes away control from local school boards and puts it in the hands of state officials.
"There is nothing good about an Atlanta-based commission having any say in local decisions," said Jeff Meadors, Newton County school board vice chair.
"The state wants to bypass by local boards of education altogether," Smith said, adding that it might be a better plan for local systems if the state wanted to create an appeal system if a local board denied a charter program.
Still, Meadors said the voters should have a right to decide such things.
"While I do not support (House Resolution) 1162, it is my personal belief that our public systems statewide are going to have to step up the game and make good decisions about improving student achievement in order to make charter amendment supporters fully believe we can manage and run high quality schools," Meadors said. "I oppose this bill, but having read a lot on both sides and having talked with many legislators, I do have an understanding of both sides of the argument."
Although Rockdale County Public Schools has a charter program through the Rockdale Career Academy and the Newton County School System through Challenge Charter Academy, those are locally supported and operated, unlike ones the state law would allow.
Smith said, "the language on the ballot is the most devious part because on the surface it looks great," so uninformed voters need to do more research and talk to their legislators before making a decision if the measure makes it to the November ballot.
"We must reinforce our support of high quality teachers, rid our ranks of low performers at every level, use solid research outcomes to inform our work and ensure the safety of our schools through discipline that is firm, fair, and consistent. Only then will the overwhelming majority of the public fully believe that local boards and leaders can manage schools," Meadors said. "These are hard but necessary tasks, and if we don't get a handle on it, the charter commission and voucher advocates will be hard to oppose. If we make decisions at the local level that generate poor perceptions to the public, then we risk public trust and local control."
The Georgia Charter Schools Commission was created in 2008 by frustrated lawmakers who said local school boards were turning down charter school applications because they didn't like the competition. The commission began approving and funding charter schools over the objection of the local boards, sparking the lawsuit that eventually ended in the Supreme Court ruling.
If the constitutional amendment passes the full Senate during this legislative session, it would go on the ballot in November for voters to decide.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More like this story
- Georgia voters OK charter schools amendment ( November 7, 2012 )
- MEADORS: Local schools should be controlled locally, too ( February 7, 2012 )
- Brad Smith: Charter schools should be supervised by local school boards ( October 2, 2012 )
- Rockdale school board passes resolution opposing state control ( September 18, 2012 )
- Ga. Senate to vote on charter schools measure ( February 29, 2012 )
Comments
Rob 1 year, 2 months ago
You can easily spot a great idea, if the local school boards are against it, it's a safe bet that it will benefit the kids! It's high time we get the Unions and bureaucracy out of schooling our children. Local school boards and teachers care more about themselves than they do our kids. Charter Schools are the wave of the future whether people want to admit it or not. Competition in education can only benefit kids. But as they say "the government hates competition"! Do your research people, Charter Schools across the country are proving much better than our government run schools.
Freedom1 1 year, 2 months ago
Careful what you wish for, review the revisions on HB 797 and HB 824, coming up for votes. These bills are tied to these "special schools". This is a battle for two things, State vs Local control of education dollars, and a backdoor approach to School Choice/$$ following the child. I have no love for the Federal, State, or Local Education monstrosity, this is a lose/lose for the taxpayers. I’m fast becoming a proponent of School Choice, in the real sense, vouchers. But I have no confidence in the move to State Centralized Education, and loss of control at the local level on any scale, it’s just the foot in the door. The Local School Board is no alternative, there needs to be a dismantling of the Federal takeover of the schools, and the election of local school board members who recognize their responsibility to the taxpayers as well as the education of students, in a real, open and responsive way. Who will push back the intrusion of government control over the schools, rather than embracing it. Where are the teachers voices?! We need informed input, not more marketing, self-congratulatory nonsense from the Rockdale School Board.
Rob 1 year, 2 months ago
I agree with everything you've said here. However I believe this at least a step in the right direction. Calling these schools Charter Schools is a bit of a stretch. Louisiana has true Charter Schools, which are private and for-profit. The ONLY way to fix education is to take it out of the hands of government and put it in the hands of the market. As far as "where is the input from teachers"? I could care less about our teachers. When they willing give up tenure, I will be willing to listen to them. Teachers don't care about the kids no matter what they say to your face. It's all about the Union and protecting their jobs!
rockdalehomeowner 1 year, 2 months ago
Before you begin the school choice band wagon, I thought that school choice was private school. Think about this... the revenues for January were up by less than 1% so, where is the money going to come from? There isn't any room for errors with the budget and where will the state get this money from if they have been slowly defunding public education for over a decade?
I am all for the feds leaving state education to the states but you have to ask some smart questions...where is the money coming from? Let's not forget the state constitution says the public education is to be funded via taxation, local (county) dollars were never meant to totally fund education.
Georgia is not a union state but it's interesting to note that states that have unions have better test scores and ,unlike the south, 48% of families are NOT low income.
Additionally, all the new changes to education such as Common Core costs money, new assessments...cost money, computer software and new computers for these assessments ...cost money...I don't think the citizens of this state are willing to pay more for anything related to education in public. I feel sorry for children in South Georgia and North Georgia. We will still be at the bottom no matter what happens with the Charter bill.
Vote and please remember neither party is truly on your side.
Rob 1 year, 2 months ago
Your wrong about the Union's. The NEA/ATF has a strong presence in Right-To-Work states. Your also wrong about what the Constitution says. NOWHERE in the constitution does it say that education is the responsibility of the federal government. I think were pretty close to being on the same side here, we just differing on the "fine print". True school choice would be the ideal outcome. But as long as we have the Unions and Democrats in power, I think we all know that will NEVER happen.
rockdalehomeowner 1 year, 2 months ago
I said the state constitution and it states in Article 8 section 1, Paragraph I. Public education; free public education prior to college or postsecondary level; support by taxation. The provision of an adequate public education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia. Public education for the citizens prior to the college or postsecondary level shall be free and shall be provided for by taxation. The expense of other public education shall be provided for in such manner and in such amount as may be provided by law.
In light of your views on unions in Georgia, NEA/AFT may have a strong presence but lawmakers are not obligated to invite them to any negotioation table. Big difference.
You're sounding like Boortz although he is better educated than the rest of the conservative talk show hosts, he is in the entertainment business. In fact, he says just that.
In light of your comments about home school, I was a GED examiner and I was never impressed with most home schooled kids. I can remember one kid whose parents did a great job but that was one kid out of hundreds that I helped. However, if parents are educated then they should go for it and that is what I consider another school choice.
Your comment, "But as long as we have the Unions and Democrats in power, I think we all know that will NEVER happen." I disagree, Governor Sonny Perdue provided for his Go Fish project and that money could have gone toward education. Do you realize how the rural counties suffer because of stupidity like this? I want ALL of Georgia's children to have a good and basic education. Democrats and Republicans are not different they just use different verbs and nouns.
If the citizens of Georgia vote for the law, (which will be worded so vaguely that most won't understand what they voting for) then I await the next big scandal. This scandal will easily overshadow the cheating one and by the way the one Atlanta is not any different then what has taken place in other states.
Freedom1 1 year, 2 months ago
Charters are part of the school choice picture, but private competition is another. The rub is that if you send your child to a private school, you're still stuck paying for the public schools, school choice is about using that money to help fund your child's education. You're right about the state constitution. The wholesale Federal Grant Programs fund a lot of it, we've sold out souls there. The new Race to the Top aka NCLB waiver, has more compliance costs just to get the funding it's holding out as a carrot. I don't know about states with Unions, but that's not the only factor impacing test scores, there's an array of factors that come into play. I doubt very much that the Unions are the deciding factor.
Rob 1 year, 2 months ago
Ideally the best overall outcome short of true school choice would be to educate parents to the point that they understand that government run schools are actually bad for their kids. Most of my family and friends either send their kids to private schools or home school. Those are truly your best options. I'm sick of the tired old excuse that people can't afford these methods. I would ask them "what is possibly more important in your life than the future of your children?" Sell the second car, take a second job, lose the cell phone, the flat screen, etc. It's time to wake up and admit our government run schools are nothing more than little socialist indoctrination factories!
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID