School amendment renews debate
ATLANTA — Georgians must decide this fall whether the state can take over low-performing schools, a proposal backed by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal but fiercely opposed by education groups.
For parents, teachers and others, the divide over Amendment 1 on November ballots is emotionally charged.
Opponents warn that passage will leave parents with few routes to protest decisions made by an appointed official accountable to the governor.
Proponents argue that those urging a “no” vote are more concerned about adults working in schools than children assigned to school districts based on their addresses.
The Nov. 8 vote is the latest attempt to institute a takeover model already used in Louisiana and Tennessee, with mixed results on student improvement.
There also are parallels to Georgia voters’ approval of a constitutional amendment in 2012 allowing charter schools authorized by a state board. Black voters helped that proposal easily pass, despite strong opposition from groups representing teachers.
The same organizations hope for a different outcome this year.
This week, the anti-amendment effort hosted an event featuring civil rights veteran Andrew Young and Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. Both men made clear pleas for “no” votes in black communities served by the majority of the low-performing schools.
Under Deal’s plan, an appointed superintendent accountable to the governor could add up to 20 schools to an “opportunity school district” each year and convert them into charter schools, overhaul management or close them.
The district could not include more than 100 schools total, and the appointed superintendent could withhold up to 3 percent of a school’s funding, which is determined by a complex formula, for administration expenses.
Schools could be taken over by the state after three years of scores below 60 on the state’s index for measuring performance and growth.
“The bottom line is: This is going to affect poor black kids. Those are children from my community, where I grew up,” said Kimberly Brooks, a mother of two teenage girls who attend public schools in Atlanta.