Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has signed House Bill 797 which would give the voters a power to decide on matters regarding the reestablishment of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission – an agency whose function is approving and funding new schools. If the amendment gets passed, the state is free to decide on its own in opening charter schools even without the local school board’s permission.
Last year, the Georgia Supreme court crushed the legislature’s hope of bypassing the Constitutional referendum with a law that would vest the state with charter approval authority. The Supreme Court also struck down the Georgia Charter Schools Commission last May in a 4-3 vote, announcing that the commission had no legal power to finance charter schools. A bill to make amendments was then made and signed by Nathan Deal. Though still new, the amendment has already got the opponents thinking of ways and resolutions on how to make sure this bill will not get through. The Cherokee Board of Education and two other districts in Georgia have already passed resolutions to oppose the bill.
Georgia politics revolves around the idea of school choice, characterized by the Charter School movement. When a board member voted to abolish the Cherokee Charter Academy application, she was asked to resign by her party leaders because of her decision being not in tuned with the republican philosophy – that parents should be the ones to make decisions regarding education, not the state government.
Deal is optimistic that voters would support his action even before he signed the bill. He believes that empowering citizens of a state would make them more responsive. The voters’ decision will be formally announced in November. The future of charter schools in Georgia, for now, remains in the hands of the residents.
Related Posts
No related posts found
This is such an important vote… we know that Georgians want more and better public school options.
It is a crying shame that he signed this bill but pushed to spend $1 Billion to build a retractable roof stadium for Atlanta but still allow our Public schools to spiral downward with the underfunding of QBE and legislative obstruction!
Agreed…A crying shame to the state
Wouldn’t it be nice to see Governor Deal visit one of our traditional public schools and deliver a promise to fund the current system we have in place, that educates MOST Georgian’s children?
It would be nice if you could stop with the straw man arguments and actually speak real concerns instead of harping your opinion of how things are.
Gov. Deal chooses a time in Woodstock when teachers and students of public schools will be unable to attend.
As from the beginning of this Republican crusade, public schools are being ignored. The U.S. Constitution may be the next goal. How many states besides Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia will have an amendment to affect education on their ballots in November? I wonder if enough states have committed to eradicating public education from the United States?
When asked about the timing of these states’ ballots, Senator Rogers simply indicated that “the Republicans are in charge”!
Lastly, isn’t it pathetic that the Governor signs this divisive bill in a county with excellent schools? IF it truly is for the entire state of Georgia, why not sign it in another county where the need for charter schools is greater? (Because it’s all about thumbing noses at the CCSB, who had the brains to see through the “need” for this school. Governor Deal, where did you get the $10 Million to fund Charter schools in Georgia? “Go ahead and open your doors, we’ll find the money somewhere.”, isn’t that what you said, Governor?
What an exciting day for CCA! Thank you Governor Deal.
What we all need to understand is that our representatives at the local, state and national legislative level are adopting legislation which is contrary to our very own economic well-being. For the past 30 years,both liberals and conservatives have used social issues to divide and conquer people who have common concerns including the education of their children. One can only hope that the country is starting to awake from its long slumber.