Barge: Can’t support diverting $430 million from schools to create duplicate bureaucracy for charter school approval
Here is the full statement from Georgia Schools Superintendent John Barge on why he opposes the Nov. 6 constitutional amendment that would create a state board to approve and fund charter schools even over the objections of local boards of education.
This surprising position by Barge, a stand in opposition to the governor and the House and Senate leaders, may go a long way to winning back the respect of local school officials, many of whom were shocked by the school chief’s endorsement of Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, a vocal proponent of choice. That endorsement echoed around the state.
In this statement, Barge may be providing a strategy for opponents of the constitutional amendment, which essentially rewrites who can create schools. By focusing on the cost of the commission and its still unexplained duplication of powers with the state board of education, Barge can make a pocketbook argument for opposing the amendment.
And that argument could resonate as the state is seeking an extension of its control over local schools at a moment when it is providing less and less money to them.
On the other hand, the language of the amendment is so broad that it gives no real clue to the fact that it is shifting power to a new appointed state commission to create schools in local communities. Georgians have a history of approving constitutional amendments without a clear sense of their implications, especially in extending tax breaks to special interests.
By John Barge
I fully support the continued creation of high quality charter schools for Georgia’s students, but after careful consideration of what is best for all of Georgia’s students, I have decided to take a position in opposition to the constitutional amendment that will be on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Until all of our public school students are in school for a full 180-day school year, until essential services like student transportation and student support can return to effective levels, and until teachers regain jobs with full pay for a full school year, we should not redirect one more dollar away from Georgia’s local school districts – much less an additional $430 million in state funds, which is what it would cost to add seven new state charter schools per year over the next five years (the annual average of the Charter Commission that would be revived if the amendment passes).
I cannot support the creation of a new and costly state bureaucracy that takes away local control of schools and unnecessarily duplicates the good work already being done by local districts, the Georgia Department of Education, and the state Board of Education. What’s more, this constitutional amendment would direct taxpayer dollars into the pockets of out-of-state, for-profit charter school companies whose schools perform no better than traditional public schools and locally approved charter schools (and worse, in some cases).
I trust our local school districts will continue to approve only high quality charter schools for Georgia’s students, and I am committed to working with all of our school districts to ensure that high quality applicants are not denied locally – including mediating between high quality charter school applicants and any local districts that are reluctant to approve them, as provided by existing Georgia law.”
I fully support the continued creation of high quality charter schools for Georgia’s students, but after careful consideration of what is best for all of Georgia’s students, I have decided to take a position in opposition to the constitutional amendment that will be on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Until all of our public school students are in school for a full 180-day school year, until essential services like student transportation and student support can return to effective levels, and until teachers regain jobs with full pay for a full school year, we should not redirect one more dollar away from Georgia’s local school districts – much less an additional $430 million in state funds, which is what it would cost to add seven new state charter schools per year over the next five years (the annual average of the Charter Commission that would be revived if the amendment passes).
I cannot support the creation of a new and costly state bureaucracy that takes away local control of schools and unnecessarily duplicates the good work already being done by local districts, the Georgia Department of Education, and the state Board of Education. What’s more, this constitutional amendment would direct taxpayer dollars into the pockets of out-of-state, for-profit charter school companies whose schools perform no better than traditional public schools and locally approved charter schools (and worse, in some cases).
I trust our local school districts will continue to approve only high quality charter schools for Georgia’s students, and I am committed to working with all of our school districts to ensure that high quality applicants are not denied locally – including mediating between high quality charter school applicants and any local districts that are reluctant to approve them, as provided by existing Georgia law.”
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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75 comments Add your comment
Gina McNair
August 14th, 2012
6:23 pm
Thank you, Dr. Barge, for elucidating your position. I teach in a rural, high poverty system. There is a state approved charter school directly across the street from my school. My school is 98% minority. The charter school is 80% white. As a child of the 70s, who always attended integrated public schools, I cannot accept spending my tax dollars to support publicly-funded segregated schools.
Raquel Morris
August 14th, 2012
6:28 pm
@LD,
Many of our elected school board members have no background or training in the management of a public school system (i.e., Atlanta, Dekalb, Clayton, etc.).
Long Time Teacher
August 14th, 2012
6:29 pm
The United States of America has this great process called “voting”. All of us need to get out and vote for every election. If we don’t like the governor or legislators, we need to vote them out of office. It is okay to not vote Republican. It is not a sin as some would have you believe. Vote to get the results that you are looking for. The power is in the vote.
Gina McNair
August 14th, 2012
6:31 pm
And for the sake of clarity, I pay a small amount ($250 per student per year) for my children to attend school in a neighboring county. The reason? It’s racial makeup mirrors that of our area (60% minority to 40% white) and they have a large enough population to offer the specialized gifted, honor’s, and AP classes for which my children qualify.
wovoka
August 14th, 2012
6:36 pm
Thank you, John Barge. I have wondered where you stood on all this placing of yet another level of check and recheck personnel that would not be used for direct instruction. It appears to be another way of dividing out the educational wealth, diverting it from the classroom. Why have another board besides the school board? Our local superintendent personally called folks and asked them to run for the governing board. The whole process was kept hush hush until late Friday morning when an email went out stating, “parents who wish to run for school governance board have until noon today to get their information in.” No one had heard squat about it beforehand. Small wonder a dozen of her closest friends and church members made the boards, thus giving her more “yes people” and more power. Why have more power to a superintendent? If anything more power needs to be placed with local school boards and superintendents need to answer to them, as they are elected by the people.
Beverly Fraud
August 14th, 2012
6:40 pm
We “shouldn’t create a new bureaucracy” but the status quo does EXACTLY THAT, by accepting the RTTT grant?
Proud Teacher
August 14th, 2012
7:16 pm
I still don’t understand why all of the unique privileges and opporunities cannot be implemented in a public school? It can be done!
We do not need to do anything that remotely resembles segregation again.
We do need to do everything possible to preserve the integrity that all public schools once had. If we cannot exist as a neighborhood, what do we expect our children to do? These virtual communities on the web just don’t equal a neighborhood school!
We need to come together under the umbrella of common sense and take over the public schools again. Too too too many speical interests groups are trying to dominate the public school system.
Remember: these schools are for the children. Period.
B
August 14th, 2012
7:29 pm
A point that proponents of this amendment fail to mention: the beauracracies and inefficient practices found in public schools are the result of the same people complaining….state legislatures and Congress. Look at some of the things passed recently by our state legislators. It’s crazy! Seriously, check them out. Also, this is ALL about money. I’m for charters and parent rights, but against for profit and I feel that charters should have the same accountability mechanisms…testing and transparency of funding!!!
Proud Teacher
August 14th, 2012
7:55 pm
Follow the money to find your answers.
DeKalb Teacher
August 14th, 2012
7:56 pm
WOW … “No Charter School” hacks are ramping up for November. Barge and cohorts around here are a wholly owned subsidiary of The Georgia School Superintendent’s Association. The Georgia School Superintendent’s Association doesn’t care about anybody but themselves.
$430 million? Really?? Most of that state money, as you hacks know, is county money following the students. Sad, hacks, sad that your arguement has digressed to lies and half truths.
Flame on hacks.
LarryMajor
August 14th, 2012
8:24 pm
@Beverly Fraud, read the rest of the statement you keep questioning:
A new state bureaucracy that “unnecessarily duplicates the good work already being done by local districts, the Georgia Department of Education, and the state Board of Education.” That’s the difference.
The proposed commission would operate exactly the same as the DOE’s current Charter School Division headed by Louis Erste. People keep mentioning how this will somehow “fix” the Supreme Court ruling, but it does no such thing. The state is only allowed to create “special” schools, and “special schools” is the language that appears in the constitutional change, making this new commission a complete duplication of an existing state agency.
If you’re wondering about the aggressive support for HR 1162, go read the original version to see what these people really wanted.
GOP House leader to state school chief on charter stand: “Were you lying then or are you lying now?” | Get Schooled
August 14th, 2012
8:46 pm
[...] several felt State Schools Superintendent John Barge would pay a steep political price for his decision to oppose the Nov. 6th amendment that would recreate a state commission to approve charter [...]
Chris Sanchez
August 14th, 2012
9:04 pm
A constitutional amendment is unnecessary. It may be that the existing law needs to be strengthened to ensure that local school boards are not denying approval simply based on protecting their turf but barring that, why create yet more bureaucracy at ANY level of government?! If there is money available for the increased bureaucracy then there is money available to eliminate teacher furloughs.
Accountability
August 14th, 2012
9:30 pm
The failure of public education is not in reality of failure of public educators. You have students who are not held accountable for their behavior. Students who have no regard for authority. Students who have an ‘Entitled” attitude. Their parents have no control yet it’s the fault of public education when they are unable to control the student long enough to educate them. You take the student willing to work and one who desires to have an education and place him/her in a charter school along with a parent who supports the student’s education and one who sets a higher standard….you’ll have a successful student. Sick and tired of parents excusing student behavior and blaming the school administration and the classroom teacher. SAY NO TO CHARTER SCHOOLS. Require parents and students be accountable for their education!!
mountain man
August 14th, 2012
9:31 pm
“and I am committed to working with all of our school districts to ensure that high quality applicants are not denied locally”
Yea, right, I believe that. Why should local boards approve charters that eat into their turf and what they believe is THEIR MONEY
Judy
August 15th, 2012
7:24 am
Charter Schools are about choice. If a parent chooses to send their child to a charter school, that is their choice and there should be choices for those that cannot afford private school. As a parent, I pay taxes and my taxes support schools. I choose to send my child to a charter school. No, it is not about courage – Georgia is so backwards, it is all about politics. I think it is quite interesting that Barge posts data – but CONVENIENTLY NEGLECTS TO MENTION that the following school systems have NEVER MADE AYP – ADEQUATELY YEARLY PROGRESS (Gwinnett, DeKalb, Atlanta). The accountability measure that matters for children, ah, but they have good P.R.
living in an outdated ed system
August 15th, 2012
8:38 am
Anyone who doesn’t understand why a constitutional amendment is necessary not only hasn’t read our constitution, but also has absolutely no clue how markets operate and how innovation is conceived.
And as I have said countless times, don’t start saying that public education is not a market. It is very much so – albeit, a highly regulated one.
None of you are thinking about your children. You are only thinking about protecting yourselves and the status quo. The grossly underperforming schools is what has caused this melee, and citizens demand better public options since the existing ones are embarrassing and insulting to our kids.
Govenor responds to school chief’s strong opposition to charter amendment on Nov. ballot | Get Schooled
August 15th, 2012
8:45 am
[...] a response to the surprising news yesterday that State Schools Superintendent and fellow Republican John Barge was breaking rank and opposing the charter school constitutional amendment on the ballot in [...]
Governor responds to school chief’s strong opposition to charter amendment on … | News-ON Atlanta
August 15th, 2012
10:06 am
[...] a response to the surprising news yesterday that State Schools Superintendent and fellow Republican John Barge was breaking rank and opposing the charter school constitutional amendment on the ballot in [...]
Janet Livingston
August 15th, 2012
10:36 am
For once a government official in GA has it right. Thank you for doing what is best for students and teachers and not the politicans
kevin3
August 15th, 2012
7:03 pm
Schools have been in the forefront of many of us. As parents we want our children to have the best in education. May I just tell everyone, that no matter Charter, Public, Private of even other schools that some are trying to create they are all the same. Charter schools must follow the same guidelines as public schools, a few things are different in how a Charter school is set up; Public school have to follow strict guidlines and private schools same with minor differents but if you think about it; it is all public education just being done under different names……that is all. Your child will not get anymore then the other child in any of the schools I have named. Think about it, Public classrooms will have 4 more students, charters school will have to have more as well, and private school basic the same. Most parents want their teacher to spend one on one, that can’t happen, in any school because there is just to much that has to be done and while we want to think that these schools are better they are not; funding sometimes might be, but they all still have to follow strict guidelines like everyone else.
Alex
August 15th, 2012
10:30 pm
Good job Barge! Now, Jan Jones and Edward Lindsey…..tell us why you think over $400 million should be put into your hands (your yes voting Commission croonies) to decide which kids get extra services while regular schools (due to your failure to represent this state) get nothing but cuts, furloughs and less than legal length school years?
Sandra
August 16th, 2012
12:31 pm
Not just good for Barge! Congratulations for having the courage and conviction to stand up to these Republicans who only want to further decimate public schools!
CharterStarter
August 16th, 2012
10:05 pm
Barge’s statement could have been written by the Superintendents’ or School Boards Associations. Perhaps an enterprising journalist would be able to prove collusion!
The $430+ million is a straw man argument (a favorite tactic of the Left). Not only that, it assumes that so-called full funding (a restoration of funds necessarily cut due to falling revenues for years – something the legislature is required by law to do, no matter which party is in control) – will result in improved performance. DOE’s own CFO testified last week that funding has NO IMPACT on performance.
Why is the status quo so afraid to try something different, especially something parents all over Georgia (and voters, too) seem willing to try?
Pride and Joy
August 18th, 2012
8:03 am
Mountain Man says it best “If the local systems were doing such a good job, why is there a demand for charters?”
EXACTLY.
And down here in APS, we need charters. Most of our public schools in APS are horrendous failures.
Charters provide a choice that is desperately needed and I will do everything in my power to ensure charters are a viable option. I am a pro-public education mama but I know that many public schools need to close because they fail to do what they are paid to do. We are the parents and we are the tax payers and we demand an adequate education for our children.