State senator on why he opposes amendment: Best charter schools are those approved by local boards, not state.
Yesterday, I posted a pro charter amendments piece by two Georgia House members. Now, here is a piece in opposition by a Senate member, state Sen. Steve Henson of DeKalb, the leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
By Steve Henson
As we approach the Nov. 6th general election, Georgians will be asked to make their voices heard on a number of important issues. From the President of the United States to local government representatives, voters will head to the polls to determine who will make governmental decisions on their behalf.
One critical issue voters will decide on doesn’t have a name or political platform; yet, it has the potential to drastically change the face of public education in Georgia for our children and grandchildren. The Charter School Constitutional Amendment on the November ballot would reshape the way we fund secondary education.
The charter schools ballot conversation has focused on the idea that public schools are inferior to charter schools. Supporters have repeatedly cited facts and figures that make the claim of the superiority of charter schools. Charter schools can be a great addition to the education mix.
The truth is, according to the state Department of Education, during the 2010 –2011 school year, Georgia had 162 charter schools in operation serving 56 local school districts. Of these charter schools, 70 percent made “adequate yearly progress.”
This is comparable to 73 percent of traditional public schools earning the same that year. Of all the public charter schools in our state, conversion charter schools – those schools that have converted from traditional public schools to public charter schools – are outperforming virtually all other public charter schools in the state. These schools have been chartered and supported by their local school boards.
However, the ballot initiative isn’t about the merits of charter schools. Once voters make it past the extraordinarily biased preamble language on the ballot and read the fine print, they will find the proposed amendment creates a new state level funding mechanism that builds a parallel school system, diverting additional taxpayer funds away from our public school system. This parallel funding scheme uses charter schools as theme; but buyer beware.
Partisan politics aside, we can all agree on one thing: Georgia’s children deserve good schools and a great education. The Charter School Amendment, however, is not the solution. Local school systems, parents and educators, should be able to retain control of their districts and decide if, and when, they admit locally approved charter schools.
As we continue to recover from the most severe economic collapse since the Great Depression, it is important to look at the financial ramifications of the amendment. The state has repeatedly cut teachers salaries, and funding for local school systems, increased class sizes, laid off 4,400 teachers, reduced the teaching tools available to educators and has shortened the school year by up to 36 days in two-thirds of our school districts. Year after year, budgets cuts to our secondary education system have left local school systems with no choice but to make drastic changes that hurt our most important resource: our children.
But our children are not the only ones hurt when we do not prioritize education. An educated workforce positively impacts our economy and supports job growth. Good schools attract businesses to our communities. Georgia will flourish when we emphasize education and support it with state dollars. Instead of using our tax dollars for special interest tax breaks or tossing them carelessly at risky schemes, we must make education our number one priority.
Republican leaders, who drafted the charter schools amendment, want you to think this ballot initiative is the only way to save schools and improve education. But they are wrong.
Many know the ballot initiative is a risky plan. The Georgia Department of Education and Republican state School Superintendent John Barge have been steadfast in their opposition of this constitutional amendment. Local boards of education and business organizations have encouraged taxpayers to reject this measure that would take away local control and divert funds from existing schools.
I believe in Georgia and I believe we simply cannot turn our back on our children and our public school systems. It is imperative that we prioritize and adequately fund our schools so that our children have the greatest chance for success.
Please join me in voting “No”’ on the Charter School Amendment. In doing so, you will effectively be voting for local control, a brighter future for all students and an economically healthy Georgia.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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107 comments Add your comment
Mary Elizabeth
October 3rd, 2012
12:49 pm
DeKalb Inside Out, 10:21 am
Because of your comments to me, I called Georgia’s State Board of Education and spoke to an Administrative Assistant to the Chief-of-Staff for the State Board of Education. Here are the facts as told to me by that Administrative Assistant this morning: Georgia’s State Board of Education has now, and has had in the past, the power to establish state charter schools. The Constitutional Amendment has no bearing on Georgia’s State Board of Education’s authority to establish state charter schools. The State Board of Education is not taking a position on the Constitutional Amendment. I asked the Administrataive Assistant if the State Board of Education’s power to establish state charter schools would continue – into the future – whether or not the Constitutional Amendment passes. I was told that the authority of Georgia’s State Board of Education to establish state charter schools would continue into the future, regardless of the election’s results in November pertaining to the Constitutional Admendment regarding a State Commission for Charter Schools.
Thus, it remains my opinion that the Constitutional Amendment is unnecessary. Parents have now another option of establishing a charter school when their local school district denies their request for a charter school. I was incorrect in thinking that parents can appeal the local school districts decision to the State Board of Education, but it is correct that parents can apply for a state charter school through the State Board of Education. This means that parents do have another option for establishing a charter school, presently, when they are denied authority by their local school districts. Thus, in my opinion, the Constitutional Amendment is unnecessary. I cannot help but wonder why some continue to assert that this Constitutional Amendment is necessary to give parents another option. Parents already have another option through the State Board of Education to establish a state charter school.
—————————————————
You write to me: “Every time you refer to socioeconomic segregation, I will remind you that Ivy Prep in South DeKalb is 95% black.”
I was very careful in my post to point out that the socioeconomic “segregation” that I was referring to was not – today – based on race, but on the lack of resources (or poverty) of some parents. Many of today’s black citizens fall into the middle or upper class economic status. Some parents in poverty might be of the white or Latino, or another ethnic group. Some might also be African-Americans. The “have-nots” who would be segregated from others with the charter school movement would be based on their financial and social deprivation, and not on their race per se. Please take a few minutes to read Jay Bookman’s article regarding charter schools, the link to which I provide below. Bookman specifically mentions Ivy Prep Charter School. This is what he wrote about Ivy Prep:
“Ivy Prep in Gwinnett County boasts a student body that is considerably more African American than other public schools in Gwinnett. However, the percentage of Ivy Prep students eligible for free or reduced meals is barely half the percentage of the Gwinnett district as a whole.”
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2012/10/01/state-created-charters-sidestep-public-schools/
DeKalb Inside Out
October 3rd, 2012
3:01 pm
Mary Elizabeth,
Administrative Assistant? This Administrative Assistant is wrong or at least misleading…
http://www.senate.ga.gov/sro/Documents/AtIssue/atissue_nov11.pdf
Nov 2011: The Georgia Supreme Court recently found the Georgia Charter Schools
Commission to be unconstitutional. … The Court ruled the Commission could not establish state created charter schools over a local board’s objection
It goes on to say It must be noted that this only affects schools that did not receive local approval and does not include virtual schools.
Please correct me if I’m wrong. The State Commission can only approve virtual schools now.
DeKalb Inside Out
October 3rd, 2012
3:23 pm
I just spoke to somebody at the DOE. He was wishy-washy about what the Georgia Charter Schools
Commission can’t do. They can approve virtual schools and something to the extent regarding Charter Systems. He was dodgy regarding charter school appeals.
DeKalb Inside Out
October 3rd, 2012
3:45 pm
The state can approve “Special Schools”. The state can not approve charters that are not “Special Schools”
Majority Opinion: http://scogblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/gwinnett-county-v-cox-majority-opinion.pdf
So what is a “special school”. According to the Majority Opinion, The phrase “special schools” is most readily interpreted by defining what those schools are not… They are not schools that enroll the same types of K-12 students who attend general K-12 public schools; they are not schools that teach the same subjects that may be taught at general K-12 public schools.
sneak peak into education
October 3rd, 2012
7:49 pm
found this web page that contains some wonderful information about charter schools. VOTE SMART GEORGIA. clearly explains who sets to gain if the amendment passes and guess what, it’s not the children, it’s big business. The for-profit charters are funneling in huge amounts of money in the hopes that this will pass. The bill was written by ALEC, an group of policy writers who are backed by corporations and big business-their agenda is to privatize education and put it into the hands of the very corporations and businesses who is funding the policy writers. By the way, Jan Jones, who submitted the bill, is the chair of the educational task force for ALEC. This is just the beginning of their plan to totally privatize Georgia;s public schools.
http://www.votesmartgeorgia.com/whos-funding-the-amendment
If you are going to VOTE NO, please read to confirm the reasons why you are voting no.
If you are on the fence, please read so that you can find out the true motives behind this unnecessary amendment to our states constitution and then VOTE NO.
If you are going to vote yes, please read this and then see if you can still vote that way with a clear conscience, knowing that you will be allowing the take over of public education by big business. It’s not about your children, they want your money.
VOTE NO in NOvember
LarryMajor
October 3rd, 2012
8:26 pm
@DeKalb – Go to the link you posted and look at page 5. Where it mentions the Georgia Charter Schools Commission Act, there is a footnote which reads:
5″State chartered special schools” established under the Charter Schools Act of
1998, OCGA § 20-2-2060 et seq., are not in issue in this appeal and we intimate no opinion as to their status under the 1983 Georgia Constitution.
The State BOE’s authority to approve these schools is in 20-2-2060, which is specifically mentioned as not an issue in this case. It was only the Commission and code section 20-2-2082 that was involved in the Court’s ruling.
What you perceive as a wish-washy answer is likely due to your question being unclear. Based on your comment, I can’t tell what you actually asked. You mention what the Georgia Charter Schools Commission can and cannot do, but no such commission currently exists.
The State BOE has had the authority to approve state chartered special schools since 1998.
When the first commission was created, both the commission and State BOE could approve charter schools. (This is the duplication you hear mentioned about creating another commission.)
After the Court struck down the law creating the commission, the State BOE was, and continues to be, the only state level authorization agency. And, yes, they are processing charter applications as you read this.
Hope this help clear up a few things.
DeKalb Inside Out
October 4th, 2012
10:32 am
LarryMajor,
Whatever the exact opposite of a lawyer is will have my picture right next to it. I appreciate the clarity!
My question was unclear? That’s an understatement
Please correct any inaccuracies in my summary:
The Georgia Charter Schools Commission can now only approve “special charters” and virtual schools. According to the Majority Opinion, the phrase “special schools” is most readily interpreted by defining what those schools are not… “They are not schools that enroll the same types of K-12 students who attend general K-12 public schools; they are not schools that teach the same subjects that may be taught at general K-12 public schools.”
Thanks again!