Final stretch: Is charter school amendment about “money versus public schools” or “giving every child an option”?
As election day looms, the AJC examines the emotions and money around the charter school amendment in a Sunday piece. The amendment remains an explosive issue with great interest from both inside and outside the state.
Pro-amendment groups, including national school-choice advocates and for-profit charter school operators, have raised more than $2 million; amendment opponents have collected $123,243, mostly from public school officials, according to an analysis of campaign-finance records by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Please read the entire piece before commenting.
The AJC editorial page came out today in opposition to Amendment One, saying it would be a waste of taxpayer funds to create a new bureaucracy to do what the state board of education can already do. The AJC joined GOP State School Superintendent John Barge in contending that the creation of another layer of state government is wrong when Georgia has slashed billions from school funding over the last few years, leading to larger classes and shorter school years.
Gov. Deal offered an opposing view.
The AJC also looked at charter school enrollment in metro Atlanta and found that the schools have smaller ratios of low-income students. (This link takes you to a blog that discusses the change in the charter school movement, which began to create choices for poor kids trapped in failing schools but now has become a choice vehicle for suburban parents looking for more specialized schooling for their children)
So, there is a lot to read and discuss this weekend.
The ballot language makes no mention of dollars, but billions are at stake. Which is why vast sums are being spent to promote and – to a lesser extent – to oppose the amendment.
With Republican Mitt Romney heavily favored to win Georgia’s presidential contest, the charter school referendum is the local race to watch Tuesday. Pro-amendment forces have mailers, billboards and a television ad campaign extolling educational choice. Opponents are hitting back with a racially-charged radio ad in which The Rev. Joseph Lowery says the proposal would “resegregate our schools.”
Critics say it has sowed confusion. The motto of the pro-amendment side is “Vote YES! for Public Charter Schools,” and the ballot language asks if the state constitution should be amended “to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities?” A minister and a teacher sued arguing the language is misleading.
Mike Kwon, a 45-year-old Atlanta architect and martial arts instructor, cast an absentee ballot voted for the amendment but realized his error afterward when he chatted with friends by Facebook. He said he supports charter schools but favors less state involvement, not a new commission.
“I think I was totally hoodwinked by the (ballot) language,” Kwon said.
There are more than 100 charter schools in Georgia and two routes to establish them. Charter school applicants must first apply to the local school board. If the application is rejected, they can appeal to the state Board of Education, which may overrule the local officials. Which body approves the application affects whether a charter school receives local property tax dollars or not. Charters with either type approval receive state funds.
The amendment facing voters would create a third route for approval, an appointed state commission.
The issue has created an unpredictable mix of political alliances that make the outcome tough to predict. Prominent tea party activists have aligned with urban black Democrats and the state’s GOP school superintendent in opposing the amendment. On the flip side, many leading Republicans who frequently tout the virtues of local control are pushing for creation of a state commission that could provide a separate avenue for charter applicants.
It’s a fight that involves a huge pot of public dollars. State and local governments spend $13 billion a year to educate Georgia’s 1.6 million K-12 students. Charter schools are independent public schools that operate free of some state rules as long as they meet performance goals. They’re promoted as an antidote to poor-performing public schools.
The Georgia proposal has attracted dollars from stars in the school-choice movement. Deep-pocketed donors include Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton ($600,000) and StudentsFirst ($250,000), founded by ex-Washington D.C. School Superintendent Michelle Rhee, a leader in the push for teacher accountability.
Some of the large donors backing the amendment have ties to for-profit charter management companies. They include K12 ($100,000), the Herndon, Va-based company that manages cyber charter schools around the country; J.C. Huzienga, ($75,000) who founded Grand Rapids, Mich.-based National Heritage Academies, which manages charter schools including one in Atlanta; and Charter Schools USA ($50,000) in Fort Lauderdale, one of the oldest and largest for-profit operators of charter schools.
Some of the spending will remain secret. A separate effort by Brighter Georgia, a coalition of groups organized by the nonprofit Georgia Charter Schools Association, does not have to disclose its donors or how much it has spent. Brighter Georgia billboards have popped up around Atlanta, and its mailers have blanketed mailboxes. They stop short of asking recipients to vote for the amendment but lay out the benefits of it and of charter schools and look strikingly similar to the campaign mailers.
Bert Brantley, spokesman for Families for Better Public Schools, which has raised and spent the most among the pro-charter groups, said the big donations simply show the breadth of support. “We are very gratified to have such broad support,” he said. “It’s really about giving every child an option.”
Those who oppose the charter amendment say they aren’t surprised by the heavy spending. “This is money versus public schools. It is part of the privatization (of schools) effort. Everybody knows what this is about. It’s about the choice agenda and for-profit companies. There is big money to be made in schools,” Herb Garrett, executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, said.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
115 comments Add your comment
I love teaching. I hate what it is becoming...
November 5th, 2012
9:24 pm
@CharterStarter Too “…how you can POSSIBLY fuss about management companies that are doing it better for less and not see that those in the education establishment are milking classrooms right in front of you – and they get a free pass because they are “elected.””
Can’t speak for others but I will fuss! You bet I will. I am not the type to ignore corruption just because someone else is equally guilty. Do you expect people not to “fuss” about the potential for corruption in for profit charter schools because some public school systems are corrupt as well? Do you really think those of us who worry about misappropriation of funds by management compaies in charge of charter schools don’t worry about the misuse of funds by the public school systems? Unless you TRULY believe that everyone opposed to the charter amendment is some corrupt big cheese in the public system who is milking taxpayers for all they are worth, then this comment makes no sense. We are already frustrated by our inablity to stop the corruption in some public school systems, and now you want us to open the door to a movement that has lead to wide spread misuse of taxpayers funds in other states.
Yes, some charters “do it for less” but how do they manage that? Sometimes, by only hiring TFA teachers or new graduates and keeping them only a short time so they never gain enough seniority to be paid more than a pittance, by not providing retirement or heath benefits for employees, by not providing sufficient materials for students, by failing to provide libraries, arts programs and other enrichment opportunities, by not providing transportation… and using the “saving” to pay their CEOs big bucks.
This may not be the case in Georgia, yet… but with the passage of this amendment, I would not be surprised to see these kinds of practices start to arise as they have in other states that have opened the door to for profit charters.
Dr. Monica Henson
November 5th, 2012
10:25 pm
KIM posted, “You failed to mention EdisonLearning, another private entity with its hands already in our pockets with one of the online schools.”
So do you have a problem with the dozens of districts all over Georgia who have a contract with Ombudsman to operate alternative schools? Ombudsman is a private, for-profit company. Many districts have contracts with this company and outsource the education of their troubled students.
Do you have a problem with Prentice Hall, Houghton Mifflin, Little Brown, Harcourt Brace, et al, having contracts with public school districts to sell them textbooks and curriculum materials? Is that “having their hands” in taxpayers’ pockets? They are being paid enormous numbers of taxpayer dollars.
Our school’s Board of Directors has a contract with EdisonLearning to provide back office support, technology, curriculum materials, and professional development. SO WHAT? We also have a contract with an insurance company to provide liability insurance. Is that somehow nefariously diverting taxpayer funds into the pockets of Big Business?
Those who continue to shriek and howl like mashed cats about “for profit” companies benefiting from contracts with charter schools had best take a look at all the contracts that school districts have with “for profit” companies. Schools are big customers for many, many providers of goods and services, almost all of them for-profit.
AthensResident
November 5th, 2012
11:02 pm
I prefer “I love teaching. I hate what it is becoming…’s” arguments over “Dr. Monica Henson’s”. So there.
Dana Kling
November 5th, 2012
11:47 pm
Hello friends, I appreciate your time and I promise not to deluge any status updates with Vote NO on Amendment 1 fodder.
If you know me, you know my allegiances – to the students in my classroom, in my school, in my county, and in my state. I had the privilege today of interviewing ten students who all wished to spend six weeks this summer learning/participating in the Governor’s Honor Program; these young people are poised, purposeful, and polished. While many think they know what it going on in our schools, I ask you not to let negative anecdotes trump reality.
I know some of you are frustrated with your schools and with your school boards, but the recourse is to vote the locally accountable people out; after this amendment, that accountability may not even be plausible.
5-6,000,000,000s of state funding has been siphoned from GA public schools since 2003 under the guise of “austerity,” long before the bottom fell out of this economy. It’s no wonder public schools are hurting. Gwinnett alone is teaching 10,000 more kids with 2000 less teachers since 2008. The state has helped to create the problem and then proposes a solution that takes more funding away from locally elected boards in lieu of an unaccountable bureaucracy.
There was a proposed amendment that would have prevented for-profit companies coming in to Georgia. Not surprisingly, that amendment was dispatched. The wording of the amendment manipulates our better angels; the unintended (or sadly, intended) consequences of this amendment will harm far more students enrolled in traditional public schools than those that stand to benefit. 90% of the funding for the pro-amendment lobby is coming from out of state. Please ask, do these outside interests seek to educate every child? There is money in dem dere hills and it breaks my heart to see such rapacity aimed at public education.
Amendment 1 is NOT about the worth of charter schools; I have teacher friends and administrators who work at charter schools – who are most assuredly voting NO. Still, the opposition is making it into about school choice and parental empowerment.
Please hear me: I’m not worried about children whose parents can advocate for their children… I’m worried about those children out there… and how I wish there weren’t many, but there are… whose parents can’t, won’t, or simply just don’t advocate for their children. THOSE kids matter, too, and by voting NO, you are voting for ALL children.
Thank you… Please tell your friends!
http://www.votesmartgeorgia.com
And, one last time, because Callie is just ridiculously cute and the quote from the Republican Superintendent of schools (who is voting NO!) is so powerful…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saQW_P1p51c
ChartersStarter, Too
November 6th, 2012
9:06 am
Vote YES.
Stay safe out there on the roads today everybody. I appreciate the dialogue.
Ray
November 6th, 2012
12:11 pm
I just read in a NYT piece that Dr. Henson heads an on-line state charter high school, Provost Academy, in Georgia. An on-line high school? I didn’t know we had such a thing in Georgia. Barf. If this is where we’re headed, lord help us.
DeKalb Inside Out
November 6th, 2012
1:33 pm
Ray
Seems like on-line state charter high schools would be a viable option for some people. On-line virtual schools are not going to be the destruction of traditional schools. What are you afraid of? It is just another option for parents and their children. I’m guessing it’s a great option for many parents and children. I hope you wouldn’t deny them this venue for education.
Ray
November 6th, 2012
4:41 pm
DeKalb Inside Out: On-line colleges and universities are basically second and third rate options (i.e., they’re considered a joke by most employers), that have generally been shown to be very expensive for what they provide (i.e., they’re rip offs), so no, I’m not really crazy about extending that “option” to Georgia high school students — especially with taxpayer funds.
I don’t think this is about “denying students this venue for education”, but rather it is about private companies wanting to cash in, like Univ. of Phoenix, et al. have, with taxpayer funds. I’m sure the bean counters at these companies have figured out the potential gold mine of showing some videos or on-line presentations to hundreds or thousands of remotely located students at a time. Brilliant business model. Am I “afraid” of public education being sold down the river to these carpet baggers? Yes. Am I “afraid” that conservative idealogues see this as a potential avenue to slash the cost, and quality, of public education, while enriching a few private interests? Yes.
DeKalb Inside Out
November 6th, 2012
5:42 pm
Ray,
Yup … Univ. of Phoenix types are definitely trying to cash in.
On-line colleges and universities are basically second and third rate options – Yet some people apparently consider them the first option, otherwise it would close down.
Dr Henson’s model for online schools is not expensive. Parents know what is best for their children. Who cares where the money is going as long they are providing a superior service … at a fraction of the cost.
Hardware/Software Analogy
* When you buy a computer, do you care where that money goes? No, just as long as you get a superior product.
* Is Dell and Microsoft thinking up ways to deliver sub par products to screw people over to make a buck? No, they are trying to deliver superior products so people will choose them.
Why would for profit companies in the education business be any different than any other company around the world?
Slippery Slope – What is the next step in education? Vouchers? Privatization?
I think you’re going to hate my answer – Who cares as long as we are receiving a better education at a fraction of the cost than the previous iteration of education
Thanks for the convo the last few months!! I’ve learned a lot!! I just want what is best for the children and taxpayers. I don’t care about jobs or trying to resurrect the fond memories I have of the excellent traditional schools I went to. That excellence is dead. It’s a brave new world.
Ray
November 6th, 2012
5:59 pm
DIO: There are many things I could say in response, but suffice it to say I strongly disagree. “Excellent traditional schools are dead” and “it’s a brave new world [of on-line schools]“. Yikes. Why is Nancy Jester, your hero, even on the public school board if she thinks this way?
KIM
November 6th, 2012
6:28 pm
@ Dr Monica Henson–Yes, I have an enormous problem with a private, for profit entity running a school on taxpayers’ money. And yes, I have an enormous problem with start up schools who have found a way to sell their profit making interest to parents who are seeking a better situation for their children. I have been in staff development with the “leaders” of too many of these schools and watched their disengagement with the very district that is attempting to help them raise the bar with regard to instruction. Why? I really don’t know. They could have learned from how to use data to guide instruction to how to provide meaningful staff development to the teachers who come to work for them. But, no, not until the state forced them to up their curriculum. I have a real problem with that.
KIM
November 6th, 2012
6:31 pm
In case anyone is confused: I have a problem with schools making a profit for a private entity that is running the school. Do not let Dr. Henson’s words confuse my position. Thanks
Dr. Monica Henson
November 7th, 2012
7:56 pm
We do not “sell” anything. We are a public high school and no family pays tuition. We do not “make a profit for EdisonLearning,” as they are neither the owners nor the operators of the school. The school is a Georgia public school and is governed by a nonprofit board of directors.
Private, for-profit colleges are a completely different type of organization than public charter schools, which are by law nonprofit organizations. I am completely opposed to those types of colleges even being permitted to exist, by the way.
Whether Provost Academy Georgia is a first-, second-, or third-rate public high school will be evident in the spring, when our academic achievement results and student performance on the Georgia End of Course Tests are available.
Dr. Monica Henson
November 7th, 2012
7:59 pm
And KIM, for what I hope is the last time on this blog, I want every reader to know that there is no private, for-profit entity running Provost Academy Georgia. I am the chief executive officer of the school, and my two fellow administrators and I “run the school,” just as superintendents, principals, and business managers “run the schools” for districts. All three of us are public employees and members of the Teachers Retirement System, not employed by EdisonLearning but by the Board of Directors of the school, just as superintendents, principals, and business managers are employees of their local boards of education.
Dr. Monica Henson
November 7th, 2012
8:00 pm
Ray, our courses are taught by Georgia-certified, experienced, well-qualified public high school teachers. I have National Board Certified Teachers and a two-time Teacher of the Year. Your characterization of online instruction illustrates supreme ignorance of our academic program.