Charter school amendment glides to victory
In a 58 to 42 percent vote, Georgians adopted a constitutional amendment tonight that will put the state back in the business of approving charter schools over the objections of local boards of education.
The amendment was always favored to win, in part because of the benign language of the ballot question put before voters: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities?
The assumption is that the Legislature will reconstitute the appointed commission that was in place before the state Supreme Court struck it down a year ago, setting the stage for this bitter amendment battle. (See my AJC colleague Jim Galloway’s column tomorrow on the political ramifications of this political fight, which pitted the Republican state school superintendent against the GOP governor and House leadership.)
One of the first responses to the amendment passage came from Nina Gilbert, executive director of Ivy Preparatory Schools.
In an email, Gilbert said:
“In the words of statesman Frederick Douglass ‘If there is no struggle, there is no progress.’ We have been in the trenches fighting for the right for parents to choose their children’s schools for more than five years. I am so glad that the end of this fight is near and rests in the hands with the people of Georgia.
Our goal in the charter community has been and always will be to put children first and work to close the achievement gap. We do this by giving parents the option to choose schools with innovative programs, small class sizes and teachers who have the autonomy to make sure students learn at high levels. We offer alternatives for students assigned to low performing schools and students who want a new environment that challenges them. We have done our very best to serve our scholars, engage our parents and meet every requirement mandated by law.”
Also offering comment tonight was state Rep. Alisha Morgan of Austell who said, “This is what happens when you put politics aside and you bring black, white, young and old together and you just focus on the kids. This is the right thing. Kids won tonight.”
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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122 comments Add your comment
living in an outdated ed system
November 6th, 2012
9:31 pm
Like I said yesterday, my sources were correct, and it is clear from your short note where you stand on the issue, which is against real reform in public education in Georgia, and America. Georgia’s voters have spoken loud and clear that they will not allow local school boards to continue to wield monopoly power and prevent public charter schools from providing quality education options to its children.
This is good for Georgia, and if the trend holds, this will be great for our state’s youth.
mountain man
November 6th, 2012
9:43 pm
Good news. I will repeat what I have said all along: If traditional schools had done a better job of addressing the issues, there would not be this push for charters.
banshee29
November 6th, 2012
9:45 pm
Bad news…more money out the door for those of us in the trenches. We need better equipmentand better books and better leadership, not more competition!
Concernedmom30329
November 6th, 2012
9:51 pm
Easily winning in DeKalb. To Dr. Walker, most of the DeKalb Board, most of the members of the DeKalb delegation– this is on you. You are doing a terrible child governing the school system. Simply watching the meeting last night is an example of why things can not improve in DeKalb any time soon. What a shame for the children of DeKalb to have such ineffective leadership both at the school system and in the Delegation, when you missed multiple changes to effect changes that would have led to improvements in our school system.
Former Ivy Dad, current Chamblee Magnet Dad
November 6th, 2012
9:53 pm
Finally the scholars at Ivy Prep gets justice!
Bc
November 6th, 2012
9:54 pm
To the amendment detractors-if you hadn’t favored complacent mediocrity and the path of least resistance, there would not have been a groundswell movement for changing the perception of entitled and aloof misplaced priorities. I cheer passage of the amendment and hope to see the changes.
It’d be hard for things to get much worse so there’s only one direction this can go. Removing the cronyism and infighting of local school boards and reducing the influence of education associations is a great step in the right direction.
Take your blinders off
November 6th, 2012
9:55 pm
If you really think this will improve education, you are sorely mistaken. The students who would have succeeded, will still succeed, and those who would have failed, will still fail. The problem with education in this state is not the teacher, it is on the parent and the home the kid is raised in. Until people realize that, nothing in this state will change.
Mike
November 6th, 2012
9:56 pm
As a second year teacher in a struggling school that is already strapped for funds and resources, I can’t help but feel a sense of despair. What about my students who aren’t accepted into charter schools. Better yet, what about the areas of GA where charter schools will not go. My school is already depleted and now even MORE of the very small amount of funding we do receive will be divided even further… charters are a respectable option. But good education should not be private. We need to FIX public education and I don’t see how this does that…
Nonetheless, we will roll up our sleeves tomorrow and continue to prevail. For our communities and for our exceptional youth. Stay strong, fellow public educators.
School Mom
November 6th, 2012
10:04 pm
Welcome and flash back to the “separate but equal” dual system in GA. The rich and those who can drive students to white flight schools will do so. The special ed. and poor students will stay in public education schools with LESS funding than ever before. You think schools are bad now, folks ain’t seen nothing yet. We’re on the road to more financial woes and corruption in education and governance than ever before! For profit charters will be the first to come in, and they don’t have to worry about fairness as long as the school is profitable. Hope you folks that voted yes are ready for the reality that is going to take down all educational systems in GA.
canyouhearus
November 6th, 2012
10:06 pm
57% to 43% with 49%+ reporting. Cue Edwin Hawkins.
Commence the continued call for flinging more money at a demonstrably failed approach.
I fully support teachers, the incompetent and corrupt bureaucracy not so much.
Rick L in ATL
November 6th, 2012
10:09 pm
This needs to be said: to those of you who self-identify as “progressives:” you should’ve been the last to support shackling poor black kids to failing traditional public schools–schools that have zero chance of ever becoming what we need them to be (and not, as you insist, because of inadequate funding–but because of inadequate everything-else).
Aren’t you supposed to be the high-minded, oh-so-moral folks who want to help lift the underprivileged out of their circumstances?
Not so much, as it turns out.
If you really wanted to help those kids you’d be lining up at detonator switches to implode traditional public schools throughout Georgia, starting with about 50 in APS.
Your support of the status quo was, from the start, morally bankrupt. You wanted to make this about state overreach, but what it always WAS about was defending the indefensible; protecting the adults who profit from each child’s’ failure.
You said it was about big money–and you were right; the big money of the cozy fat-cat educrats and the obsolete machinery they keep telling us is always just one more tax increase away from actually doing useful work. Nobody I know among our parent group wants for-profit charters; it was never about that. It was always about reminding you that this system of ours is paid for and belongs to taxpayers and parents, not to educrats, and you will not tell us how it should be run.
You haven’t earned that. Even after all this time and all these millions, you haven’t earned that.
You should view this vote as what it is: a vote of no confidence, not only in our Keystone Kops school boards, but also in you–our “progressive” public-school apologists. This isn’t just an I-told-you-so, it’s a big shiny Eff You to you and your failed system and your stubborn refusal to admit that you’ve been dragging around a corpse, Weekend-At-Bernies style, for decades now. And it’s really starting to stink.
Pride and Joy
November 6th, 2012
10:13 pm
When this amendment passes, it will pass because of one major reason: the low-performing traditional public schools.
If traditionaly public schools were doing their job, there would be no need for charters.
I hope this is a wake up call to all of those who work in public education; the days of the monopoly over pubic education are over.
Choice is here to stay.
Either make your public school a place parents will choose or we parents will choose another place. Georgia’s children deserve better than what they’ve been given for fifty years.
Point/Counterpoint
November 6th, 2012
10:14 pm
Last one leaving the state, please turn the light off.
Pride and Joy
November 6th, 2012
10:16 pm
I agree with Rick L.
The vote FOR amendment one was a vote of NO confidence in Georgia’s traditional public school system.
Bc
November 6th, 2012
10:17 pm
Wow, well said Rick L.
Too bad they still won’t “get it”
canyouhearus
November 6th, 2012
10:19 pm
Note to School Mom & Reverend Lowery.
DeKalb County – 78%+ for Obama and 64% to 36% yes.
This is a resounding vote against the status quo in public education.
Pride and Joy
November 6th, 2012
10:19 pm
Banshee29 makes an interesting point “We need better equipmentand better books and better leadership, not more competition!”
It’s interesting because banshee is a teacher and is tellng us what teacheres need…
There is no concern about what the STUDENTS need.
Typical.
So typical.
And so sad.
Thomas's Paine
November 6th, 2012
10:20 pm
Maureen, I’m not sure what your ballot question said, but in my county it said more like: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow THE IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATION through state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities?
I was aghast at the wording, it was a no-brainer for the uninformed to put “yes.” Interests paid some serious cheddar for that wording.
I am confident that other posters will recount a similar recollection of the wording.
Pride and Joy
November 6th, 2012
10:24 pm
I found this comment particularly sad”As a second year teacher in a struggling school that is already strapped for funds and resources, I can’t help but feel a sense of despair. What about my students who aren’t accepted into charter schools.”
Mike — they have YOU. Are you NOTa good teacher? why would you have a sense of despair for the kids that are left in your classroom?
Perhaps your despair is not for the kids. it seems like the despair is for yourself. you worry about your job prospects.
Don’t worry, Mike. We still ahve the same number of children in GA. If you lose your job to budget cuts, charter schools will need you if you are a good teacher.
Good teacheres never have to worry about getting a job. It’s the horrible teachers that need to worry.
Private Citizen
November 6th, 2012
10:31 pm
Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities?
That’s not what it said on the computer voting machine where I live. I just looked up a ballot image. The first five words were “Provides for improving student achievement” (Yes / No.)
Looks like they were taking no risks.
Goodforkids
November 6th, 2012
10:35 pm
Ugh.
Me
November 6th, 2012
10:35 pm
I love how it is automatically assumed that only the rich and privledged go to charter schools and we are trying to segregate our children. Huh, I must have dreamed that my child is the minority in his class-yes I’m white. I also must have dreamed all that anxiety over money and wondering how we’ll make it. Guess the many other parents at my childs school in the same boat as me think it’s fun to pretend they don’t have money. Wake up and pay attention folks because this has nothing to do with race and very little to do with money. For many of us, having to drive our child to school and buy them uniforms is a hardship, which is why we come together and carpool or hand down uniforms that are outgrown. It’s difficult to get in our required volunteer hours, hours needed to help make up the difference in funding we receive, bc of work, etc. We do it bc we had a choice in where to send our children to school and want them to have every chance they can. I cannot speak for other schools, but I know at ours the parents are involved as much as possible. We want the best teachers and curriculum for our kids. We don’t complain about lack of money, we volunteer to help in classrooms, clean our own school grounds, have bake sales, and do everything we can to keep our school open which is probably why this community supports us so much. Seems to me that if regular public schools had better parent involvement and maybe even added volunteer hours so much emphasis would not be put on the money, but how the systems could be improved. Yes-there are problems in our schools and I for one would like to see them ALL improve, but if you had a chance to put your child in a school that out performs the others in your district and offered a better variety of classes then you would be doing your own child a great injustice not to put their name in that lottery, just as I did with mine.
Teacher and Taxpayer
November 6th, 2012
10:42 pm
I voted for it! Now the PARENTS WILL HAVE TO BE ACCOUNTABLE. Why are teachers responsible for your children’s school supplies? We were poor as dirt, but my parents went without and bought us SCHOOL SUPPLIES. My students wear $200 shoes and designer clothes to school and have designer purses, but no paper to write with, no computers and no pens or pencils. I am sooo glad that the Charter School issue is a a go!!!Yaaay for productive change! Long live the Charters! I live in Dekalb County and I am an African American!
Charles Douglas Edwards
November 6th, 2012
10:43 pm
Public sentiment is everything
With public sentiment nothing can fail
Without it nothing can succeed
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
We accept the sentiment of the people !!!
Mike
November 6th, 2012
10:43 pm
I’m not worried about my job prospects; I put 110% to my work every day and have seen my students flourish in ways that keep me going regardless. However, what saddens me, is the lack of funding that my already poor school has- now my students will go without more resources, more benefits, more nice things and better opportunities that their more affluent peers DO have. I am saddened that GA has just decided to further cripple public education rather than solving its problems. I don’t want to teach at a Charter School. I don’t believe that students and families should have to look any further than their community to find a solid education. I do believe that public education needs to be fixed. However, what saddens me lastly, is that this measure tonight, has done nothing to fix public education. Hello to more bureaucracy and more educational inequity…
The fight continues.
Rick L in ATL
November 6th, 2012
10:54 pm
@Mike: there is no “fixing” public education. It’s not a renovation, it’s a tear-down. Pressed by charter schools on one side and (eventually) vouchers on the other, traditional public schools will be forced to completely reinvent themselves or perish. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
When we finally come to that day–the day we see the launch of Public Schools 2.0–perhaps you’ll still be in the trenches. But dude– you need to improve your homework skills, because you should already know that every student who exits your school for a state-approved charter triggers MORE local per-pupil funding for your district, not less.
I’m going to chalk up your error to the fact that you’re likely overworked like most good teachers, and I hope you hang in there and end up working someday in a school worthy of your talent and effort.
Pride and Joy
November 6th, 2012
10:56 pm
Mike,
I am educated. I went to a very poor public school and we, at times, were poor. My school had no air conditioning. We sweated out August. We had no computers, no “work books.”
At times, we shared text books.
The teacher hand wrote questions on the chalk board with chalk and we wrote the answers on plain notebook paper.
The only supplies we had were paper, pencils, erasers and occassionally, a ruler.
The only supply the teacher used was chalk and a blackboard. Back then they were green.
If you are a good teacher, Mike, you don’t need to worry about funding. You don’t need work books. You don’t need computers, the Internet, and so on.
All the students need is an educated human being who cares.
Teacher and Taxpayer
November 6th, 2012
11:00 pm
@Mike…no offense but you are an enabler. These people need to take personal responsibility for their actions. These children and their parents need to be taught that nothing will be handed to them including an education. You are not doing these children any favors by giving them everything. The old saying still applies, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime.” @ Mike teach your students how to fish. Creativity comes from necessity.
mountain man
November 6th, 2012
11:03 pm
Now that we can put this charter school question behind us, we need to start putting the pressure on the failing ADMINISTRATORS who are allowing the inmates to run the asylum. It is NOT the teachers’ fault that schools don’t enforce DISCIPLINE, ATTENDANCE, AND SOCIAL PROMOTION. Start with the basics, please. BOEs take note. If you won’t do it, your days are numbered.
Mike
November 6th, 2012
11:03 pm
And, Charters will pull money from the same pool we do, which is the major problem here. Overworked, yes… in fact, watching these elections way past bed time. But I agree with you that public ed needs to be gutted and fixed. I just don’t see this amendment doing that. We’re just getting even more depleted with this. And so continues the facepalm and the banging of the head against the desk…
And I am not so much focused on finding a school “worthy of my talent”; that’s a major problem now as to why so many students go without resources, including GOOD TEACHERS who are motivated daily, who care and value them, and who lift them up. I don’t want to leave the community I serve. And my students shouldn’t have to, either. That’s my point. It’s a dismal day…
Mike
November 6th, 2012
11:07 pm
And teacher/taxpayer, I love your “enabler” label. That is extremely insulting, especially coming from another teacher. You know how hard we work and how much frustration we deal with and how patiently we have to press on to enforce high expectations, work ethic, behavior, etc. Rest assured my students do not go without in regard to the education I bust my behind to provide them with each day… however, that does not make it OK that they will continue to be underfunded and underresourced. This shouldn’t be happening, period.
canyouhearus
November 6th, 2012
11:10 pm
I am sorry to disagree Mike but it is joyful day. At least it is for students, parents, and taxpayers. I can not speak for the education establishment. I will leave it to you to defend the staus quo.
Jessica
November 6th, 2012
11:12 pm
You’re going to blame the way the amendment was phrased on the ballot? Really???
I don’t think voters made the choice they did because of the way it was worded. I think it’s because people in this state recognize that the public education here is inadequate and outdated. Innovation and competition will be good for the kids in this state, or at least better than the status quo.
Mike
November 6th, 2012
11:13 pm
I’m not defending the status quo… maybe some of you should come into a classroom for a little bit and check things out. or not be mislead by vague ballot wording. My life’s work is actually to defeat the status quo… but anyway. This could go on for hours. Education will continue to gain more attention and hopefully reform… at least Obama is on his way to another 4 years and our civil rights have not been stripped away.
Private Citizen
November 6th, 2012
11:14 pm
Here’s an image of the ballot / presentation / wording. http://postimage.org/image/big6×1cat/
First five words: “Provides for improving student achievement”
Private Citizen
November 6th, 2012
11:16 pm
Jessica, I agree with your analysis but you can’t deny the manipulative presentation.
Early returns: Charter school amendment on path to victory – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Best News Feed - Daily News Magazine
November 6th, 2012
11:22 pm
[...] Early returns: Charter school amendment on path to victoryAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)The AJC is reporting that 58 percent of voters approved the amendment, which will put the state back in the business of approving charter schools over the objections of local boards of education. The amendment was favored to win, in part because of the …States Around The Nation Could Totally Change Their School Systems TodayBusiness InsiderEducation Ballot Measures in the StatesHeritage.org (blog)Judgment Day for Education is HereSan Jose Inside (blog)CNN (blog) -New York Times -The Atlanticall 297 news articles » [...]
canyouhearus
November 6th, 2012
11:22 pm
Mike all I hear you saying is a repitition of the mantra we have heard for decades, “more money”. The most important stakeholders, citizens, parents, and taxpayers, have delivered a clear message. I appreciate your efforts in the classroom. I have grown weary of funding a corrupt and faied approach. It is obvious a strong majority shares my opinion.
canyouhearus
November 6th, 2012
11:23 pm
“failed”
fat fingers
DeKalb Dad
November 6th, 2012
11:44 pm
It warms my heart to see all the positive comments on a blog that has been nothing but a mouthpiece for the opposition’s propaganda.
The fight for quality public schools is not over by any means but at least we’re moving in the right direction.
20/20
November 6th, 2012
11:45 pm
Erroll Davis and crew in Atlanta contributed to this charter win due to continous efforts to destroy APS every day and turn supporters away from public schools.
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
12:05 am
20/20
I find it hard to believe you blame bad APS schools on E Davis. APS schools have been horrible since before Errol was born.
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
12:07 am
It’s a really simple mandate from the voting citizens of Georgia.
A 58/42 margin is huge.
The mandate is:
Traditional public schools MUST change for the better or we will change to charter schools.
Change for the better or prepare for unemployment.
It’s really that simple.
Old South
November 7th, 2012
12:07 am
Rick L,
You are right, but until 2.0 schools arrive, the line among haves and nots will sharpen.
However the underlying structural problems are really not the schools systems fault. Trying to fix that via the schools will be an interesting “experiment” that Georgia is likely not smart enough to pull off.
Goodforkids
November 7th, 2012
12:21 am
Some kids who enroll in new charters will benefit, others will suffer. Meanwhile, I don’t believe we will have solved any problems in education. Because, just like now, those who go to schools with good leadership among adults dedicated to student success will prosper, and those who end up with adults who only see the children as means to their selfish ends will suffer. JUST LIKE NOW.
20/20
November 7th, 2012
12:22 am
Pride and Joy Erroll Davis has definitely made a bad situation worst after a decade of the Beverly Hall regime! !!! APS needs positive change now!!!!
Eddie Hall
November 7th, 2012
12:24 am
Well, we tried. I guess you can’t fight money, mis leading language, and people who rightfully want a reformed system, but just don’t realize this is not it. When the big money companies come in, financed by our tax dollars, and still nothing improves, AND you pay higher LOCAL property taxes, remember to thank Ol’ Nathan and his cronies.
Ktis
November 7th, 2012
12:28 am
Sad night for the children of Ga schools. Low bidder,cronies and family members of shady all get the much needed Education dollars…Error Davis will get a new contract. The state will loose many great educators.
Cannot wait until the law suits start flying and all the $$$ spent by both the Ethical and Non (shady)
unethical sides. Money wasted that could have been spent on fixing our current education system.
echo
November 7th, 2012
12:30 am
I find it more than just a little amusing to hear parents blabbing on about how they need to have more “say” and “control” of their child’s education while also voting for this charter school amendment. Parents do have a say in their kid’s education but a significant proportion of you are so inept as parents you manage to screw that one up. Go to any public area where there are groups of kids hanging out and watch how they behave…most of them didn’t get like that on their own, they are the direct result of crappy parent(s). And do you really think you will get more “say”? These schools will be run be politically connected, for-profit companies…figure it out.
I think we should scrap the whole system and let ALL schools be for profit/tuition based but the parent(s) should have to foot the ENTIRE bill for their child(ren)’s education. That would be helpful to the taxpayers that REALLY pay for your kid’s education…who don’t get much say in anything. Then you can let YOUR money follow YOUR kid.
Kris
November 7th, 2012
12:30 am
Sad night for the children of Ga schools. Low bidder,cronies and family members of shady all get the much needed Education dollars…Error Davis will get a new contract. The state will loose many great educators.
Cannot wait until the law suits start flying and all the $$$ spent by both the Ethical and Non (shady)
unethical sides. Money wasted that could have been spent on fixing our current education system.
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
12:35 am
20/20 — your hindsight is still bad.
Errol davis did not turn voters against public schools. The public schools turned voters against public schools.
You cannot put the blame on someone else.
Amendment one passed by a landslide because 58 percent of GA parents have no confidence in public schools.
You have no one to blame — except yourselves.
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
12:39 am
echo, you have an interesting comment. If I had al the money back that I’ve paid for traditional public schools, I could pay for private school. I think you forget or haven’t learned that we tax payers don’t pay for schools only when our children attend them. We pay for them for as long as we are employed. It’s not just local property tax money. My federal taxes and state taxes pay for schools too.I would LOVE to have all that money back. I could have put my kids through Woodward and would have had money left over for a vacation abroad — with the kids.
canyouhearus
November 7th, 2012
12:43 am
I have no quarrel with Echo’s solution.
Cactus
November 7th, 2012
12:45 am
Winston Churchill once said that you can count on Americans to do the right thing after they’ve tried everything else. We won’t see education in Georgia improve through passage of this amendment, but it will be one more thing we can say we tried before we came to grips with the fact that our public schools reflect who we are as a state in all the ways that make Georgia good and bad. Trying to change our schools is comparable to trying to change who we are. Critics want to blame educators and local boards of education for failing to achieve ends that can only be realized through work done by all of us as a community. While effective teachers can have a profound effect on students, we cannot dump our children at the school house door and expect the educators within to overcome the country’s ninth highest level of poverty and a culture that often belittles the benefits or value of education. Competing industrialized nations require their young people to attend more than 200 school days per year compared to the 140-180 our children attend, and parents in those nations make it clear to their offspring that education is at least as important as athletics. When our enthusiasm for a quality education system in Georgia equals the fervor with which we embrace the Georgia Bulldogs or the Auburn Tigers and we are ready to invest in our public education system then shallow “alternatives” such as state approved charter schools will be recognized for what they are and what they aren’t. In the minds of the naive, this amendment was about improving educational opportunities for Georgia students; let’s see whether this is a reality or a cruel hoax. Voters have been manipulated by our state’s “leadership” and now our tax money will be redirected to education management corporations and the political “leaders” they finance instead of the children education is intended to serve. One of these days when every new initiative or alternative approach has been exhausted, we will do the right thing and invest in our public schools. We will hold teachers and students to high, rigorous standards and we will require our young people to engage in challenging work that extends beyond the normal school day and demands hours of homework each night. We will extend the school calendar to more than 210 days so our students can compete with and work alongside peers from nations that prize a quality education system, and we will regret how far we let our nation decline economically and intellectually by substituting false hopes and on-the-cheap “solutions” for real education change and improvement. Unfortunately, other nations will not have been sitting still while we tinker with vacant approaches such as state supported charter schools, and we will have that much farther to go to catch up. We and the historians who write about this period of time can thank our Governor and the members of the General Assembly for this, in my opinion. They intentionally misrepresented what the charter school amendment was really about in their communications with voters and they intentionally worded the ballot measure to be grossly misleading if not a deliberate falsehood. Cynically, they perceived us to be gullible, and to an extent (approximately 58 percent), we proved them right.
MOM
November 7th, 2012
12:46 am
Mike, I’m sorry, I don’t get your math. Every childs school in GA recieves funds for their education. However, children who attend charter schools are alotted $1,000.00 less. The charter school and parents have to make up the rest. The rest goes back to the public school. If a GA child is being educated, how are public school children being short changed. Seems the other way around too me. I am a Mom of three charter school kids and we are busting our butts everyday to keep our doors open. What are your parents doing? Is it right for you to demand that I pick-up the tab for the parents who are more interested in their kids wardrobe than their education?
ris
November 7th, 2012
12:49 am
Grounds for Recall Of Nathan DEAL
Georgia: Act of malfeasance or misconduct while in office; violation of oath of office; failure to perform duties prescribed by law; willfully misused, converted, or misappropriated, without authority, public property or public funds entrusted to or associated with the elective office to which the official has been elected or appointed. Discretionary performance of a lawful act or a prescribed duty shall not constitute a ground for recall of an elected public official. (Ga. Code §21-4-3(7) and 21-4-4(c))
Charter Mom
November 7th, 2012
12:59 am
If you could only meet the teachers and view the curriculum, you would be amazed. We spent one year in public schools and three in private. We hit the jackpot in our charter. Before judging charters, check out the curriculum. Realize that our world is evolving and public schools should too. Charter schools are public schools and allow all students. My child is Autistic and thriving in our charter. The issue of tax money…I have paid taxes every year. My child only attended public schools one of those years. Why should my tax money not follow my choice of education? Why are charter families not entitled to some of the taxes that we pay towards education? We are taxpayers too!
Ron F.
November 7th, 2012
1:04 am
Regardless of your feelings, regardless of the politics, now the work begins to make sure this is implemented carefully; and that we as citizens, parents, and yes teachers, continue to strive for what is really best for all of Georgia’s kids. The metro counties have, by and large, fueled this by electing boards that are corrupt, incapable of leadership, and poor stewards of the public trust. This amendment isn’t going to change that unless we get busy demanding better of those leaders. I will get up in a few hours and go right back to my public school and do what I have done for twenty-four years now- love them and teach them. Their lives and our lives depend on it. When the finger pointing and “I told you so” is over, you will still need each and every one of us in whatever school you choose doing simply what must be done regardless. You need us to love your kids as if they were our own and you need us to teach them as if there were no greater calling known to man. In the end, we have to have those folks truly dedicated to our kids and we have to make sure they know we appreciate them. For my own part, I don’t have to change a thing to meet that demand and I won’t relent in my dedication to our kids. Let’s get busy, together now if we can, and get past the divisiveness of politics these days so we can make this work.
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
1:05 am
Such irony. Some make great comment about how to teach from the board and the good old days of pioneer spirit. This is valuable and good. At the same time, if you want to benefit from the standard of living of a modern industrial society I think you’re going to have to think of something besides relying on yankees to come down here to read your x-rays or send them off through the internet to a doctor in Asia. Seriously, the mentality here is like you’re going to learn enough to “take a picture” and then let someone else do the work. And build the machine too, so you can press the button. Doctors and engineers need real knowledge base and more than ten sentences hand written on the board. I don’t what it’s called, but what it is is sequential curriculum with support materials. That means the 10th grade teacher knows what was going on in 5th grade and the sources used, that the 5th grade teachers know what was going on in 1st grade and the sources used. Right now, the official Georgia curriculum materials supply doctrine is, “Hey teacher, go steal some stuff from the internet.” I have a feeling the better charter providers have a little more concept of curriculum, a concept that includes support materials. This is completely counter to the approach here coming directly from the state where they mandate that teachers have a birthday party, except that there is no cake and balloons. How can you have a birthday party without any cake and balloons?
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
1:11 am
To Private Citizen — about those support materials.
My children attend a wonderful private school.
You know what the teacher uses as “support materials”?
Straws.
you know, cheap drinking straws. She puts ten in a bundle and ties it with a rubber band to each math. To learn the number “46″ she puts four bundles of straws in the tens column and six single straws in the ones column.
The straws were free. The rubberbands were used.
How’s that for a private school?
There is NOTHING new under the sun in reading, writing and arithmetic.
The English language has not changed in fifty years. Addition has not changed in a thousand years. Writing has not changed in fifty years.
Support materials?
I can gather ten stones from my back yard and call them “manipulatives.”
Tap water and a dollar store measuring cup work well too.
We don’t need fancy to teach.
Not even in a private school.
canyouhearus
November 7th, 2012
1:12 am
What Ron F. said,
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
1:14 am
You need us to love your kids as if they were our own and you need us to teach them as if there were no greater calling known to man.
Sounds like a recipe for a sports complex. No small coincidence that the current appointed U. S. Secretary of Education is a former professional basketball player. If you want academics, you’re going to need a little more than love and determination. Fill in the missing blank ________________.
PublicTeacher
November 7th, 2012
1:16 am
@Mike…Give it up…we know what we voted for…I read the entire Amendment…DID YOU? Were you voting against Amendment one or HB797? Did you read both? Most of the opposition points were based on HB 797, not Amendment One. HB 797 can be tweaked later, if necessary. Everyone in the general public knew beyond a shadow of a doubt where the traditional public schools stood on this…and they obviously made it clear that the traditional way of doing things is no longer acceptable. Amendment one was needed, and the voice of change has spoken. Tighten up, because you are about to see some change in Georgia. Whether a “for-profit” company makes money or not, parents will not care if their child is receiving a better education for the same tax dollars. I have been in a traditional system for over 20 years and I see the problems, even in a system that’s better than most in Georgia. Charter Schools are good, if not, they get closed. Today is a great day for Georgia Public education.
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
1:17 am
Ron, you said “you will still need each and every one of us.”
No, we don’t.
We don’t need each and every one of you.
The incompetent and arrogant need to get the heave ho.
We parents know which public school teachers were good and which ones are horrid. Ther is no room in a charter school fro the horrid.
Ron, just a month or so ago, you predicted the teachers will shoot this amendment down because you thought you had yourself a good voting bloc and you predicted that we parents needed your (teacher) support.
We didn’t and we dont.
The vote was 58 to 42.
It was a landslide victory.
The voters have spoken loud and clear.
Amendment one was a vote of no confidence for public schools in GA.
To your colleagues I say — Improve or we will move.
MOM
November 7th, 2012
1:20 am
Thank you, Public Teacher.
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
1:26 am
In all seriousness, Ron, in Germany what you’re doing is illegal. After WW2 they’ve developed some very solid formal concepts and legal requirements written into code re: what not to do. A teacher’s job is to impart knowledge. That’s it, nothing more. Impart knowledge and do it well. Love and character is reserved for the family, the home, and the individual. This is why they’re operating the CERN particle accelerator and we’re loving people to death so they can grow up and have missing teeth and risk their lives waiting on a root canal (because it costs cash-only). We need to mature with our concept of what is education. We need to develop some concepts of boundaries and get out of the heart and home business and get into the teaching business. Here’s the CERN project, FYI. Do your students and state a favor and have a look. http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/lhc/lhc-en.html
If you expect me to play hillbilly halloo with you, look somewhere else. I was raised with plenty of love and fresh warm biscuits at school and I know what it’s worth.
Serenity
November 7th, 2012
3:20 am
I am simply a parent. My son thrives in a charter school because they choose to embrace his out of the box thinking rather than shun him for thinking on a more creative and intelligent level. He was bullied in traditional schools but is protected at the charter school and accepted by his peers. The charter school refuses to allow bullying and immediately will address any issue rather than going through some paper pushers idea of how to handle issues. What us wonderful is that my son will finally benefit from my property tax dollars (I am a homeowner) for his education and I am no longer just funding a frustrating and failed system.
Mary Elizabeth
November 7th, 2012
4:34 am
A word to the wise: Keep an eye on the money flow, as these changes to public education occur.
FairLady
November 7th, 2012
4:35 am
Tonight the voices of the parents and children of Georgia were heard above the rantings of the educational status quo!! Parents want more from their public schools, and they overwhelmingly want OPTIONS like charter schools!! This is awesome for the future of education in GA. Better Days Are Ahead!! It’s time to celebrate!! Parents DO have a voice, and it was heard LOUD and clear at the ballot box tonight!! We should applaud education champions like Nina Gilbert!!
Just the Facts
November 7th, 2012
5:46 am
Maureen-
Would you care to share with your readers the other “part” that allowed the amendment to pass? The part about not having confidence in local school boards..the cheating scandal part..the low national rankings part…the part where middle class parents that can’t afford private schools need a real option for their kids…the part where low income families are stuck in horrific performing neighborhood schools…
That amendment was always going to pass regardless of the part you played in its opposition.
“The amendment was always favored to win, in part because of the benign language of the ballot question put before voters”
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
5:59 am
Just the facts makes a very important point at 5:46.
For me and thousands of others, we wnated charters before this amendment one was ever written or worded. To say that it passed “in part” to the wording of it is to dismiss the real coincerns by real parents. It sends an incorrect message to the education establishment.
Amendment one passed for the overwhelming part —
because parents in GA are very dissatisified with Georgia’s traditional public schools.
gwadgib
November 7th, 2012
6:04 am
It’s utterly amazing that all of those on here want to point the finger at a failing system and those that work in it. For me to say that there are not fat-cat educators sitting on a cushy job would be a lie, but at the same time there are fat-cat parents that sit on a cushy couch and draw a check that never contribute anything to their child’s education. Now, through this vote, the parents that are never seen, or even heard from will be calling the shots? Community members that can’t even balance their checkbook and keep it from being over drawn are now going to decide how to spend tax dollars at their charter school? I can’t wait to see how all of this turns out.
a question for the pro- charter crowd
November 7th, 2012
6:08 am
So will this ammendment allow for existing schools to convert to a charter school, or will the commission only approve out of state start-ups? A lot of people in my county voted for the ammendment in hopes of escaping our board and our new superintendent’s bad decisions. We are a charter system and a race to the top system which has left parents with no say and a bunch of tested to death kids. Could this be our opportunity to escape?
John
November 7th, 2012
6:14 am
Private Citizen, it is obvious that you have very little knowledge of the concept of a teacher’s job. You are correct in your assumption that love and character are not stipulations in the teacher contract. Also, you are correct to assume that it is reserved for the home. Where you are dead wrong, is the execution of that theory. For some of these kids there is no home, there is no love, and there is no one there to teach character. Maybe, just maybe if weren’t for sorry parents who couldn’t care less about their kids, then maybe teachers could “just impart knowledge.” But no, teachers on the front lines have to teach kids right from wrong, how to be a productive citizen, teach them appropriate behavior and inappropriate behavior, all while trying to “impart knowledge” on things that the state says is important. When one of my 8th graders goes home at night and determines if it is more important to find something to eat, fix something for his/her younger siblings, wash the same clothes they just had on so they will have something to wear the next day, or do some math homework, I can promise you math will lose every time. I am sure you will retort with how many years in education you have or some bogus degree that allows you to thumb your nose at the rest of society, but your comments about love and character are true in theory, but not in real life for many children.
Fled
November 7th, 2012
6:20 am
Oh, the irony. While the rest of the world is celebrating and breathing deep and sincere sighs of relief over the wisdom of the American people tonight, the republicans in Georgia are celebrating giving control of their schools over to corporate entities. Classrooms are now to be profit centers, so you soon will have the schools you deserve.
Expect more excellent teachers to flee as soon as they can.
Mary Elizabeth
November 7th, 2012
6:25 am
Just the Facts, 5:46 am
“Maureen-
Would you care to share with your readers the other ‘part’ that allowed the amendment to pass? The part about not having confidence in local school boards…the part where middle class parents that can’t afford private schools need a real option for their kids…”
=========================================
As a senior citizen on a fixed income without any children in school, I do not think that it is fair that I should be forced to pay taxes on my property in order to send children, not my own, to private schools, or to home school settings, with public funds.
If there is going to be a major change in the school delivery model for students throughout Georgia so that citizens’ tax monies for education will follow the child, then, likewise, the source of that money (citizens such as myself, childless couples, singles, among others) should also be changed to account for this incoming modification in the flow of tax money for the education of all of Georgia’s students. The amount of my taxes paid for education should be adjusted so that I would only be required to pay for the education of students in Georgia who attend public schools, and not for those students who may choose to attend private schools, or attend home schooling situations, with public tax funds.
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
6:39 am
Mary Elizabeth,
I understand your concern about wanting to do with your tax money what you want to do with it.
So do I.
I pay heavy taxes on two residential properties and I send my children to private schools. None of the tax money I pay in local property taxes nor state nor federal taxes goes to educate my children.
In the same way, other parents feel as you do. They want their tax money to go to the school their children attend or to the school they want it to go to.
I would like to see that happen.
We voters should be able to decide where our education dollars are spent. It should not be a one size fits most approach.
Vouchers are what we need.
Everyone could vote where their tax money goes with vouchers.
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
6:49 am
gwadbig, you said “Now, through this vote, the parents that are never seen, or even heard from will be calling the shots?”
No, that’s not how it works.
No one is going to call up a dead beat dad or mom and ask him or her how to call the shots.
Concerned parents have to take initiative and thorugh a lot of work, write a charter and ask for approval. Dead beat parents cannot be bothered to do homework. Your concern that dead beat parents who cannot be bothered to send their kides to school will somehow be motivated to get off their sofa and write a charter and get it approved sounds, well, ridiculous.
Pride and Joy
November 7th, 2012
6:55 am
To Fled — public schools are already profit centers. The money doesn’t get into most public teachers hands nor into the classroom. The profit goes to text book companies and the educrats who get kickbacks for promoting that for-profit company.
Administration is bloated and the misuse of public tax money for schools is well documented.
Bevery Hall used a full time police officer as her personal chaffeur full time.
Her “speaker fees” were nothing but stealing money.
The grotesque nature of her theft is still something difficult for me to comprehend. Your concerns about stealing and misusing money are valid but you need to look within your own organization and clean house.
catlady
November 7th, 2012
6:56 am
“Glides” is the right word. Slides in on greased palms is more like it! I rejoice that I will be joining the 47% in less than 18 months. I am going to be lobbying my 2 remaining kids to take their families out of Georgia!
Another angle
November 7th, 2012
7:31 am
One down, more to go. Next amendment: Should the school system operate like the best-run companies in America and fire their bottom 10% of employees each year? Bottom being defined as to include the most inept teachers and administrators. Let’s give this amendment momentum.
FBT
November 7th, 2012
7:42 am
Does anyone think parents will go to the trouble of sending their babies to under performing charter schools?
Ivan
November 7th, 2012
8:23 am
Let’s see, I have to make a decision between Error Davis’ “Annexes for everybody” solution vs. a charter school in our neighborhood.
OK. I’ve made my decision. Who do I contact and how do we get the charter schools going in Atlanta?
Ed Johnson
November 7th, 2012
8:30 am
What @Rick L in ATL doesn’t get is what Choice champion Chip Rogers so plainly tells us:
“Competition is at the heart of almost every advancement in human existence. To suggest it doesn’t work in education ignores both reality and human nature.”
Foolishness is to believe the ALEC-backed cohort comprising Chip Rogers, Edward Lindsey, Jan Jones, and others is now content with having “won” with Amendment One so will no longer continue their “competition” to favor narrower and narrower interests of corporatists in the style of Darwinism’s “survival of the fittest.”
Sadly, Chip Rogers, et al., believe they are the fittest, inherently. Hasn’t our country experienced the consequences of such thinking before? Why, of course, it has.
ATL Parent
November 7th, 2012
8:35 am
Yippee!!!
ATL Parent
November 7th, 2012
8:47 am
Hopefully, this is just the beginning of reform for our ATL public school system. Finally, APS will be held accountable for something.
Former Ivy Prep Mom - now GSMST Mom
November 7th, 2012
8:58 am
I’m with the Former IPA Dad…whatever it takes to keep Ivy Prep going…I’m in!!
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
9:00 am
Washington State just approved a charter school amendment and also legalized marijuana for personal use / non-medical. http://seattletimes.com/flatpages/politics/2012-washington-election-results.html#statewide
Colorado just legalized marijuana. http://data.denverpost.com/election/results/amendment/2012/
Who will triumph? Right now states-rights and federal law are in conflict, still to be resolved. Talking about a lot of money here, regulate / produce / tax and a reorientation of law enforcement.
DeKalb Inside Out
November 7th, 2012
9:01 am
Mary Elizabeth,
Chartered schools are public schools – not private schools.
be forced to pay taxes on my property in order to send children, not my own, to private schools – If it makes you feel any better, your property taxes stay with the county and local school district. They do not fund state chartered schools.
[We should not pay] for those students who may choose to attend private schools, or attend home schooling situations, with public tax funds. – The only students I can think of that get vouchers for private schools are special needs children. I don’t think yanking IEP vouchers is a good idea … IMHO.
Looking for the truth
November 7th, 2012
9:08 am
If you think it was about competition, it wasn’t. If you think it was about choice in education, it wasn’t. If you think it was only about money, it was. Parents do not want choice, they want someone to blame when little Johnny and Sue can’t read, rather than take responsibility themselves. Parents have choice now. Parents are always in control of their child’s education, unless they turn it over to someone else. Parents, take control now! The power is yours. Get involved!
What's Really Going On
November 7th, 2012
9:09 am
As a supporter of high quality educational environments for ALL children first, and of charters second, I hope that with the passage of this Amendment we can really start to see the traditional public schools step things up a bit. Love or hate the decision, the people of GA have spoken, and its well past time for me, as a parent to be able to see not only charters as option, but also my traditional public schools as well. It’s time to bring down the Chinese walls that limit movement among the traditional pubic school, and establish schools of various themes, curricular models, school day lengths, school calendars, scheduling options, single gender etc… Basically, the traditional public schools can simply look to what some of the charters are offering that parents seem to desire and replicate the parts of it that seem to work! Perhaps now, we can see a harder push from the traditional public schools to offer the same level of autonomy that charters have. I am not sure of the status of it, but I recall the GA DOE was requiring all districts to pick either Charter System or IE(squared), or something like that. What happened with that? Either way, the traditional public schools need to be given the structural tools to compete with some of the innovative offerings that charters are bringing to the table. The way I see it, either the public school offer more choices in direct competition with the charters, or they will continue to see their monopoly on education eroded. At the end of the day, elected officials can propose bills, policies, etc ad nauseum (and they most likely will), but ultimately its the parents that should decide what schools will serve their children whether they be charters, traditional public, home school, private, etc.. . I like what Boston Public School has done to offer mobility among its schools – http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/assignment.
Leshia Sattler
November 7th, 2012
9:40 am
Our family celebrates this victory for more choices in education for our children.
This is ethically the only right decision.
Congratulations to Georgia voters for having brains!
Go, Charter Schools!
living in an outdated ed system
November 7th, 2012
9:48 am
VERY CURIOUS that one of the most consistent bloggers on here, @Bootney, is strangely (or not strangely) silent. This is NOT an attack on this individual – I would like to see everyone give their parting thoughts on what was a great night for Georgia’s children. While the proof will be in the implementation and in the longitudinal research that must prove successful outcomes, it is clear that Georgia has given innovation at least a fighting chance at taking root in this great state.
Local girl
November 7th, 2012
9:49 am
Perhaps this amendment would have passed even if the language had not been so ambiguous. That would have been a true referendum on the frustration that people feel with the public school system and a vote of confidence in the state to know better than local communities what local communities really need. As it is, we’ll never know. What I do know is that the legislators who wrote this ballot item didn’t trust their cause enough to be clear about what it was that people were voting for. What I also know is that I have several friends and family members who voted YES because they were uninformed and it sounded good…then wished later that they had voted NO after they understood what the amendment was truly about.
PublicTeacher
November 7th, 2012
10:58 am
@local girl, I know plenty of people who were mislead and voted no for reasons that aren’t even in the amendment. If they had realized that, they would have voted yes. In my area, people had to seek out and read the full amendment to get the real story or be mislead by media and the local school system. The difference was over 600,000 votes, nearly 20% difference. There is no doubt that Georgians want Charter Schools. Time to move on!
Really amazed
November 7th, 2012
11:10 am
Competition will be good for public schools!! This can only hope to bring more innovation and competition to GA public schools. Only because of the threat of Cherokee Charter Academy in Cherokee CO last year… did the DOE make some of the local schools STEMS, ART academies etc.
Fled
November 7th, 2012
11:38 am
@ Pride and Joy: You make some good points, though I suspect we are on different sides of the ideological fence. The public school system is a mess. I loathe what the Beverly Halls and the Michelle Rhees and the Katie Reeves and the Kathy Coxes have done.
I voted with my feet and moved far, far away so that my children would get a world-class education to international standards—and also so I would not have to work in such a system. My children are taught by excellent teachers who know they have a good thing going and are eager to keep their positions.
For-profit education is a cure much worse than the disease. I hope you realize that edupreneurs are very good at producing reams and reams of paper that prove how good they are, while actually ignoring things that don’t pay, like actually being good. Teachers in these schools are often so busy producing paperwork that they don’t have any time to teach, but that’s all right, as it is all done in the name of profit: image is all.
I’ve worked with these companies internationally (including one particularly awful group headquartered in Buckhead: every single employee they had hated working for them and knew they were lying thourhg their teeth to sell their snake oil). It’s all about the dollar from this day forward. Teachers are going to be treated like low-level employees, and that is how they will act. Dreamers and visionaries, you know, the teachers who actually inspire kids to greatness, need not apply. Not that they would want to, anyway.
Heika
November 7th, 2012
1:48 pm
It’s not competition when the government can cut your funding to create a “competitor”. It’s cannibalism.
PMC
November 7th, 2012
2:25 pm
I fail to see how adding to the hulking beaucracy “helps children learn”
This is only going to further complicate things and add expense.
I love options, choice and charter. This is a freaking waste
PMC
November 7th, 2012
2:31 pm
The biggest problem with education in this state is money wasted in administration and unused technology rather than spending money on supplies and resources and the things needed to do the job.
Alpharetta Elementary was worked on all summer, meanwhile the roof leaks like a siv. Think that’s being fixed? Nope. Edu administration in this state is an abomination regardless of party. Republicans are going to hate this when a democrat is elected next.
PMC
November 7th, 2012
2:33 pm
Fulton is going to a charter system without the need of a state board.
If this amendment is necessary how did that happen???
Ron F.
November 7th, 2012
2:36 pm
“If you expect me to play hillbilly halloo with you, look somewhere else”
I try to be nice and state my dedication to my profession and what do I get? Nastiness and derision. And you wonder why so many here didn’t support the amendment effort…
I don’t expect a single thing from you or from anyone else on here gloating and acting like you’ve shown us nasty public school teachers something. We all voted as citizens, and now we have to work to make this happen. I’m fine with that and I’d happily work with you, but you seem determined not to do so. That is your loss. Teaching as solely imparting of knowledge has been proven, time and again, to be useless. Kids can get that from a computer. If you had the training and education and experience I have, you’d know how ridiculous your statements are. Teachers who don’t care don’t succeed.
DeKalb Inside Out
November 7th, 2012
2:54 pm
PMC,
The biggest problem with education is money wasted in administration and unused technology – Right on, but the administrations are the only people that can make these changes. I doubt they will trim their own fat. So what now? We could force smaller class sizes. Anything else?
Why did we need the charter amendment? – actually a very good question. There are various types of charters. Conversion, LEA and Charter Systems are charters approved by local boards. Unfortunately, many local boards refuse to approve charters. 85% of the state commissioned charters operate in counties like that. The GA Supreme Court said in 2011, in a split decision, that the state could not commission charters. This charter amendment affirmed the states right to commission charters.
time4change
November 7th, 2012
4:56 pm
The teachers depressed about the passage of this amendment need to stop whining and see this as an opportunity for entrepreneurship.
Teachers have been complaining on this blog for years that they are micromanaged and cannot run their classrooms the way they see fit. Now successful teachers and administrators have the opportunity to band together, innovate and develop charter petitions for their own schools.
You don’t have to languish in Gwinnett as an assistant principal for 15 years or wait on some biased program to be tapped for administrative leadership training. You don’t have to know the right people that can get you in the pipeline to be principal.
Use your education to create your own destiny and influence the lives of children by offering them a high quality education. Network with grant writers and accountants to join your governing board.
Georgia has a strong need for more career academies and themed charter schools. Other states that out-perform us on the SAT and on graduation rates have charter schools that offer international languages, an arts focus and more.
Dry your tears and get busy brainstorming. If you lose your 9-5 as a teacher leader at a traditional local school, with the right team behind you, and an exceptional charter application, you could eventually become the charter school superintendent of a new charter school.
Most of the start-up charter schools Georgia has today were launched by teachers, administrators and parents with specialized expertise. The journey from charter idea to charter approval may be intimidating, but there are networks in place to help people through the process.
So start networking with some of those parents you love to complain about and create new positions for Georgia public school teachers.
time4change
November 7th, 2012
5:08 pm
The teachers depressed about the passage of this amendment need to stop whining and see this as an opportunity for entrepreneurship.
Teachers have been complaining on this blog for years that they are micromanaged and cannot run their classrooms the way they see fit. Now successful teachers and administrators have the opportunity to band together, innovate and develop charter petitions for their own schools.
You don’t have to languish in Gwinnett as an assistant principal for 15 years or wait on some biased program to be tapped for administrative leadership training. You don’t have to know the right people that can get you in the pipeline to be principal.
Use your education to create your own destiny and influence the lives of children by offering them a high quality education. Network with grant writers and accountants to join your governing board.
Georgia has a strong need for more career academies and themed charter schools. Other states that out-perform us on the SAT and on graduation rates have charter schools that offer international languages, an arts focus and more.
Dry your tears and get busy brainstorming. If you lose your 9-5 as a teacher leader at a traditional local school, with the right team behind you, and an exceptional charter application, you could eventually become the charter school superintendent of a new charter school.
Most of the start-up charter schools Georgia has today were launched by teachers, administrators and parents with specialized expertise. The journey from charter idea to charter approval may be intimidating, but there are networks in place to help people through the process.
So start networking with some of those parents you love to complain about and create new positions for Georgia public school teachers.
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
8:24 pm
Ron You’re stuck in the “feelings” trap. A lot of this has been made official and is a way to occupy people and use up their energy while the corporate stamp is coming down upon you. You may or may not know what I am talking about. Regarding, “you wouldn’t know” I have some experience in the field and have taught at 4 different levels in public institutions in the state of Georgia (i.e. schools).
Let me ask you a rhetorical question, “Which country in the world is currently recognized as having the highest efficacy in delivering results / quality education?” This is no secret, as it is widely discussed almost as a buzzword. The answer is “Finland.” Let me repeat, we’re talking about “results” not “feelings.” We’re talking about sending kids out into the world as adults who can choose a career and support their families. I don’t know about you, but that meets my requirement for “compassion” and “duty to provide care.”
Anywhere, where I am going with this is a diagram I saw today from a comparative study of students giving a value to the question, “Most of my teachers really listen to what I have to say.”USA scores at about 75%. Finland scores at about 62%. Conclusion, “In Finland, they must not care about their kids but the sure do a good job preparing them for the world.”
I’ll provide you an image. http://postimage.org/image/gentkk42d/
I might say, “I’m sorry you feeeel that way,” except that I reserve apology for personal matters. Good luck doing the good work. Make sure that when your students are no longer under your care that they leave with their suitcase full.
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
8:40 pm
Teachers who don’t care don’t succeed. not particularly concerned about other persons in Georgia definition of “success.” 100% pass rate, nobody getting pregnant or hurt, and everybody leaving in good spirits, self assured and with a bright eye on the future works for me.
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
9:22 pm
Hey Ron, if you really want to get your feelings hurt, read some Jean Genet. That guy was gnarly. Nobody makes a good bitter writer like an abused orphan. (warning: some “bad” language) http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/29952.Jean_Genet
A hundred years earlier, Paul Verlaine had some shared sentiment with Genet, albeit with a much gentler expression. http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/French/Verlaine.htm#_Toc263756546
Basically, it is illegal to teach this material in Georgia public schools due to that it is not specified by the state. If you telephoned the DOE and said, “Hey-yuh, can I teach some Genet and Verlaine, is it legal?” they wouldn’t know what you were talking about.
Ron F.
November 7th, 2012
9:42 pm
“I don’t know about you, but that meets my requirement for “compassion” and “duty to provide care.””
As I’ve said to many here, if you have the formula figured out, then come be a teacher and show us how it’s done. I’ll stick to what the kids, their PARENTS, and community members have always told me works. At the end of the day, the parents want us to teach the information and to make it meaningful. That requires a certain amount of emotional involvement, a definite willingness to deal with the emerging individual. You can’t prepare a child for productive life without acknowledging his or her personality and helping that child see learning as more than information processing. We’ve done enough of that as it is, and the test scores show it. Kids don’t value what isn’t important to them, and they don’t pay attention to or want to learn from teachers who are simply information processors. But if you know it so well, then I challenge you to do it and document your experiences. Despite what you think, there are parents out there who are happy with their local schools, who support their child’s teachers, and who do want the teachers to have a passion for working with their child. I have twenty-four successful years in the profession. What do you have besides an armchair quarterback’s analysis?
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
10:28 pm
Ron, you were doing pretty well until the last sentence but I guess I can deal with a little chop at the end. I have no problem with parents and students. Sounds like where you are at you have sane administration or some stability with managers. I’ve worked in environments where the building managers move half the teachers in the building every year. I call it playing checkers and I’ve seen the same thing done with principals by the upper system management. Just completely insane juggling and power plays from the main administration who seemed determined to treat everyone like army privates. I’ve seen the best principals that I liked working for subverted and run off. I’m just telling you that to “share” a little of my experience with you. I am guessing you and me have different work experiences re: management environment. As a teacher, there is literally nothing I can do about this when it is happening. Maybe I could do something being real aware and real assertive and insist on transferring to some corner of the system where the upper management is not constantly retooling and re-theming everyone. That’s the hand of fate for me. I certainly did nor intend to work in that type environment and I have not seen it anywhere else. That is one thing about these government school education discussions. Even in Georgia, each system is different. They have different pay methods, different politics, different ways of doing things. I would not say that I envy your stability but let me say I am glad for you.
I acknowledge you assurance, experience and ability. I note you use some of the jargon, “emerging,” but you’re not too stricken with it. Well, I think we have a truce and maybe a good thing. You obviously are capable at building kids and doing it well. I have a little additional agenda, as I would like to see Georgia move out of the prehistoric age and join the civilized world. It is not an easy thing to address or even research, there are so many layers and so many different systems. I mean, we have three, soon to be four, agencies at the state level. There used to be another one, RESA, but they’ve pretty much done away with that. I’ve sure sat through enough of their trainings. Well, you sound pretty real to me. Good to meet you.
Private Citizen
November 7th, 2012
10:39 pm
Ron, You sound a little like Alfie Kohn, which is meant as a compliment. You have a lot of warmth and insight. I’m probably more like Lev Vygotsky, with expanding the proximal zone of development. In other words, pushing the envelope a little bit beyond what the student is used to. I think this can open up horizons and awaken minds. We have different approaches. Perhaps this is another definition of “differentiated instruction.” For me, the best school building is not one where everyone is singing the same tune and using the same method.
Six Flags
November 7th, 2012
11:21 pm
Speaking of corruption…Cobb’s school year calendar that was approved for 2013-2014 was funded by Six Flags Lobbyists putting $$ in the pocket of Superintendent Michael Hinojosa. Over 80% of parents and staff preferred the year round style calendar, but that would’ve cut into Six Flags profits.
Ron F.
November 8th, 2012
8:15 am
“For me, the best school building is not one where everyone is singing the same tune and using the same method.”
Like you, I laugh when another “guru” in education talks about “differentiation” as if it’s some new concept that will revolutionize the world while schools dive deeper into formulaic instruction. Good teachers have been differentiating all along. It’s what we do when we know kids’ abilities and needs. Unfortunately, we took a sudden turn into the insanity of standardized testing as the sole measure of learning and everything had to gear towards that ridiculously low threshhold. Learning has been reduced to a pass/fail number and we have to fight to balance that with real measures of growth and learning that tell us what kids have actually learned and how to plan instruction to move them forward. Current testing protocols have to change to demonstrate real growth and allow for grouping of kids and teachers to address specific needs the data shows beyond just the pass/fail line. I could go on for days about that, but I think you know what I’m thinking.
You might be surprised to find that I actually support charter schools for many of the reasons you do. They can and often do become the places where real innovation occur, and I am following some of them very closely as I wait to see how the results play out over time. I adamantly opposed the constitutional amendment, but not because I fear changing the status quo. It needs changing and soon, but I don’t like the idea of the state funding more schools when they refuse to even discuss a rational funding formula that could be applied to all, charter or traditional. There’s too much partisan politics in this, and that never bodes well for education. We will all end up beholden to a group of politicians whose primary goal isn’t improving education as much as it is advancing a political agenda that is leaning very heavily towards full privatization, and that is not the ultimate solution, IMO.
“You have a lot of warmth and insight. I’m probably more like Lev Vygotsky, with expanding the proximal zone of development”
Now THAT makes sense! Actually, I tend to blend a little of both, although I come across as screamingly Kohn. My history is working with variously labeled struggling learners in high school. I’m constantly looking at data and building instruction around ZPD and how to raise it. I think success lies in being able to do that in an environment where the teacher is both an encourager who can deal with a struggling child’s frustrations and a planner of targeted instruction that raises skills and celebrates the often small progressions kids make. It helps a lot when we can give them a meaningful high five for grasping a previously unknown concept and then plan for the next step in the process. My best work has happened while being the clinical data analyzer and “cheerleader” for kids. Unfortunately for many growth, while significant, doesn’t always mean a kid is magically on grade level with his peers and able to learn at the same rate. I think much more valuable and actionable data can and should be generated, and I see some charter schools attempting to do that. If we do this right by working as much as possible together, instead of letting the politicians turn us into dire enemies, we just might be able to build on the successes and apply them in broader settings. That means we have to get past the notion that all public school teachers are just lazy, incompetent moochers unwilling to grow and learn. Most of us are, but we want to make changes carefully and quit the headlong rush into yet another reform movement that, in a few years, will simply be pushed aside and replaced with yet another hastily planned “cure.”
Ron F.
November 8th, 2012
8:24 am
Private Citizen: the key to system stability is, in my opinion, size. I left Clayton county some years ago because it had become too unwieldy and top heavy, and it was wreaking havoc on the schools. I went to a system of about 3500 kids vs. 50,000 with one middle school and one high school. You should spend some time in some of the smaller systems. That’s where real work can and should be happening, although it’s not in quite a few. I found that the closeness of the smaller systems make everyone a better educator because you’re surrounded by your kids and parents everywhere you go. I teach kids who have grown up with mine, kids who have played on the same teams with my own and whose birthday parties we’ve attended. I’ve been to their homes and heard firsthand what their parents are concerned about and want from us as teachers. My sons’ teachers actually came to their little league games and scout events and are still part of the community. It’s a very, very different world from the large metro counties, and I wouldn’t go back if you doubled my salary. Perhaps one benefit of charters is that they recreate some of that small community focus and feel. That is definitely needed in most of the metro systems!!
FultonParent1
November 8th, 2012
9:56 am
Charter Mom ” Charter schools are public schools and allow all students.”
Ummmm, sorry – they don’t. So for all those touting charters as the only REAL solution – stop it…it’s not. Charter schools may work for some…but remember, a lot of current charter schools have admissions processes that are similar to private schools – and still some have a “lottery”, and let me tell you, after we experienced a very unfair charter lottery, it’s not pretty.
Charters also have the ability (like private) to to take ALL students…they will cherry pick, just like private does
by the way, I’ve had my kids in public, private, and charter -
FultonParent1
November 8th, 2012
10:00 am
correction: charter schools DO NOT have to take all students
DeKalb Inside Out
November 8th, 2012
11:41 am
FultonParent1
There are various types of charters.. Dependent charters are effectively traditional schools with flexibility. State chartered schools are independent from the local school district and have attendance zones and blind lotteries to get in.
a lot of current charter schools have admissions processes that are similar to private schools – Please give us an example
charter schools DO NOT have to take all students – When a state chartered school is full, they stop taking students. Otherwise, there is an attendance zone and a blind lottery to get in.
SB
November 9th, 2012
1:42 pm
I think it’s a shame that no one, not one politician that has spoken for this amendment, speaks of improving our current public schools. Charter schools don’t fix the problem; they are only a diversion for some, not all, students. The problems in education continue. The only reason this amendment was pushed by many of our politicians is because they see money. So, if you think your child’s education was the reason, you are sadly mistaken. If that were the real motiviation behind charter schools, politicians would also be looking at ways to improve our traditional schools as well. And, that is not happening.
DeKalb Inside Out
November 9th, 2012
3:49 pm
SB
Why is it incumbent on Jan Jones, et al to fix traditional schools? Local school districts have superintendents, executive administrations and local boards. Can’t they fix their own house?
Aside from forcing class sizes, what did you have in mind?
Pride and Joy
November 10th, 2012
9:30 am
SB, charter schools are public schools. If you want to “fix” the traditional public schools — then push to convert them to charter schools — it’s called a conversion charter.
Pride and Joy
November 10th, 2012
9:34 am
Dekalb Inside and Out makes good points about all kids being able to go to a charter school if there is room –
It’s just like a tradtional public school, it has to accept all students BUT citizens and parents are clamoring so much to get their kid in a charter school that there are long waiting lists to get in. That’s why we needed amendment one — long waiting lists to get into charter schools but local boards still refused to open more charter schools.
Pride and Joy
November 10th, 2012
9:35 am
Fulton PArent 1 — you say charter schools do not have to take all students. Please provide proof. Tell us the name of the charter school and provide a link to its charter.