Charter-school issue a drain on public education
Note: This post contains material published here earlier. It is posted here as the electronic version of my Sunday AJC column.
“The provision of an adequate public education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia. Public education for the citizens prior to the college or post-secondary level shall be free and shall be provided for by taxation.”
— Article VIII, Section I of the Georgia Constitution
As the Georgia Constitution makes clear, public education is supposed to be a primary obligation of state government. Yet in the 2009-1010 school year, legislators financed just 37.8 percent of the cost of educating Georgia students, leaving local government to cover most of the remainder.
It wasn’t always this way. In fact, 20 years ago, the state financed 51.2 percent of the cost of educating Georgia students, leaving local governments to pick up 37.8 percent. (The remainder is covered by federal dollars.) As recently as 10 years ago, the state still honored its constitutional obligation by picking up considerably more of the cost than local governments. But that changed rather quickly beginning in 2003-2004. That year — the first year in which Republicans controlled the state budgeting process — the state share of financing education fell significantly, and it has continued to fall ever since. The trend has allowed state elected leaders to portray themselves as fiscal conservatives while also chastising “free-spending” officials at the local level who have to raise school property taxes to compensate.
But here’s the galling part: As state leaders shirk the primary obligation assigned them under the constitution, they continue to take an ever-more-intrusive approach on non-financial aspects of education. The most obvious current example is the constitutional amendment that will appear on the November ballot. If approved by voters, the amendment will give state officials full legal authority to create local charter schools even over the protest of locally elected school officials, and to finance those schools with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional state money.
Noting that additional cost and the state’s existing failure to adequately fund public schools, state schools superintendent John Barge, a Republican, came out this week against the proposal. “Until all of our public school students are in school for a full 180-day school year, until essential services like student transportation and student support can return to effective levels, and until teachers regain jobs with full pay for a full school year, we should not redirect one more dollar away from Georgia’s local school districts — much less an additional $430 million in state funds, which is what it would cost to add seven new state charter schools per year over the next five years,” Barge explained.
Local school boards already are creating charter schools around the state as they deem fit, with local voters paying close attention. In Cherokee County, for example, charter-school advocates complained bitterly when the county school board blocked creation of a charter school. They targeted the school board chairman for defeat, hoping to replace her with a charter-school advocate, but they failed. Last month Cherokee voters re-elected that chairman by a large margin, in effect endorsing her cautious approach to charters.
The proposed amendment is intended to strip local officials — and local voters — of the right to make such decisions, placing that power instead in the hands of state officials who are already failing to meet their minimal constitutional obligation to education.
– Jay Bookman
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398 comments Add your comment
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
4:32 pm
“The rest of will have to foot the bill for your kids to go to private Christian schools in higher taxes.”
Hey! ‘At kinda sounds like ‘at there SOCIALISM you Fright-Wingers is always talking ’bout don’t it?
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
4:35 pm
Halftrack – I agree something needs to be done.
But defunding the public schools seems to be the opposite of what needs to be done.
Don’t just throw money at the problem sit down and see what programs have WORKED nationally and see if they possibly work for Ga.
getalife
August 19th, 2012
4:36 pm
USMC,
Just call em like I see em.
You are proof the gop attack on education is working.
CherokeeRepublican
August 19th, 2012
4:40 pm
I disagree with Jay 95% of the time, but on this issue he is spot on. State schools superintendent John Barge, a fellow republican, made the argument far more eloquently than I could.
I was educated in public schools, including a large public university, and have done well for myself, my family, and my community. I do not mind paying for public schools, it is a great investment. However I deeply resent the idea of paying for private for-profit schools out of taxpayer money. If y’all want to send you kids to private schools that is great, but you need to pay for it yourselves.
Not only did the citizens of Cherokee defeat a well-funded, well-connected, and sometimes vicious campaign to kick out the aforementioned not-crazy school board member who was elevated to chairman, but we also elected an underfunded, not well-known or well-connected candidate whose most significant qualification is that she did not mouth support for charter schools and her opponent did.
You can not fool all the people all the time!
ByteMe
August 19th, 2012
4:44 pm
When she gets really good have her start on Visio so she can do Systems Design
It didn’t even occur to me that I might have to load Microsoft Office on my kids’ PC….
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
4:44 pm
CherokeeRepublican
Good for you. We disagree constantly here on some things, but I can’t think of one thing more important than the kids and their future.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
4:45 pm
ByteMe -
Don’t let her use spellcheck. Then she could never blog here
ByteMe
August 19th, 2012
4:47 pm
Don’t let her use spellcheck.
Yeah, I gotta think that one through. Same with auto-correct.
TaxPayer
August 19th, 2012
4:49 pm
Uneducated masses are easily fooled.
Georgia is the ideal Republican state.
Vote yes if you want your duly elected state leaders to have the freedom to cut your taxes and implement Charter schools on behalf of you, the unserved and neglected citizens of your community. Amen.
Hourglass
August 19th, 2012
4:55 pm
Wake up Georgia and educate our children…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TDfPgd3Kyc&feature=related
getalife
August 19th, 2012
4:56 pm
The majority of the American people do not know who ryan is so………
pogo
August 19th, 2012
4:59 pm
Billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on public education and what do we have to show for it? Students whom are less and less prepared to to compete in the world marketplace and teachers who are who could give a damn less whether they teach their students anything or not, just as long as their paychecks and cushy benefits keep coming. I am a product of the public school system of yesteryear. At one time it actually had excellent dedicated teachers and administrators who were more motivated more by their sense of accomplishment in furthering the education of our children than what their paychecks were going to be. That doesn’t exist anymore. Public education has become an industry infested by lazy, no-caring beareucrats who use our bloated government beareucracy to cover for their laziness.
Brosephus™
August 19th, 2012
5:02 pm
Same with auto-correct.
Never one to miss an opportunity to plug one of my vices…
http://tinyurl.com/29tt8vy
Mr_B
August 19th, 2012
5:04 pm
“Get better parents.” That’s what publicly funded not-for-profit education is for: to create a next generation of better parents.
But it takes time to solve generational problems.
Brosephus™
August 19th, 2012
5:05 pm
Public education has become an industry infested by lazy, no-caring beareucrats who use our bloated government beareucracy to cover for their laziness.
Admitting you have a problem is the first step. The second step is to quit re-electing the same jackasses that screw things up.
Mr_B
August 19th, 2012
5:06 pm
Pogo:
“teachers who are who could give a damn less whether they teach their students anything or not, just as long as their paychecks and cushy benefits keep coming.”
You want to swap places?
Didn’t think so.
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:09 pm
“Uneducated masses are easily fooled.”
Yesterday, I couldn’t even spell educated. Today, I IS educated!
Joe T
August 19th, 2012
5:09 pm
This charter school nonsense is nothing more than another attempt to use public money to fund what will eventually become private schools. As said earlier, the angry old white men under the dome, their children don’t go to public school, so this is really about funneling our money to their family/friends in the private school business. 100% of public education monies collected should go to only public schools, not 51% or whatever Jay cited in the article. There is an answer, but giving the money to private companies is totally NOT the answer. This state is up for sale to the highest bidder. Always has been, always will be; that’s 1 reason why the schools system is ranked 48th or 49th in the country.
bman
August 19th, 2012
5:11 pm
I cater food to teachers at several public schools at least once a week. The ones I talk to seem to really enjoy their jobs teaching kids. And…they aren’t lazy.
They are really “into it” !
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
5:15 pm
getalife
United Schools for Mentally
Challenged dropout.
Brosephus™
August 19th, 2012
5:16 pm
bman
You’re spoiling the fun. Ain’t no fun if you can’t demonize everyone else except for yourself. Teachers get extra demonization. They’re public sector workers. Then there’s that evil union thing.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
5:19 pm
Teachers sure as shyte don’t do it for the money
JamVet
August 19th, 2012
5:21 pm
Billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on public education and what do we have to show for it?
I would say millions and millions of successful, contributing citizens.
Including yours truly…
Here is an interesting study on the types of music and artists that smart/dumb people listen to…
http://musicthatmakesyoudumb.virgil.gr/
Simplythetruth
August 19th, 2012
5:24 pm
CherokeeRepublican, thank you for your well stated comments. Cherokee was infected with an out of state virus introduced by none other than one Chip Rogers. Guess he couldn’t afford private schools, so, he “invented” another method of payment.
CherokeeRepublican
August 19th, 2012
5:26 pm
Joe T – what you missed is there is no “eventually” about it. The school in Cherokee, that the local board rejected, is a privately owned and operated, for profit, out-of-state owned, entity. Other than that minor clarification, and the gratuitous slam on old white men, I agree with your points.
Every voter, Democrat/Republican, white/black/other, old/young, man or woman need to recognize this scam for what it is and vote down the silly constitutional amendment.
Brosephus™
August 19th, 2012
5:27 pm
Billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on public education and what do we have to show for it?
Mars Rover B**ches!!!!!
Just couldn’t resist that one…
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:28 pm
“getalife
United Schools for Mentally
Challenged dropout.”
Personal attack = admission of defeat
Goodbye!
Mr_B
August 19th, 2012
5:29 pm
“Then there’s that evil union thing.”
You got an address or website on that ,Bro? I’d sure love to join.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
5:30 pm
This whole thing reminds me of the white flight schools established in the 60’s to avoid the issue of integration. How many are still around?
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:30 pm
“Billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on public education and what do we have to show for it?”
Well, we have the Moon base. Oh, wait!
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
5:31 pm
Soothsayer
“Goodbye”
…
I hope so.
Janney
August 19th, 2012
5:31 pm
Sure appreciate your 5:11 post, bman. I don’t know any teacher that is lazy, works as little as possible, and does not care about the kids. For the most part, we are a very dedicated, concerned group who put the education of students above our own self-interest. If more people understood how much personal time we devote to helping students, we would get more respect.
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:33 pm
frog: you’re lucky that Jay is not as rigorous in enforcing his policies as is Wingnut.
American Education 2012: Obama Vs Romney « moderndaychris
August 19th, 2012
5:34 pm
[...] Charter-school issue a drain on public education (blogs.ajc.com) [...]
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
5:35 pm
Soothsayer
explain who I personally
attacked.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
5:37 pm
Janney
The problem is the lack of respect from the parents (for teachers) translates to the fact that their kids don’t respect the teachers.
Teachers spend a lot of their own money trying to keep materials in the classroom.
How many schools no longer have enough textbooks to send home with the students. That was totally unheard of when I was in school. Thw school budgets need to be increased not decreased (but more targeted).
IMO
bman
August 19th, 2012
5:38 pm
Bro … Aww now- my attitude towards most of the other public working crowd isnt so good.
I realize that my comment was based on only 7 or 8 schools, but….these teachers are passionate & engaged. They work late, and they work from home. The DMV, water dept etc…if the hours are to close at 5:00, the parking lot is empty by 5:05
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:39 pm
“getalife
United Schools for Mentally
Challenged dropout.”
Did I misread this? Or are you suggesting that getalife is a dropout from United Schools for [the] Mentally Challenged?
Maybe I’m missing something. If so, I apologize in advance.
Jay
August 19th, 2012
5:40 pm
This whole thing reminds me of the white flight schools established in the 60’s to avoid the issue of integration. How many are still around?
A lot.
And not as many as there will be if this passes.
Mr_B
August 19th, 2012
5:41 pm
bman @ 5:11. Let me second Janney’s thanks. Like every profession, teaching has a few people who don’t really belong in it, but by-and-large the folks I work with do it because they really care about the kids they teach. If they’re doing it for the money, they’re even dumber than most of our critics here (I’m lookin’ at YOU, Pogo) give us credit for.
Janney
August 19th, 2012
5:43 pm
Common Sense @ 5:37, agreed.
G Mare
August 19th, 2012
5:43 pm
My three (now adult) children went all through public school. I can only think of one teacher who was less than caring, concerned, and hardworking. I also have several teachers in my extended family – all concerned, caring, and hardworking. So quit dumping on the teachers; admit that many of you here would not even last a week in a classroom.
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
5:43 pm
soothsayer
apology accepted.
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:44 pm
See, the Fright-Wing thought they could escape by moving to the norther exurbs. Unfortunately, that’s not filling the bill.
You see, those “low-wage” workers’ children that Daddy uses in his business want to go to school with their children.
So, the only way to avoid that is with their “own” schools. But, and here is the rub, they want “you and me” to pay for them. And, that’s where I draw the line.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
August 19th, 2012
5:44 pm
Sooth
I think frog was having some fun at the expense of tho one posting as USMC
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
August 19th, 2012
5:45 pm
“the”, not “tho”.
Janney
August 19th, 2012
5:46 pm
G Mare: So quit dumping on the teachers; admit that many of you here would not even last a week in a classroom.
Thanks, and “Amen”!
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
August 19th, 2012
5:46 pm
Some points:
1) The language in our State Constitution is “adequate” ……… whatever that means.
2) As to new authority on charter schools the voters will decide ………. it’s called democracy.
3) How about money that is being wasted to absurdity with certain high school sports.
4) In my opinion, students of my generation got a better education than those of today and with a LOT less money as a percentage (and …………. without even air conditioning so the school year was shorter).
5) Throwing more money at education is not always the best answer.
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:46 pm
frog: not so fast. Are you telling that post was not an insult to getalife? If not, please explain it to me.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
5:47 pm
G Mare
I fully admit that I would last no more than 5 minutes in a classroom.
I have a low tolerance for self abuse
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
August 19th, 2012
5:47 pm
Joe T:
“As said earlier, the angry old white men under the dome, their children don’t go to public school, so this is really about funneling our money to their family/friends in the private school business.”
And neither do President Obama’s children.
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
5:48 pm
Kamchak
not the poster the entire
United States Marine Corps.
ByteMe
August 19th, 2012
5:48 pm
Are you telling that post was not an insult to getalife? If not, please explain it to me
Look at the initials used.
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:49 pm
Alright frog, whatever.
ByteMe
August 19th, 2012
5:50 pm
And neither do President Obama’s children.
Yawn. The Secret Service cannot protect them in a public school without disrupting the school. They’ve said that, not me and not some worthless pundit you read. The school they go to is one where diplomats’ children go… so it’s equipped to handle the extra security already.
But, hey, throw more junk at the wall and see what sticks. That’s how you play this game.
bman
August 19th, 2012
5:51 pm
Janney. Mr_B
You’re welcome. I have a family member who recently relocated back to the metro area and is a teacher. She doesn’t have to teach, or even work at all. Her husband makes more than- well…most. She didn’t teach at all last year because there were no teaching positions available.
She was lucky and landed a job at a loc high school. I cannot even begin to describe her enthusiasm, how upbeat & happy she has been the last week.
She loves it & it is all she wants to do…
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
5:51 pm
Soothsayer
want detailed explanations
of my posts in the future?
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:51 pm
OK, OK. Now I get it! Sorry. I get a little perturbed when someone attacks “one of our own.” If you know what I mean.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
5:52 pm
Wow -
Could it be that the President’s children don’t go to public school.
Say it ain’t so
Janney
August 19th, 2012
5:54 pm
bman –
JamVet
August 19th, 2012
5:54 pm
In my opinion, students of my generation got a better education than those of today and with a LOT less money as a percentage…
I think you mean the white kids.
Because back then the black and other minority kids REALLY got shafted. MUCH worse than they do now.
And depending on your view on that, you can either thank or denigrate a liberal/progressive for that…
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
5:55 pm
Soothsayer
didn’t know there was an
“our” own here. does that
mean I’m an outsider and
will be disciplined by you
for transgressions ?
Mary Elizabeth
August 19th, 2012
5:56 pm
I wish to wax a little more philosophically as to why I am an ardent supporter of public education and why I abhor the thought of using school children for profit. The below ercerpt is part of my response to another poster’s remarks to me yesterday on Maureen Downey’s blog:
===================================
“If the local community had garbage pick-up and you were forced to pay $40 per month, but you knew that a for-profit company would offer you better service and only charge $20 per month. . .
—————————————————————-
First of all, education is not a public service like ‘garbage pick-up,’ it is a field of public service that fosters the elevation of human beings – intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Educators are not simply teaching facts such as that 3 x 3 = 9; they are inspiring our young to be the best that they can be in all of the areas mentioned. Do you want our young people to think that they are being used for profit, or that they are valued simply because they are human beings, equal to one another, to be cared for and nurtured to their full potential through public servants who desire only that their students reach their full potential? Is it not better to signal to students that service to one’s fellow human beings – without a profit incentive in doing so – is more to be valued in our society than value placed upon monetary gain, primarily?
That is one of the main reason I support public (not for-profit) education over education that makes a profit on its students. It is what we are teaching our young that is of value for them to emulate as we model for them, in the process of how we educate them, that matters to our nation’s future character and destiny. I have posed on this blog, previously, whether Americans will desire to perpetuate the ‘muscular’ values of ‘winning, hierarchial dominance, competition, and power’ over the more elevated values of ’service, collaboration, intellectual and spiritual enlightenment, and egalitarianism’ into America’s future. The first set of values create situations in which educational institutions (and other institutions) within our society believe that they must cheat in order to sustain their dominant power, and the latter values do not create that kind of America. They foster service to one’s country and to others as well as foster egalitarianism, the principle upon which this nation was built.”
———————————————————————
And, more pragmatically, schools implemented for profit purposes may not fare as well in student achievement as traditional public schools.
Here is an excerpt from Professor Hassard’s article which I had linked earlier this afternoon:
“The results raise serious question about the efficacy of charters, and reaffirm the central importance of a strong public school system. The results also are in agreement with the findings of Michael Marder’s study: Failure of U.S. Secondary Schools in Mathematics: Poverty is more important than Teacher quality.
Here are some of their findings from the CREDO study:
•Of the 2403 charter schools reflected on the curve, 46 percent of charter schools have math gains that are statistically indistinguishable from the average growth among their TPS comparisons.
•Charters whose math growth exceeded their TPS equivalent growth by a significant amount account for 17 percent of the total.
•The remaining group, 37 percent of charter schools, posted math gains that were significantly below what their students would have seen if they enrolled in local traditional public schools.”
http://www.artofteachingscience.org/2012/08/18/give-charters-we/
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
5:58 pm
does that
mean I’m an outsider and
will be disciplined by you
for transgressions ?”
That all depends on whether you prefer whips or chains.
Hey! I said I was sorry! I didn’t understand.
josef
August 19th, 2012
5:58 pm
Okay, of course I have something to say here. First off this whole thing is just one more bit of hooey. Even if we go the charter route, we’ll have some that perform excellently and some which will be a horror story. It will depend on the home-schoolhouse-community relationship just like it does now. It’s not a salvation and its not a disaster. Bottom line, put the fear of the pocketbook into that pack of snake oil salesmen and public coffer slop trough swillers now in charge of the system and we may see some changes.
Secondly, that thingie about white flight. Yeah, except this time around there’s plenty of melanin enhanced in the crowd who don’t want their little darlings going to school with “those people” either. Progress, ain’t it grand?
getalife
August 19th, 2012
5:59 pm
All children left behind.
Our country is falling behind on several issues.
Divided we fail.
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
6:03 pm
soothsayer
“That all depends on whether
you prefer whips or chains.”
……
is this some kind of personal
deviant attack on my sexuality?
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:05 pm
getalife
What was it my woman Ann Richards called it? No Child’s Behind Left…
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
6:06 pm
josef
yep, except you are one of those evil union members LOL
getalife
August 19th, 2012
6:07 pm
josef,
She was not a fan of w:
“Poor George [Bush], he can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:07 pm
Common Sense…
Not to mention a Mormon…!
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:08 pm
getalife
i sure miss her and Molly Ivans…two great Texans, they!
getalife
August 19th, 2012
6:09 pm
I have respect for teachers putting up with problem children like me.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
6:09 pm
josef
with your connections you might get your Phd from BYU
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
6:10 pm
getalife
I was a perfect child.
A perfect WHAT I ain’t telling
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
6:12 pm
The education of children
should be of paramount
importance. The type of
schools should not necessarily be an issue and
the cost of educating a
child outside the public
schools should be borne
by all just as the cost inside
the public schools.
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:15 pm
getalife
You may not have known this then, but for some of us, y’all “problem kids” were (are) our pride and joy.
Common
First step toward reform, imauo, close every Department of Education in every “institute of higher learning” and go back to the Normal School…
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
6:17 pm
barking frog -
The type of schools should not necessarily be an issue and the cost of educating a child outside the public schools should be borne by all just as the cost inside the public schools.
————————————————-
I disagree since the public has no control over the salaries of the administrators or their cost of advertising or their curriculum.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
6:19 pm
josef
I was taught by the penguins so I can’t make that call
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
August 19th, 2012
6:19 pm
ByteMe:
“The Secret Service cannot protect them in a public school without disrupting the school. They’ve said that, not me and not some worthless pundit you read.The school they go to is one where diplomats’ children go… so it’s equipped to handle the extra security already.”
And you couldn’t be more wrong. The Secret Service is very adept at providing that type of security with minimal disruption. In fact, a public school would probably welcome the added protection for their “common” students.
And where to do you think all of the other children of prominent figures who live in D.C. go to school even though they are not authorized personal security from the Secret Service?
Get your head out of the sand. Parents want what’s best for their children that they can afford and I don’t disagree with that.
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2012
6:20 pm
josef: what does imauo stand for? I have searched online and cannot find it.
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
6:20 pm
Common Sense will tell you
that requirements can be
tied to funds just as the
federal government does
and the state does to local
schools.
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:20 pm
COMMON
“I disagree since the public has no control over the salaries of the administrators or their cost of advertising or their curriculum.”
And the public does now? Yeah, sure.
tireofit
August 19th, 2012
6:21 pm
That’s the republicans plan
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:23 pm
SOOTH
IMAUO? In my ancestrally uppity opinion…Brosephus laid the ancestrally uppity one on me and, Plantation Liberal that I am, it fit like a glove!
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 19th, 2012
6:24 pm
josef
So as an administrator now you are overpaid
What I meant was the for-profit schools have been rated very low in the percentage of funds used on education vs the other costs.
This just seems like another get rich scheme for the friends of the politicians.
CherokeeRepublican
August 19th, 2012
6:25 pm
Like pogo, my public education experience is several decades in the past, however unlike pogo and others I well remember even “way back then” there were a small handful of teachers and administrators who were lazy and/or incompetent and were gaming the system. I survived and thrived and many others did too. “Back then” the overwhelming majority of staff were hard-working and motivated more through altruism than money, and I believe that is still the case today.
But this hollow debate distracts from the main point. With publicly financed and locally controlled schools the voters have a choice – a choice well demonstrated by Cherokee voters in the most recent election. If we instead allow “the State of Georgia” to determine who gets a charter and public funding, the decisions will be made by some board of state employees who are not directly accountable to the voters. That amounts to “taxation without representation” and that is just wrong!
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:29 pm
A-ga-te-no
@ 6:19
“In fact, a public school would probably welcome the added protection for their “common” students.”
Amen! Word.
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:31 pm
COMMON
I’m not classified as “administrative.” When folks ask me why I didn’t go there, I tell them that I believe in a G-d of Wrath and a Day of Judgment and I don’t want THAT on my record. They laugh. But I’m serious.
CherokeeRepublican
August 19th, 2012
6:36 pm
barking frog – if next week you decide that the type of car you drive is paramount will you then use that as an excuse to steal from me to fund a new BMW?
Seriously, the “cost of educating a child outside the public schools” is the responsibility of the parents that make the choice to educate their children that way. As a taxpayer it is my responsibility to contribute to the public school system, not to pad the pockets of any lunatic that decides to start their own “private school”.
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:41 pm
Cut a fr*kkin check to each child’s parents in the amount the state allocate and let them deal with it as they see fit. Put it square on the shoulders of those who spawned them to begin with…yeah, that’s probably not the best idea all things considered, but it would sure put an end to this type of squabbling.
CherokeeRepublican
August 19th, 2012
6:53 pm
josef – “No way!” to “Cut a … check to each child’s parents” – it is still money paid by the taxpayers, and still demands public accountability. That plan would still funnel taxpayer money to lunatics and con artists with no accountability.
barking frog
August 19th, 2012
6:53 pm
Cherokee Republican
Children are not cars.
No one is proposing
theft.
josef
August 19th, 2012
6:55 pm
Cherokee
Of course I was being facetious, but when you say:
“That plan would still funnel taxpayer money to lunatics and con artists with no accountability.
Ain’t that what’s going on now?
G Mare
August 19th, 2012
6:57 pm
Okay, for what it is worth, it is my OPINION, that if parents want to educate their children in other than public schools, the PARENTS should pay for that, not my or anyone’s tax dollars. My parents elected to send me & my siblings to Parocial schools. They also paid the taxes required for public education. I am sure it never occurred to them to expect help from the government for our tuition. Yes, this was many years ago; I am having great difficulty understanding what, why, and when this changed.
Mr_B
August 19th, 2012
6:59 pm
Been fun, guys, but I got lesson plans to do. Vote NO on the Charter Amendment.!
josef
August 19th, 2012
7:06 pm
I went to public schools, Catholic schools, prep school, and the hedge school. I got my education in the latter. I got my socialization in the former. I benefited from all four. With the exception of the latter, the curriculum and its delivery were indistinguishable.
CherokeeRepublican
August 19th, 2012
7:07 pm
josef – to some degree you are right, but at least with local control we have the option of changing the school board and indirectly the superintendent and the rest of the administration. If you cede control to a board of state employees and private companies, the taxpayer has no recourse whatsoever to stop any shenanigans.
catlady
August 19th, 2012
7:09 pm
In my county the three BOE members up for re-election were soundly defeated (82-18%, for example). This is pretty historic. They had, over the last year and a half, vastly ticked off nearly everyone in the county with their decisions. I am hoping that the two remaining members are listening very carefully now. I sincerely believe if they had been up for vote, they would have been turned out, also. Where I live, an incumbent virtually NEVER loses. Perhaps the board will now be more representative of the voters.
CherokeeRepublican
August 19th, 2012
7:09 pm
barking frog – when you demand the taxpayers hand over money with no accountability for it whatsoever, that is theft. Doesn’t matter if it is your kid, or your car.