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Education

More schools refuse school takeover

A little over a year since Deal’s school takeover bill went into effect, more schools are pushing back against being labeled for takeover. The so-called, state-mandated school “turnaround” program was pushed through the Georgia General Assembly by Gov. Deal after teachers, parents and voters in general overwhelmingly voted against it in November 2016. Deal refused to accept Georgia’s answer and created the First Priority Act which created the position of the “Chief Turnaround Officer” or

Education

After years of cuts, Ga. schools are funded at basic level

A major win that came out of this year’s General Assembly was the decision to fully fund the Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula. This means that for the first time since 2002, Georgia lawmakers are actually giving school districts the basic amount of money they need to operate. But from 2010 to 2014, Deal shortchanged schools by $1 billion a year, and Deal has consistently shortchanged our teachers and students — by at least

Education

Education czar eyes Atlanta for next round of school takeover projects

A year and a half ago, Better Georgia and a coalition of teachers, parents and advocates fought hard to stop Gov. Nathan Deal from taking local control away from our public schools and handing them over to his handpicked, unelected education czar. Thanks to a lot of hard work by the coalition, voters overwhelmingly rejected Deal’s school takeover measure at the polls in 2016, marking a huge win for pro-public education Georgians. But instead of

Economy

Gov. Deal to cut education funding again

Despite wanting to be known for improving education, Gov. Nathan Deal has cut $9.2 billion in education funding since 2003. He has tasked himself with creating takeover plan after takeover plan to reform schools, but all he really has to do to make improvements is stop cutting funding. He drains our public schools of the money they need to pay teachers and provide transportation and labels them “failing.” He creates plans where once schools are

Education

First round of school takeovers spells trouble for Georgia schools

Last year, Better Georgia and a coalition of teachers, parents and advocates fought hard to stop Gov. Deal from taking local control away from our public schools and handing our schools over to his handpicked, unelected education czar. Thanks to a lot of hard work by the coalition, voters overwhelmingly rejected Deal’s school takeover measure at the polls last November, marking a huge win for pro-public education Georgians. But instead of listening to what Georgians

Better Georgia

Defeating Gov. Deal’s school takeover plan

In a year of stunning buffoonery on the national level, it can be hard to remember the political wins Georgians have scored through hard work and dedication to important issues. But those wins have happened, thanks to the dedicated work of voters and advocates like you. Last year, Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature school takeover measure Amendment 1 was defeated. It was a stunning for public school supporters, with 60 percent of Georgians voting against the