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2017 Legislative Session

Wrapping up the 2017 legislative session

Georgia’s Legislature adjourned for good last week, just in time for the Masters Tournament (as always). While the at-times tumultuous session was set to end on Thursday, the gavels didn’t come down officially until early Friday morning, capping off 40 days of the most intriguing political theater in recent memory. Here’s what happened: Rigged Maps: House Bill 515, sponsored by disgraced former judge Johnnie Caldwell (WATCH Samantha Bee’s piece on Caldwell here), went down in

School Takeover 2.0 on the Better Georgia Podcast
Education

Deal resorts to insults and intimidation over school takeover, again

After being publicly questioned about his new education plan by the state superintendent, Georgia’s highest elected education official, Deal has once again resorted to insults and intimidation. Deal’s new education plan includes the new role of “Chief Turnaround Officer” (READ: “Education Czar”), who would report to the state Board of Education. The state BOE is appointed by the governor, putting the Chief Turnaround Officer in the governor’s chain of command. State Superintendent Richard Woods recently

School Takeover

School takeover 2.0 passes the House

In a vote of 138 to 37, school takeover 2.0–House Bill 338 passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. It allows state intervention in schools labeled “unacceptable” by whatever measure the state chooses to use. The bill still silences parents and educators and still takes away local control. As passed, the bill offers no additional funding to schools and places almost all control under the governor. The takeover would create the position of a “chief

School Takeover

School Takeover 2.0

We don’t know the details for school takeover 2.0 but we do know that Gov. Nathan Deal isn’t listening to the people of Georgia. Even though 60 percent of Georgians voted against school takeover, Deal is working on another plan that will be equally bad for Georgia’s students. Although voters said no, Deal is working on pushing a new plan through state legislature. The AJC has reported that part of the plan could include students being