Gov. Nathan Deal just appointed former legislator Mike Cheokas to the State Board of Education. Although there’s no definitive information available about what this means, it does give me pause. Cheokas lost his seat to Democrat Bill McGowan during the past election, in part over his support of Gov. Nathan Deal’s failed school takeover measure…. [Read More]
Three reasons Georgia’s school takeover has failure written all over it
Gary Henry, a Vanderbilt professor who has studied school takeover attempts in Tennessee, Louisiana and North Carolina, examined the legislation for Deal’s so-called “Opportunity School District” and believes it has failure written all over it. Charter schools need good teachers but often don’t attract them. Successful teachers want to work in schools that are humane,… [Read More]
Ga. Charter School Founder Siphons Money for Strip Club Visits
Georgia’s kids continue to get the short end of the stick — or should I say “stripper pole” — when it comes to education. Charter schools in Georgia have grown in popularity in recent years because of conservatives’ push to privatize everything at the expense of the state’s most vulnerable students. Now, the conservative “solution” to our education… [Read More]
Deal’s school takeover plan a failure from the start
The hotly contested education reform championed by Gov. Nathan Deal will be on the November ballot. Called the “Opportunity School District (OSD)” by supporters, the measure is really a school takeover plan, designed to benefit for-profit charter schools and their proponents, at the expense of funding a public education for all students. Gov. Deal claims… [Read More]
Voters sue Gov. Deal over deceptive charter school ballot question
Beverly Hedges, a Dalton teacher, and the Rev. Timothy McDonald, senior pastor at First Iconium Baptist Church in Atlanta, filed a lawsuit today in the Superior Court of Fulton County asking for a declaration that the ballot language presented to voters for Amendment 1 is purposely misleading. Gov. Nathan Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary… [Read More]
Students teach Georgia voters about charter schools amendment
A YouTube video from the Southern Education Foundation featuring two high school students laid out some of the key arguments against Amendment 1, which is disguised on the ballot as a charter school measure. Click to watch the video. Sign our pledge to Vote ‘No’ on Amendment 1. Join us on Facebook: Better Georgia Schools.
Charter school amendment would have ‘serious impact’ on public schools, Barge says
Amendment 1, also known as the charter school amendment, would have “a serious impact” on students at traditional public schools according to State School Superintendent John Barge. Click to watch Barge explain Amendment 1. Barge answered questions about Amendment 1 at a public forum in Macon on Oct. 11, 2012. Barge supports charter schools but… [Read More]
Better Georgia schools, charters and the November ballot
Better Georgia schools are on top of every voter’s mind as the November election approaches. With a charter school constitutional amendment on every ballot, Georgia voters could radically change how charters are awarded to schools in local communities. And that radical change would not make better Georgia schools. Like most Georgians, Better Georgia believes that… [Read More]
Charter school amendment debate: Who’s for it, who’s against it
Charter schools are often a great choice for students. But like most Georgians, we believe that decisions on how local education dollars should be spent ought to be made by parents in the communities where those students live and by the school boards they elect. On Nov. 6, you will be asked to vote ‘Yes’… [Read More]
Reality Check: Charter school debate crowds out public education
The future of our schoolchildren appears to be just a pawn for corporate interests and backroom deals for Georgia lawmakers. These lawmakers would never want you to believe it, but it’s true. For-profit charter schools have dominated the education debate this legislative session and it’s interesting to discover why.