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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

2017 Legislative Session

Georgia is burning

Holy smokes! Things at the State Capitol are really heating up — but not in a good way. In the next two weeks, it’s going to be a mad scramble to get legislation through committees, then past the gatekeepers in the Rules committee, and then to the floor for a vote before the critical “crossover day” on Friday, March 3. Before March 3, bills must pass out of at least one chamber — meaning that either the

Education

Is Gov. Deal’s school takeover plan really dead?

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. The State Board of Education (SBOE) is tasked with supporting the state superintendent. The state super, Richard Woods, is someone

Education

Education groups stepping up pressure on Gov. Deal for education reform

Teachers unions are asking for more from Gov. Nathan Deal after his school takeover plan failed, and Deal has to figure out how to respond. The Georgia Federation of Teachers, headed by Verdaillia Turner, wants to sit-down with Gov. Deal to discuss education. “It is time to raise the bar. Georgia voters sent a message that we can no longer pander to political agendas when it comes to schools and kids,” Turner told the AJC.

Elections

Gov. Deal’s ethically dubious funding for school takeover

Recently, the AJC revealed that Gov. Nathan Deal’s daughter-in-law is one of the major fundraisers behind his pro-school takeover push. Thanks in part to the Citizens United ruling, the donations to Gov. Deal’s pet project are largely unknown (to the public anyway), and handled by a family member of the governor. If this whole set up strikes you as ethically dubious, you are not alone. Do you remember back in 2011, when Congressman turned Governor Nathan Deal

Podcast Ep. 21: Election Day

It’s almost election day, and over at Better Georgia we are feeling the final push. We recorded this episode on the Friday before the election, so all of our information is from polls and articles before the weekend. There have been some clear signs that Amendment 1, the school takeover amendment, might fail, which is good news for us here and great news for parents, students and teachers. In this episode, we’re talking about that