Georgia has something on its mind — and a lot of people think it’s a really bad idea
Georgia has something on its mind — and a lot of people think it’s a really bad idea.
The idea is in the form of a constitutional amendment that is on the Nov. 8 ballot. Called Amendment 1 and proposed by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, it would allow the state to take over a certain number of “chronically failing public schools” and put them in the new state-run school district that would be modeled after those created in Louisiana and Tennessee.
Supporters say the new district would help improve troubled schools and provide new accountability to public school districts. Opponents say that the districts in the two other states have actually done poorly and that Amendment 1 is intentionally worded to promote the idea that the new “Opportunity School District” would really just be a way of taking some traditional schools and turning them into charter schools.
Opposition to the idea appears to be growing, not just among Democrats but also among some Republicans, and news reports from Georgia say the amendment could lose. An Atlanta Journal Constitution poll in October found voters siding 2 to 1 against the district.
Here is a podcast about the issue, one in a series called “Have You Heard” by Jennifer Berkshire and Aaron French. Berkshire is a freelance journalist and public education advocate who writes the lively EduShyster blog, where she discusses the serious consequences of corporate school reform. French is the creator of Education on Tap, a podcast produced by Teach for America.
Here is the transcript:
It is always hard to explain complicated issues to voters, especially when you don’t have much money.
Take Georgia, for example. Governor Nathan Deal wants to change the state constitution to allow the state to take over low-scoring public schools and hand them over to charter operators. It hasn’t worked anywhere else, but no matter. The amendment is being sold as a way to help kids and improve schools, when it is a transfer of public schools to private management. It is privatization of public schools and squelching of democracy.
How do you reach voters?
Here is one way: Someone hired an airplane to fly over a University of Georgia football game flying a banner that said:
“No School Takeover. Vote NO on Amendment 1.”
Georgia Has Something on It’s Mind: When voters in Georgia go to the polls, Georgia has something on its mind — and a lot of people think it’s a really bad idea - The Washington Post:
