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UPDATED: Georgia's House Approves State Charter School Resolution
If the Senate passes HR 1162 by a super majority, Georgia voters will decide if the state Department of Education gets to create charter schools.
Fulton lawmakers promised action after Fulton Science Academy Middle School's charter renewal was denied.
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UPDATE, 4:30 P.M.: The House passed HR 1162, a resolution that would send the issue of state charter schools to Georgia voters, passed overwhelmingly today, 123-48.
Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, said the resolution has to pass with a two-thirds majority in the state Senate also.
Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers said the resolution will be sent to the Senate Education Committee first. He was asked if he thought the resolution had the necessary support in the Senate.
"We certainly hope so. This is a referendum and the voters should have the opportunity to voice their opinion on this very important matter," Rogers said.
Albers said Gov. Nathan Deal supports sending the question to state voters, "but it does not require his signature because two-thirds is already a super majority."
The Governor made it part of his legislative agenda, Rogers said.
Albers said this resolution assures options for education.
"Students deserve as many high quality options as possible," Rogers said. "Giving students more options is always better than restricting their options."
Fulton Science Academy Middle School, which lost its bid for charter renewal with Fulton County, has applied as a special school, Albers said.
Rogers said it will help current and future charter schools.
"Most importantly, it will help Georgia's children," he said.
A Supreme Court decision had limited the state's ability to create charter schools, which put the sole authority in the hands of local school boards. So lawmakers created HR 1162, which would put a referendum on the state ballot to add the authority to the state by way of an amendment to the state Constitution.
Voters won't get the question until too late for Fulton Science Academy Middle School to remain open. So the school is relying on a state charter under existing law to stay open.
The issue has been one of local control. Supporters of the stance of the Fulton School Board–and its counteparts in other school districts–say a charter school removes local control. But charter school supporters say it brings the control even closer to the local residents, with each charter school having its own school board from local residents and parents.
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Claire Bartlett
4:44 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
This is exactly how it should work - to the voters!
Jake Lilley
11:25 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Good first step. Ultimately, education should be privatized... That's right, I said privatized.
Privatization is the only way to truly return the choice to the consumer, compensate the best teachers with the best pay and ensure the natural selection of education providers. In a free market economy, you get to vote with your dollar. In a command economy, the government gets to vote with your dollar..
Any product or service that is funded via taxation ultimately robs the consumer of the power to vote with his dollar. Return the money to the individual and let the individual choose how best to spend it.