Monday, November 5, 2012
On Nov. 6, voters will decide if the state of Georgia can create charter schools, or will those decisions remain at the local levels.
On Tuesday, voters will decide if Georgia can create a state commission authorizing charter schools. The issue has stirred controversy all across metro Atlanta. Some Democratic leaders are calling the ballot biased and misleading. Others, however, are reaching across political aisles to support the amendment. On Saturday, Oct. 27, two state lawmakers - one Republican, the other a Democrat -headlined a rally in support of the amendment.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
It "has major concerns with the ... impact it will have on Georgia’s 1.67 million public school students," according to a statement from the group.
Under pressure from its national organization to rescind its opposition to a controversial amendment that could restore the state's authority to approve and fund charter schools, the Georgia Parent Teacher Association reaffirmed its stance. "We cannot support this constitutional amendment which will create an inequity in funding, siphon funds from local public schools where the great majority of the students in Georgia receive their education and deny parents meaningful engagement," the group said in a statement released late Friday. "Georgia PTA strongly opposes this constitutional amendment." In July, the state chapter made its position clear: Vote no when you go to the polls in November. While the Georgia PTA supports charter schools …
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Georgia Schools Superintendent Dr. John Barge has publicly said he opposes an amendment that would give the state the authority to grant charters for independent schools.
Responses are mixed after State Superintendent Dr. John Barge announced that he opposes an amendment that would allow the state the authority to grant charters to independent schools. The Georgia Association of Educators has officially stated that it supports the superintendent’s stance. “We truly appreciate the state’s top education official standing up for Georgia’s 1.6 million kids and against the November 6 constitutional amendment on charter schools. Dr. Barge sees first-hand the impact this constitutional amendment would have on ensuring every child in Georgia has fair access to a quality education,” said GAE President Calvine Rollins in a press release. Not surprisingly, charter school supporters are less than pleased. “Charter …
Voters will head to the polls in November and decide if the state can override local school boards and create charter schools.
If voters pass a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the state to override local school boards on charter decisions, schools with rejected bids like Smyrna Academy of Excellence could still become a reality. The bid for the proposed Smyrna charter school was rejected in June by the Cobb Board of Education with a 4-3 vote. Ever since a May 16, 2011 Supreme Court of Georgia ruling dissolved the commission that approved 16 state-commissioned charter schools, proponents of school choice–like Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan (D-Austell)– have worked to reverse the 4-3 ruling that left a number of charters scrambling to find ways to open their doors in time for the start of the 2011-12 school year. The Families for Better Public Schools …
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa is recommending denial of a start-up school in Smyrna, despite strong community support for the plan.
The Cobb Board of Education is expected to vote Thursday on a petition to create a charter school in Smyrna. Many parents and residents there want it, and since last week's board work session have provided school officials with additional information about a possible location. But superintendent Michael Hinojosa continues to recommend against granting the charter status for financial, facilities and academic reasons. That issue figures to be the major item of business when the board meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cobb County School District office board room, located at 514 Glover Street in Marietta. An executive session has been called for 6 p.m. Supporters of the proposed Smyrna Academy of Excellence throughout Cobb County are upset…
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Cobb Board of Education also is likely to discuss four charter schools petitioning to operate next year.
Cobb County Board of Education member David Banks of Northeast and East Cobb’s Post 5 wants to know how efficiently the school district is using technology. Banks plans to bring up the topic during today’s 8:30 a.m. board work session at the Central Office’s boardroom. “It’s about how effective are we in using our technology in the learning process,” he told Patch. “We spend tens of millions of dollars on technology, so how effective have we used it? I’m going to ask the administration to develop the questionnaire on the ways that they can measure. It’s not to point fingers, but it’s just to find out where are we. It’s to know how we can use our technology to a greater degree.” Banks said his main focus is on teachers, not students. The …
contented-NOT
2:40 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
The county should make ALL of the county schools "charter" and then the funding issue would be resolved? more ›