Georgians will not only be voting for the next president of the United States on Nov. 8, but we will also have to vote on a proposed bill that will allow state intervention in failing elementary and secondary schools.
Amendment 1, commonly known as the Opportunity School District bill, will grant Gov. Nathan Deal the power to appoint someone of his choosing to the newly created position of OSD superintendent. The OSD bill allows the superintendent to possess an unprecedented amount of executive power over qualifying schools.
Section 1 of the OSD bill defines qualifying schools as those that maintain an “F” score rating by the Georgia Office of Student Achievement for three consecutive years.The superintendent can select up to 20 qualifying schools per year to bring under OSD control.
Once an eligible school is identified, the superintendent has four intervention options to be used at their sole discretion:
- direct and total management of the school.
- shared governance with a local school board.
- turning the school over to a charter program.
- shutting the school down and reassigning its students to a non-qualifying school in the local system.
Another issue of concern is the superintendent’s ability to appoint, replace and approve of a qualifying school’s principal, as well as the governing members of a charter program’s education commission.
For one individual to wield such influence over any school’s functions, let alone all of them, is beyond reprehensible. It is wholly deserving of contempt by all local taxpayers, considering they will still be forced to help pay for these schools.
On top of the already controversial aspects of the legislation itself, there is also debate over the language of the preamble, which is the text that voters will see on their ballots on election day.
The preamble does not mention anything regarding the scope of the bill. This is all voters will see on their ballots Nov. 8:
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing schools in order to improve student performance?”
Who wouldn’t vote “yes” to that?
Three Georgians have filed a lawsuit against the state over the preamble’s language. The individuals are represented by Keep Georgia Schools Local, a teacher advocacy group, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The group’s official statement calls the ballot language “misleading, subjectively worded and propagandizes the very issue being decided on the ballot.”
I take issue with the state’s view that the only way to fix failing schools is to turn over virtually all decision-making power to one individual — someone who cannot be held accountable by anyone from the schools they supervise.
I cannot justify such an overreach of state power, even if the supposed purpose is to improve student achievement.
I urge all who intend to vote on Nov. 8 to please take the time to read the entire OSD bill before casting a ballot. Although many voters will be focused on the presidential election, they should also be focused on Amendment 1 and how it can impact the schools in our state.
Many parents fear that the OSD legislation is equal to a forcible seizure of their children’s education, which they won’t have an impact on if passed. In my view, their fears are warranted.
