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
“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 schools are public schools,” said Rhonda Gatch, co-founder of Moms for School Choice. “It was kind of treated like we were the red-headed stepchild. We’re public schools just like traditional public schools. We wish that our Georgia state superintendent would represent all students and all teachers in their public schools instead of being so divisive.
At this time only local school boards can grant charters, however
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Barge opposes the amendment because it threatens local control, but also because of its potential financial impact.
"Putting this whole picture together, I could not stand by without voicing my opposition to sending any money anywhere else until our children are in schools 180 days and our teachers are at full pay," Barge said to the Associated Press.
But for Gatch, the amendment is about putting students’ futures ahead of finances.
“Ultimately we think that the money should follow the student,” she said. “Just like when a student moves out of the district, the district adjusts. So they can also adjust to a child wanting to move in to a charter school. Financially with their budget they can adjust to those changes. There’s room in their budget to do that.”
What do you think about the State Superintendent’s opposition to the amendment? Are you voting for or against the amendment in November? Tell us in the comments.
See Also:
Rent the film WAITING FOR SUPERMAN to learn how this harms all of us truly concerned with education. Do a Google search on "NEA" and "donations" and you'll see the NEA is little more than a cash-cow for Democrats—and for every liberal-left pressure group in the news! Furthermore, the NEA endorses only Democrats for president or governor here in Georgia. Never Republicans or independents.
The only other exception, in my mind, are the schools that are already far along on the drawing board and got axed by the recent changes, when the promise had already been made to open those schools.
The only exception, I believe may be the schools that already were promised, for credibility reasons.
There I fixed that for you.
Anybody with any business knowledge knows about fixed expenses, variable expenses and mixed (fixed/variable) expenses. Unless you shut down a school entirely, a school's administration, building, fixtures, supplies and teachers still have to be maintained--even after a child leaves to go from one school to another. I'm fine if any savings from a child leaving that school go with the child. However, what do such variable expenses amount to? The cost of a student's desk? The system still has to continue to pay for nearly everything else associated with the school that was left behind. The other issue, thoroughly under-reported, is the fact that the state isn't fulfilling its legal obligation to fund schools under QBE. Despite not meeting these requirements, the state is seeking to fund charter schools directly. They can't find the money for existing school systems, but they can somehow find money for new charter schools? We're being scammed.
No, it's not our money. We elect our government representatives and we have to pay for the goods and services that our government provides (including schools), just like you have to pay the dinner tab after you've finished your meal. Incidentally, school board members are not unelected bureaucrats. They're elected. Disagreeing with you does not mean that they are corrupt.