Gov. Deal: proposed amendment will make charter schools more like 'grocery stores'
The governor explains why the charter amendment would create competition and choices
On Nov. 6, Georgia residents will vote on the proposed charter school amendment — which seeks to reinstate the state's power to authorize the creation of charter schools. We asked to speak with Gov. Nathan Deal in hopes of having a conversation about the issue, but sadly, he declined our request. However, his office provided us with the following op-ed, which outlines why he supports the amendment. Tomorrow, we run a letter from an opponent of the charter school referendum.
Georgia parents enjoy a multitude of choices when shopping for a pair of jeans, a car or a bag of potato chips.
And when it’s time to go off to college, their children can choose a campus that fits them best.
The diversity of options in the marketplace shows that competition and choices drive innovation and improvement. It demonstrates that one size does not, in fact, fit all.
We would abandon a grocery store that didn’t give us options, so why don’t we demand the same from the public education system?
All parents want their children to do better than they did, but that can’t happen if they don’t have access to high-performing public schools.
When they go to the polls this November, Georgia voters have a chance to assure that parents can choose what’s best for their family and child.
Too many school districts in Georgia offer nothing but mediocre or even failing schools. In those situations, parents deserve the chance to demand something new, but they often hit a brick wall with their local school boards.
If passed, the constitutional amendment gives those parents hope. It would restore to the state the ability to charter schools. That would hardly qualify as a revolution; on the contrary, this simply takes us back to the policy we had before a misguided Georgia Supreme Court ruling struck down the state’s charter school approval process.
Unfortunately, school boards eager to maintain their monopoly have spread misinformation about what the charter school amendment would do. So let’s clarify the facts.