Charter school amendment opponent calls ballot measure the ‘T-SPLOST for Education’

• http://clatl.com/atlanta/ImageArchives?by=1223504
• Herb Garrett

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. Yesterday, we ran an op-ed from Gov. Nathan Deal, who explained why passing amendment one would lead to increased choice and competition throughout Georgia’s education system. Today, we’re giving the floor to Herb Garrett, Executive Director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, who will explain why he’s opposed to the charter school amendment.

As I thought about how best to describe the upcoming vote on amendment one, the so-called “charter school amendment” that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot, it occurred to me that it should be called the “T-SPLOST for Education” vote. We all remember that summer referendum and how it ended, and this ballot initiative is just like that one in that: 1) it is brought to us by the same General Assembly that gave us the T-SPLOST and 2) favored on the “yes” side by big money companies and organizations. The similarities are almost eerie!

The real problem that I see, though, is the misinformation being used and the half-truths being told to get this monstrosity passed. Supporters would have you believe that charter schools — which are supposed to be “laboratories of innovation” and operate free of many of the rules and regulations that hamstring traditional public schools — are somehow in danger of becoming extinct. They fail to tell you that, under current law, local boards can already approve charter schools in local communities — over 100 already exist — and the State Board of Education can already approve such schools over the objections of local boards of education —15 of these already exist. In Georgia, current law even permits entire school systems to gain charter status, freeing them from having to comply with onerous laws and rules and do what is best for children.

Proponents of the amendment would have you believe this is about “school choice.” I wonder just how much “choice” would satisfy some of them, for in addition to the choices I outlined in the previous paragraph, we have many systems that offer in-system school choice as well as opportunities for children to cross-school system lines and attend their schools. We have home schools, we have private schools, we have religious schools. Do we really need still another layer?