HR 1162 has cleared the Senate Education and Youth Committee, reports Rep. Jan Jones, R-Milton, the House Speaker Pro Tempore for the Georgia General Assembly. The House Resolution calls for a referendum on an amendment to the state Constituion that would allow the state Department of Education to charter local schools. The vote is meant to clear up problems created by a Georgia Supreme Court opinion that ruled the state did not have the authority to offer charters to local schools. That's separate from the practice of appeals when a charter school application is denied by a local school …

  Most people agree local school boards play a critical role in Georgia public education. Most people also agree, however, that local school boards should not have exclusive control over public education.  Businesses considering relocating to Georgia place a top priority on an overall educated workforce. Clearly, we have a state education brand to foster and protect in attracting jobs. Our ability to do so was jeopardized in a controversial 4-3 Georgia Supreme Court decision last May striking down a 2008 state law. The problem with the state supreme court’s decision is that it explicitly …

As a parent of four children, two who received HOPE in college and two currently in high school, I’ve seen firsthand the impact the HOPE scholarship program has on Georgia families. For some, it’s the catalyst that propels them to work harder in high school and graduate with higher academic achievement.  For others, it makes a college education financially affordable.  HOPE is currently at a crossroads due to the program’s popularity outpacing lottery revenues. The nearer-term struggling economy and farther-term changing workforce demands have driven record college enrollments in recent years…