Several weeks ago I emailed Rep. Jan Jones, co-sponsor of HR 1162, to ask her for her thoughts on education reform, why HR 1162 was needed and how the amendment would implement those needed reforms. I received a lengthy reply back for which I am grateful. The 4-page "Q & A" on HR 1162 and HB 797 is attached as a PDF. This is not new information, but worth a re-look since the big vote is right around the corner.
Since this is a blog and I'm supposed to brief, I will draw your attention to the second paragraph in which Rep. Jones states, "If challenged in court, the decision calls into question whether state government has any meaningful role in public education, except, perhaps, for putting a check in the mail." She is referring to the Georgia Supreme Courts decision in May 2011 which ruled that the previous Charter School Commission was unconstitutional.
Rep. Jones is implying that the state may have no authority if this endless litigation continues – that would be kind of like taxation without representation (see next sentence in attachment) not for the actual taxpayer, I don't think, but for the General Assembly. That's why we need to vote for HR 1162. Wow – did we always have to consult our attorneys before voting on a simple amendment??
So how does this statement rate on truthfulness? Here's what I could find about the states current constitutional authority;
State Board of Education - the constitutional authority which defines education policy for the public K-12 education agencies. There are currently 146 State Education Rules (see GaDOE website) on the books. Sounds like a lot of authority to me.
General Assembly - last I knew they wrote and passed our laws. They also have the authority to determine the AMOUNT of the check they put in the mail to local school systems. Sadly, despite the fact that the state funding amount is supposed to be determined by the QBE formula, the General Assembly has decided to short their lawful mandate by $5 billion since 2003 (also on the GaDOE website – see Dr. Barge's fact sheet).
So...was the constitutional authority of the state in its entirety put into jeopardy by the Supreme Court's decision? I don't think so and will hereby give Rep. Jones statement a HIGH DRAMA reading on truthfulness. Not appropriate to call someone I don't really know a liar!
In addition, Rep. Jones answered my question - how will HR 1162/HB 797 address the areas of education reform you feel are important? The answer; "Public charter schools are one tool to help address the different preferences and needs of families and students all across Georgia...Many reforms, including merit pay, utilizing online technology and offering more educational options help address challenges in public education that cannot be solved through more-of-the-same." So there you have it.
Rep. Jones statement is 100% consistent with the language in HB 797 - lines 21 and 22; State charter schools do not supplant public schools operated by local boards of education but provide options to enhance public educational opportunities (my bold). This amendment and the enabling legislation doesn't even pretend to address failing schools or at-risk students.
The photo shown is of my son with the first and short lived Fulton County Honor Band when he was in 5th grade. In March 2010, Fulton County cut the elementary band program to help fill the gap in a looming $120 million deficit. Isn't elementary school band an enhancement that would benefit thousands of public school kids? Shouldn't the General Assembly be working with the local school boards to ensure that ALL Georgia students have enhanced educational opportunites?
Reason # 3 to Vote "NO" on Hr 1162 - the state (and here I really mean the General Assembly - Dr. Barge has made it pretty clear that he is not in favor of this amendment) has not lived up to it's current constitutional mandate, don't let them expand it!
As a parent, I am appalled by certain legislators portrayal of themselves as some sort of squad of white knights coming to rescue public education from the "educrats." In my opinion, everyone who voted for HR 1162 is part of "the problem" which they refuse to clearly define as evidenced by the nebulous language in HB 797. I find their rhetoric and constant deflection of responsibility despicable.
Want to connect with a grassroots organization which is NOT a front for the Walton Family Foundation? Check out EmpowerEDga, http://empoweredga.org/ – it's free to join and full of useful facts and information.
Notice that the loudest voices calling for "reform" are NOT the classroom teachers, who would know best what reforms will and won't work. It's politicians who don't even have children in the public schools. Classroom teachers are begging for reforms, but not what the Legislature is forcing on them. Because the reforms that will work for ALL schools throughout the state don't line the pockets of the legislators--reforms like giving teachers the power to truly enforce discipline in their classrooms, releasing them from unfunded mandates and too many high stakes tests that do nothing to improve learning, smaller class sizes. Oh wait, those are all things that charter schools trumpet as their selling points. Well, if it's good enough for charters, then it ought to be good enough for ALL SCHOOLS. Why,then, aren't we doing it in all schools. Hmm???
As usual with the traditional public schooling side of the debate, the focus is on money, rather than the education of our children. An education that many, MANY TPS aren't providing to even our HS graduates...25% of whom must take remedial classes during their freshman years of college. I'll vote for anything that provides more alternatives for parents. Active parents of ignored students should not be forced back into the same failing TPS that they bailed from in the first place. This is esp. damaging to poor & minority students. A vote against 1162 is a vote for More Minority Oppression. A vote against 1162 is an endorsement of a failed Educational System that has dropped America to the 30s in the world's rankings. A vote against 1162 is a vote against parental choice and a vote for local crony-filled boards dictacting the lack of choice your child shall have. After the left dismantles the competition that charters provide, what's next - teacher unions?
I do not advocate dismantling TPS’s. Within the system are some great teachers and administrators that could lead the way in producing college/career ready students. They are fettered and muted by bloc politics, excessive mandates, and perceived threats to their careers. The voting booth can be a liberating experience for these people. The presence of public charter schools will bring contrast and choice into the public school arena. I want high performing charter schools to move TPS administrators from making excuses to producing results. By the same token I want high performing TPS’s to keep charter schools focused and accountable to the parents. I am afraid your concern about teacher unions is not an idle thought. I have asked many of the anti-choice advocates on the patch why the Georgia Association of Educators has a Collective Bargaining Committee. No one has yet explained how this prioritizes the children.
Is there room to improve our schools? Absolutely! But no one has demonstrated to me that spreading already thin resources even thinner by adding charter schools does anything to help the other kids. The kids in the charter MAY be in a better situation, but why are we not looking for REAL solutions to lift ALL schools up for ALL students? Do some people actually believe that teachers and administrators don't care about the kids they work with and don't want them to succeed? That is insulting to those of us who have been in the classroom and who still are.
go to the drop down, select Collective Bargaining, Select Search The Search Provides the following public commitee information: - Collective Bargaining Listing AMMONS, REBECCA rammons@appling.k12.ga.us BOOKER, CHARLOTTE charlotte.booker@gae.org COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CMTE EX-OFFICIO BUTLER, LOIS lbutler@worthschools.net CHAPMAN, SID sid.chapman@gae.org COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CMTE EX-OFFICIO GUSTAFSON, MARGARET mgustaf3@gmail.com JACKSON, SONYA sonyatjackson@aol.com KREMKAU, DAWN dkremkau@yahoo.com MCCRAW, PHALICIA seyana@aol.com PATTERSON, NIKI niki.patterson@bartow.k12.ga.us REESE, CYNTHIA cwallertennis@yahoo.com ROLLINS, CALVINE calvine.rollins@gae.org COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CMTE EX-OFFICIO ROSS, GORNATA gornataross@me.com COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COMMITTEE - CHAIR
GAE: Hi, can we have pay increases, smaller class sizes, fewer furlough days, and lower insurance rates? GA Dept of ED: No. GAE: OK, thanks anyway. (works the same way at county level. There is a reason Cherokee has more furlough days than Cobb)