FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2016
ATLANTA – “We have been working tirelessly – and will continue to do so until election day -- to ensure the citizens of Georgia know the true meaning behind the ballot language for the “Takeover of Local Schools” initiative that was recently released,” said Dr. Sid Chapman, president of the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE).
Chapman is referring to the newly released wording of the ballot language for Amendment 1 regarding the Opportunity School District initiative that reads:
"Amendment #1 provides greater flexibility and state accountability to fix failing schools through increasing community involvement. Shall the constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?"
“What communities should understand is this amounts to a state takeover of their local public schools,” emphasized Chapman. “Passage of Amendment One would effectively remove the voice of the local community – parents, educators, community leaders -- in decisions made for their schools. The issues most often affecting these schools -- homelessness, poverty, hunger, lack of parental/guardian involvement, are systemic throughout the impacted school communities. A takeover political appointee in Atlanta, who is literally miles away from understanding what’s truly happening in these communities, is not a proven solution.”
###