Charter Confusion: A Few Final Comments
On Tuesday’s ballot, voters will be asked to approve an amendment to the state constitution granting the state authority to approve charter schools otherwise denied by local boards of education.
Over the past several months, though, discussion of the issue seems to have confused voters.
If the amendment passes, the state will create a state charter commission, which has authority to approve charters schools denied by local school boards. Currently, local boards of education alone have authority to approve or reject charters. Opponents of the amendment argue that the authority of the state commission removes control from local boards of education, because the state has power to override charter decisions by local boards. Proponents of the amendment argue that charter schools hold the answer to improving a failing public education system. In Gilmer County, Oakland Academy Charter School (OACS) has been denied several times by the Gilmer BOE. OACS Board Chairman Isaac Lassiter has been one of the most strident proponents of charter schools in the last few years.
Fannin County Superintendent Mark Henson argues if the Fannin BOE rejects a charter application its constituents wanted, the board members would be voted out. Henson cites Gilmer County as an example. After several denials of the OACS application and opposition to the charter, three school board members were voted out and replaced in July’s election. Last month, the Fannin BOE passed a resolution supporting local education, as a way to oppose the amendment. Lassiter calls this
All this seems to confuse the concept of charter schools and the charter school amendment. The concept of charter schools seems to be positive. Rooted in free-market principles, charters can foster competition, forging innovation and driving costs down. But, the charter school amendment creates more bureaucracy by forming a state charter commission, removing a portion of the power of local school boards. The commission will be a group of appointed (unelected) officials. No matter how you look at it, this is creating more bureaucracy and giving more power to the state, making government bigger, not smaller.
In an email to FYN this week, Pickens County Superintendent Ben Desper urged voters to vote against the referendum, while Henson said he is not opposed to charter schools, but is opposed to the loss of local control.
If the amendment passes, the state will create a state charter commission, which has authority to approve charters schools denied by local school boards. Currently, local boards of education alone have authority to approve or reject charters. Opponents of the amendment argue that the authority of the state commission removes control from local boards of education, because the state has power to override charter decisions by local boards. Proponents of the amendment argue that charter schools hold the answer to improving a failing public education system. In Gilmer County, Oakland Academy Charter School (OACS) has been denied several times by the Gilmer BOE. OACS Board Chairman Isaac Lassiter has been one of the most strident proponents of charter schools in the last few years.
“Cultivating new ideas outside of the education monopoly is the only way that radical positive change can happen that is necessary if we want strong economic growth in Georgia's future,”Lassiter wrote in a statement this week, adding,
“The best idea under consideration in Georgia today is through quality charter schools that can be approved even when a local superintendent and BOE flout the law and common sense and deny charter schools only to protect their shared bank account.”Local superintendents, though, argue for local control.
Fannin County Superintendent Mark Henson argues if the Fannin BOE rejects a charter application its constituents wanted, the board members would be voted out. Henson cites Gilmer County as an example. After several denials of the OACS application and opposition to the charter, three school board members were voted out and replaced in July’s election. Last month, the Fannin BOE passed a resolution supporting local education, as a way to oppose the amendment. Lassiter calls this
“blatant and illegal election tampering.”In an email to FYN this week, Lassiter said the board received a letter on October 4th from State Attorney General Sam Olens telling it not to expend public resources or take a position as a board on the amendment, although FYN has not confirmed this. Henson has repeatedly said, though, that he is not telling people how to vote on the issue.
All this seems to confuse the concept of charter schools and the charter school amendment. The concept of charter schools seems to be positive. Rooted in free-market principles, charters can foster competition, forging innovation and driving costs down. But, the charter school amendment creates more bureaucracy by forming a state charter commission, removing a portion of the power of local school boards. The commission will be a group of appointed (unelected) officials. No matter how you look at it, this is creating more bureaucracy and giving more power to the state, making government bigger, not smaller.
In an email to FYN this week, Pickens County Superintendent Ben Desper urged voters to vote against the referendum, while Henson said he is not opposed to charter schools, but is opposed to the loss of local control.
“I hope our citizens believe in local control of their schools,”wrote Gilmer Superintendent Bryan Dorsey in a statement this week,
“An Atlanta based state controlled commission not accountable to the voting citizens of the community appears to me like taxation without representation. I think we already fought that war.”
Defined tags for this entry: 2012 Election, Ben Desper, Breaking News, Bryan Dorsey, Charter School Amendment, Charter Schools, Election-2012, Fannin BOE, Featured Stories, Golmer BOE, Isaac Lassiter, Mark Henson, Pickens BOE
You are an un-elected bureaucrat that is not accountable directly to the citizens of Gilmer County.
The "Atlanta Based Commission" is appointed by elected state leadership, just as you are appointed by local elected officials. Both you and the Charter School Commission would be equal in that you are both not accountable directly to the voters. Nothing could be truer than your characterization of your type of position as taxation without representation.
Regarding the author of this article (Daniel McKeon) comment on adding "bureaucracy", the most important and wasteful bureacracy in the state of Georgia is that of the local boards of education.
A study by Kelly Cadman of the Georgia Charter School Association showed that the old Charter School Commission spent only $650,000 per year to oversee 15,000 State Commission authorized charter school students before it was ruled unconstitutional in 2011.
On average Georgia public school districts spend $8,000,000 dollars of administrative costs overseeing 15,000 students. That is 1231% more dollars spent per student at the "locally controlled" district than at the state Charter Schools Commission.
So do we want to be saved by the local BOE bureaucrats that are spending 1231% more money per student for the same services, or should we maybe look into a more efficient solution like the Charter Schools Commission for running our schools? County level school systems in Georgia have failed us and are grossly inefficient.
Superintendents are against the Charter Schools Commission. That is not a big surprise. Guess who loses their iron-fisted grip on education if charter schools are opened - LOCAL SUPERINTENDENTS. It is simple. Interested local community members get to be intimately involved in decisions about their schools, their students, and their tax money. Community members can be on a committee to help select the new school leaders, hire teachers, make budgets, design educational plans, and many other roles of substance.
With the current Superintendent-Monopoly coupled with a weak board of education, interested community members can give a 5-minute speech to a bored looking board who does not respond, usually ignores their comments, and then does whatever the Superintendent tells them to do. Superintendents, including each of the ones quoted in this article, do not care about improving education and the children with their comments here. They are protecting their turf and that is it. Local control is a fallacy and a false argument.
Every four years the community can vote a BOE member out. Is that local control? After the election voters have no input or formal involvement and are usually ignored by the BOE member until they are running for office again because the BOE is too busy doing whatever the Superintendent-strongman tells them to do.
Which scenario sounds like there is more local control to you?
The last point on this issue is money. There has been almost zero money donated on the Vote No side of this issue except for Superintendents, BOE members, and attorneys and consultants for boards of education. Why? Because no one else who understands the issue agrees with Vote No. These Educrats are on an island with the water receding and they are desperate to keep the sorry Georgia education status-quo. We can't let them. Vote Yes is a vote for Georgia's future, not is monopolistic education of the past.
Your are not comparing apples to apples. Mr. Dorsey has no vote for the district. The only body that is able to vote is the elected Board. This is not true of the state Charter Commission. They will have voting power but are not elected. They are appointed. This is a major difference in power.
Also, to your point about locally elected boards equating to local control. Certainly they do. You have failed to point out how an appointed commission of seven people in Atlanta give me local control? What if I don't like what they do? How do I vote to change it? I can't. However, with the local BOE I can.
Again, Dorsey has no vote. The state Charter Commission will. Your comparison fails.
Maybe the appointed board in Atlanta, who isn't beholden to the local BOE and / or Administrator will provide a fairer shake for people who are looking for a FAIR and HONEST decision, not one made in the mens room of the bank, administrative building, or dairy queen whatever the case may be!
I'm sure that's how it will be. Good luck voting them out when you are disappointed.