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Thursday, May 15, 2008
Fighting new education laws
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Decatur school board members are getting ready to fight a new law Gov. Sonny Perdue signed this week.
The small school system plans to join a lawsuit challenging HB 881, which creates a new state commission to approve charter schools. This new group can approve charter schools - and give them some of the school district’s per-pupil money - even if the local school board voted down the school.
Many local and state education leaders say the law usurps local control of schools. They say the state is slowing chipping away at the rights and freedoms of traditional public schools.
(For additional proof, some point to HB 1133 which Perdue signed Wednesday. That gives businesses tax credits if they donate money to groups that give kids vouchers to attend private schools.)
Charter school supporters argue too many local school systems turn down acceptable charters because they don’t want the competition and they don’t want to lose their money. They argue parents deserve the right to choose between a charter school and a traditional public school.
What do you think of this fight? Are school districts losing local control or is the state trying to give charter schools a better shot of getting approval?
