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Thursday, September 4, 2008
Should the state takeover Clayton schools?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue’s executive legal team is looking at what it would take for the state to step in and rescue troubled schools. These steps are because Clayton County schools lost its accreditation.
For the state to step in, a change must be made to the state constitution. Any amendment must be approved by the Legislature and voters. The earliest that could happen is November 2010.
About 50 school districts across the country have some sort of state involvement. Takeovers don’t solve all problems. Researchers say it takes about three to five years for a system to turnaround.
States typically fire the school district’s superintendent and other top officials. Then states must appoint new administrators. (Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall was selected by New Jersey to be the state appointed superintendent of Newark public schools after the state took over that district.)
In some communities, parents and teachers fought against state takeovers, arguing it wasn’t right for the state to usurp local control.
Should Georgia step in and take over troubled school systems, like Clayton? What criteria would determine when the state should come in and when it should leave?
On another note, we recently began a Web channel to link people to non-profits and volunteer groups, so check it out.
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