Georgia’s proposed Opportunity School District got new opposition Tuesday as both former Atlanta Mayor Andy Young and baseball great Hank Aaron held a news conference to urge people to vote against Amendment 1.

The constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot would allow the governor to establish a new statewide school district with authority to take over schools deemed to be “chronically failing.”

» Interactive: Which failing Georgia schools could be taken over by the state?

African-American voters widely supported a constitutional amendment four years ago to authorize the state to establish charter schools. Backers of this new amendment are counting on similar support, and opposition from black icons like Young and Aaron could prove consequential.

» Seven things you need to know about the proposed Opportunity School District

The Opportunity district, if approved, would empower the state to close schools, remove the staff and run them directly or convert them to state charter schools.

You can see how your school compares to those around you in the new Ultimate Atlanta School Guide.

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Devon Horton — pictured speaking at the State of the District Address in March 2024 — has resigned as DeKalb County's school superintendent in the wake of a federal indictment on charges that he accepted kickbacks in his previous job in Illinois. (Miguel Martinez/AJC 2024)

Credit: Miguel Martinez

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Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)