Based on Deal's inspiration, the New Orleans Recovery School District and the Tennessee Achievement School District, urban schools are more likely to be taken over because they allow coordination and maximizing of resources, oversight and staffing.
Here is how DeKalb Superintendent Steve Green intends to ward off state takeover.
By Dr. Steve Green
A constitutional amendment on the November ballot, if passed, would create a statewide Opportunity School District. The OSD would allow state authorities to take control of schools they determine to be underperforming.
They've targeted 24 educational institutions in the DeKalb County School District – schools deemed "failing" by the state, based on standardized testing.
Whatever the measure, at this time 24 DeKalb schools wear the OSD target on their backs as do 30 Atlanta Public Schools. In Atlanta's system, the possibility of OSD take-over spurred a major overhaul and restructuring. We hope it brings the desired results for young people in that system.
We shifted resources to support the 24 schools most challenged with academic achievement (and others), and we focused efforts on improving classroom attendance. We want to make sure that students get the full academic and social benefits of the classroom each day.
•In 2016, the number of schools qualified as OSD-eligible will decrease … to zero.
•All targeted schools will meet state standards.
•Targeted high schools will have a graduation rate at or above the rest of the state.
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