Are Georgia lawmakers pushing to privatize schools?

In proposing a revolution for Georgia schools in his recent state of the state address, Gov. Nathan Deal has to enlist some revolutionaries.

But teachers may not be willing to join him on the front-lines in his fight for merit pay and a state school district empowered to take over failing schools.

A former district superintendent explains why. In a column on MyAJC.com, Jim Arnold, former superintendent of Pelham City Schools, contends the reforms hurt teachers and push them out of the classroom. "The governor's and the Legislature's collective efforts have demoralized teachers to the point 44 percent leave teaching within the first five years of their careers, and the number of experienced teachers retiring early (those with 10-25 years experience – the heart of our teaching corps) has grown significantly during Deal's time in office," he writes.