Deal pitches Opportunity School District at south Fulton church
Amid poll numbers showing doubt about his Opportunity School District, Gov. Nathan Deal appeared at a south Fulton County church Tuesday evening to pitch the proposal.
“It is an opportunity for the state be able to do something other than just send money to failing schools,” he told the half-filled auditorium of onlookers.
A recent poll sponsored by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicates broad skepticism about Amendment 1. The constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot would empower the state to take over 20 "chronically failing" schools per year, up to 100 at any one time, along with the local tax dollars that support them.
Critics claim it’s a grab for local dollars and power. The proposal has gotten pushback from the NAACP and black leaders such as the Concerned Black Clergy and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young. Most of the schools that would be subject to takeover have mostly minority enrollment.
This could explain Deal’s last-minute visit to Impact Church near East Point, where nearly all the roughly 200 in the audience were black.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
