Does Deal’s Opportunity School District provide opportunity...

Former Pelham City, Ga., superintendent Jim Arnold doesn’t believe the governor’s plan to take over failing schools is the answer.

Georgians will decide in the voting booth on Nov. 8 whether to give Gov. Nathan Deal the power to create his Opportunity School District and hire his own superintendent to lead it. The question is Amendment 1 on the ballot.

Educators are speaking out against it, including Arnold.

“The governor already has the resources and the authority to implement widespread changes to the way schools operate. Why is it necessary to change the Constitution and create another layer of government control? I think the governor would rather those that disagree just keep their mouths shut while he hawks those magic beans,” said Arnold, writing today in the AJC Get Schooled blog.

“There is a correlation between schools listed as “failing” and poverty that no politician/legislator wants to address or even acknowledge. Look at the list of schools on the takeover sheet. See if you notice the common denominators of high minority and/or high poverty and poor achievement levels on standardized tests,” he said.

To read more, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.

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Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com