Opponents rally against state takeover district

Georgia voters will not decide whether to give the state broad new powers to take over failing schools until November, but the battle lines are already being drawn.

At a press event at the Capitol today, several education groups, including the Georgia Assoication of Educators, spoke against the concept, which would allow the state to pick and choose among failing schools and absorb some into a special recovery district run by an appointed turnaround superintendent.

Gov. Nathan Deal is the driving force behind Georgia's proposed Opportunity School District, which he modeled after state-run districts in New Orleans and Tennessee. But those efforts have not yet produced major improvements, as critics noted today. To read what they had to say, go to AJC Get Schooled.