Poll finds opposition to Opportunity School District
October 21, 2016, Atlanta - Kevin Pham, 29, an electronics engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, poses for a portrait in a lab at the Van Leer Electrical and Computer Engineering Building in Atlanta, on Friday, October 21, 2016. Pham was among those in an AJC poll who are leaning toward favoring the ballot amendment for an Opportunity School District. (DAVID BARNES / DAVID.BARNES@AJC.COM)
By Ty Tagami
Oct 24, 2016
Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed statewide Opportunity School District appears to be in trouble just weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 election, as new poll numbers show significant opposition.
The results of the AJC poll found likely voters — regardless of party affiliation — siding nearly 2-1 against Amendment 1. The measure would amend Georgia’s constitution, authorizing the state to take over low-performing schools and the tax dollars associated with them, with the intent of turning them around.
Despite the sizable opposition, interviews found uncertainty about the proposal.
The AJC has created the The Ultimate Atlanta School Guide that lets you look at and compare critical data for every school in Georgia. You can find it at http://schools.myajc.com/#/schools.
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.
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.