School reform plan pits Gov. Deal against district leaders

Gov. Nathan Deal's proposal addressing struggling schools won't improve education quality better than what can be done in-house, DeKalb County school board members said Monday before approving a statement urging that residents reject Deal's plan.

Local control and community involvement are the best medicine for improving academic achievement, said the statement read aloud during the meeting by board chairman Melvin Johnson.

But Deal says school district leaders have had years to address the growing concerns. He’s lost patience with them, saying they’ve allowed failure to fester for generations, with mostly poor and minority children as victims.

Deal’s Opportunity School District, if voters in November approve a constitutional amendment authorizing it, could take schools from several districts across the state into one reform district.

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