A war of words has broken out over Gov. Nathan Deal’s comments on state school funding and his proposed Opportunity School District, which voters will face in November.
The Professional Association of Georgia Educators was meeting with the AJC Thursday morning when Gov. Nathan Deal was speaking at a downtown conference of school leaders where he scolded school boards for their opposition to his Opportunity School District and commended superintendents for keeping "their mouths shut even if they don't agree with it."
Among Deal’s comments:
“The General Assembly and I have lost our patience in trusting” superintendents and local boards of education.
"There was an article in the AJC just this week from Ty Tagami about school board reactions concerning the OSD proposal. The discerning reader will note that those school systems with the most failing schools tend to be the ones who oppose it. I would counter that if they spent half as much time addressing the problems in their systems as they do railing and working against OSD, it wouldn't be necessary."
Today, PAGE issued a response to Deal's comments about how much money he has invested in teachers and the resistance of educators to what he considers needed change, saying, "The governor seems more interested in driving a wedge between state legislators, teachers, administrators and local school boards rather than supporting them in their work."
To read what the teachers group had to say, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.
