The statewide referendum on Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed state school district is 14 months away, but the battle is heating up. We offer two views of Deal’s Opportunity School District to give you a sense of what’s at stake and the arguments on both sides of the controversial issue. And readers share their views on Deal’s proposal and on the early efforts already underway in Atlanta Public Schools to keep the state from absorbing any of its schools into the new district.

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Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing to examine reviewing recent events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and implications for children's health on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

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(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero | Sources: Hyosub Shin for the AJC, Unsplash)

Credit: Philip Robibero / AJC