Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog debated a proposal by Gov. Nathan Deal to create a special state school district that would take over failing schools. Modeled on the recovery school districts in New Orleans and Tennessee that rely in large part on converting schools to charter schools, Deal’s Opportunity District would take over 20 schools a year. Here is a sampling of reader views:
Newsphile: This sounds like payback to the for-profit charter school management companies and private school supporters who donated heavily to Deal's campaign. We heard him say that if you fund his campaign, he will return the favor. He and his daughter-in-law made a lot of promises.
Broadway: We must allow the state to step in and change the reprehensible educational outcomes for far too many of our children. For the state to continue to sit idle, waiting for school districts to change these outcomes, will only see tens of thousands of children remain in poverty.
Royal: Governor Deal is passionate about Georgia and education and is making real attempts to improve the public school system. We are either 48th or 49th in the nation by most standards, and the nation is now around 17th or 18th in the world. Georgia schools cannot continue as they are, but there are a lot of people making a living off of the systems and primarily committed to saving their jobs, not educating children. That is the ultimate conflict of interest, but no one wants to question the motives of public educators. They have been at the helm of a failing ship and have forfeited the right to retain control.
Mirva: The recovery district will conduct a much-touted "nationwide search" for a candidate who has no ties to Atlanta, will not stay beyond a few years, and is only using the post for self-promotion, and off they will go to the next gig. They will leave upheaval in their wake, and again, it will be up to the teachers to put back the pieces until another new flash in the pan can be found.
Holly: Here's my question, the same one I have posed to charter supporters and to which I have never received an answer: If flexibility and innovation and all these buzzwords that get thrown about are so good for charters or recovery school districts, why can't we make those options available to all schools?
BCW: One of the biggest reforms needs to take place outside school. Yes, there are schools that need assistance, and there are teachers who do not need to be in the profession. But the partnership with parents is not there as well in those communities. It takes a community to raise a child. Remember when someone would come up to you and say, "I know your mama and daddy, you better behave"?
ATLPeach: Exactly what is a failing school? I'm sure my school would be considered failing due to test scores. However, test scores don't show all the hard work being done on a daily basis. It doesn't show the behavior of students so out of control that, even in this economy, we have a very high turnover rate of teachers.
