Commenters on the AJC’s Get Schooled blog were cool to Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposal to allow the state to take over chronically failing schools, which would require a constitutional amendment. The governor was inspired in part by the Recovery School District created in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Here is a sampling of comments:
Newsphile: Our local school district is always on the list of great schools, both statewide and nationally, but Deal pressured the state Board of Education to give some of our funding to a for-profit company to open a charter school here. It isn't performing as promised, has already closed its library, and didn't add high school grades as promised, and both teachers and students are leaving the school. The management company is being investigated by another state for the high percentage of funds used for administration, most of which goes to corporate in Florida, among other things. I fear this is part of Deal's plan for failing schools, yet this charter school is failing.
RetiredMath: I have been associated with the Republican Party most of my adult life. So, I find it very difficult to understand why the leadership of the party of local control is floating a proposal for the state to take over control of failing schools. Also, before I would support legions of corporate charter schools coming into the state, I would want to see a non-partisan accounting of campaign contributions and other soft money. Forgive me for being suspicious. I would not be opposed to trying corporate charter schools with a proven track record of success in some situations. There are even areas of the state where corporate charters could probably be more cost-efficient.
Point: Looking to Louisiana for education solutions is a declaration you don't have a clue what to do. Check out the landmark special-education settlement case from earlier this month, where the state is on the hook for the majority of the funds. It's a hot mess.
Peter: The focus on the post-Katrina increase in funding for schools in the Recovery School District is overstated. Only 8 of 126 public schools emerged from the storm unscathed. When one considers education officials faced the challenge of not only rebuilding school buildings, but replacing the myriad things one takes for granted in a school – from desks and computers to notebooks and pencils – the jump in the per-pupil expenditure certainly cannot account for the improvement in the district's overall performance.
Straker: The Falcon's new stadium needed a small piece of property valued at about a million dollars. The actual amount paid for this property, with your tax money, was over six times that amount. Meanwhile, DFACS struggles to hire more social workers and pay them a decent salary while more poor kids get thrown under the bus. That is all you need to know about Georgia's ability to run schools.
Star: The problem is, we have areas of the state with different problems. A single statewide solution won't work. We have large numbers of people in this country who, quite frankly, can't get jobs because they have no marketable skills.
