It’s no surprise that nearly all Georgians agree on the importance of improving K-12 education for students at the most risk for sub-par performance.
That’s generally where agreement ends, though, as the campaigns both for and against Amendment 1 plainly show. The measure, if approved by Georgia voters, would use a Constitutional amendment to create a state Opportunity School District. The OSD would be run by a superintendent appointed by the governor, who would have broad power to intervene in failing schools, either mandating changes at the local level or assuming their operation in some form.
Supporters argue the takeover hammer is needed to drive change that can be delayed no longer for pupils in Georgia’s worst schools. Opponents contend the measure amounts to usurping local control and gives short shrift to both progress already being made as well as the severity of problems facing the state’s poorest children.
On this page today are viewpoints on both sides of the OSD question. Additional resources, and longer versions of an analysis on this page, can be found at myAJC.com.
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