The GOP-controlled General Assembly came within reach Thursday of asking voters to revive the state's ability to sponsor charter schools, when one of the Senate's most venerable statesmen said he would buck his party and vote yes -- as two others suggested they would strongly consider it.
State Sen. George Hooks, D-Americus, said he made his decision to vote for the measure on behalf of local parents stung by accreditation concerns involving the leadership of Sumter County Schools.
Sen. Curt Thompson, D-Tucker, said a yes vote would be consistent with his past support of charter schools. Sen. Hardie Davis, D-Augusta, said he would give the measure "strong consideration." A vote on the measure is expected Monday in the Senate.
While their votes would not guarantee the measure's passage, the chamber's Republicans hold 36 seats -- two votes short of the supermajority needed to pass the measure.
All three men said their decisions rested solely on local considerations and would not lessen their support of their Democratic caucus or party.
"I hope they understand but my constituents come first," said Hooks, a former state representative first elected in 1980. "My school board in my home county [is] totally dysfunctional."
Republican leaders for much of this legislative session had found themselves stymied on a proposed change to the state constitution that would restore the state's power to approve charter schools -- all because of the Senate's 20-member Democratic minority.
They wanted the change because of a 4-3 state Supreme Court decision in May, which declared that the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, created by lawmakers in 2008, did not have the authority to create or fund charter schools over the objections of local school authorities.
Charter schools are run independent of certain state mandates, with the expectation they meet specific goals. They also often struggle financially, particularly when they first open. The former commission had the power to force local districts to help pay for charter schools it approved.
The measure, House Resolution 1162, would go on the ballot in November for an up-or-down vote by the public if it got the necessary support of two-thirds of lawmakers in both chambers. The House passed it last month with a two-thirds majority on its second try, with Democrats in that chamber forcing changes that make clear only state funds would be used toward state-sponsored charter schools.
The Senate Democratic Caucus immediately voted as a bloc to oppose it. They said they support charter schools, but forcing the measure through now did nothing to address concerns about the schools' quality as more are opened across Georgia. They also said it detracts from years of budget cuts felt by public school systems across the state.
Thompson, whose district includes the state-sponsored charter Ivy Preparatory Academy at Gwinnett County, said his yes vote was consistent with his support years earlier on the bill that created the original commission. He added, however, that charter schools were not "a magic bullet. It's going to take a group of things done consistently over time and funded adequately to fix education in Georgia."
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