The school takeover plan unveiled last week by Gov. Nathan Deal was officially filed Wednesday in the Georgia Senate, starting the clock on a likely contentious debate toward passage.
Senate Bill 133 and its companion piece, Senate Resolution 287, lay out Deal’s vision of a statewide “Opportunity School District” with authority to seize control of schools deemed to be perennially failing. The state would have total authority over the schools put into the special district, and it could remove principals and teachers, change what students are learning, and control the schools’ budgets.
Deal’s office estimates 141 schools would be eligible, including more than 60 in metro Atlanta. The plan would allow the state to run schools, close them, partner with local school districts to run them or convert them into charter schools. The special district would be overseen by a new superintendent who would report directly to the governor.
SB 133 sets out the parameters of the proposal. SR 287 would ask voters statewide for permission to fund what essentially would be a new school district controlled by the governor’s office. Because SR 287 proposes amending the Georgia Constitution, it requires a higher bar to pass the Legislature, including a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
The sponsor of both pieces of legislation is state Sen. Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, who is one of Deal’s floor leaders in the Senate.
The plan has already been criticized by Senate Democratic leaders, who said Tuesday that it exemplifies government overreach. Their counterproposal, Senate Bill 124, would create a statewide grant program of “community schools” with access to health clinics, counselors and after-school tutors. It’s aimed primarily at the lowest-performing Title I schools, where many children qualify for free and reduced-price meals.
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