How an Opportunity School District would work
Gov. Nathan Deal’s plan for the state to take over failing schools would place them in an Opportunity School District starting in the 2017 school year. Up to 20 schools could be picked each year, with the overall number capped at 100. The schools would remain in the district for no less than five years and no more than 10 years.
Schools that score below a 60 on the state’s College and Career Performance Index three years running would be eligible for the program, but “other considerations” such as community engagement and feedback from the families of students would also factor into the decision. Once the decision to intervene is made, the superintendent of the new district, who would report to the governor, can choose among four options:
- Direct state management of the school
- Shared governance with a local school board
- Conversion to a charter school
- Closure of the school
The Opportunity School District’s superintendent would pick the school leadership team. And each opportunity school would have a nonprofit board to oversee its governance, although it’s unclear who would tap the members.
The funding of the program would come from several streams of revenue. Each school would still receive its regular allotment of state grants, funding from the state’s education formula and federal dollars.
It also would receive a “proportional share” of state grants and local funding determined by the new district based on the number of students enrolled. And the General Assembly would be allowed, at the governor’s urging, to set aside additional money for the school district. Private donations would also be accepted.
To pay for the administrative side of the new school district, its superintendent would be allowed to withhold up to 3 percent of a school’s funding.
Under the proposal, the state school district would pick up the tab for routine maintenance and repairs. Local boards of education would pay for more extensive repairs and any capital construction projects.
An opportunity school would buy services from the state district, a local board of education or another provider for routine student support and operations. Local school boards would be required to “cooperate fully” with the districts and make the services available at a reasonable cost.
A plan to give the governor’s office sweeping new powers to take over failing Georgia schools will land on ballots next year after surviving a second razor-thin legislative vote Wednesday despite criticism that it gives the state too much control over local classrooms.
House lawmakers voted 121-47 to approve Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed constitutional amendment to create a statewide “Opportunity School District” with the power to fire principals, transfer teachers and change what students are learning at failing schools. It crossed the two-thirds threshold it needed with one vote to spare, following an even tighter Senate vote earlier this month.
The plan is Deal’s most significant legislative victory since his 2010 election and the top priority of his second term. But his fight is just beginning. He and his allies now must persuade a majority of voters to approve the plan in a November 2016 referendum. They already have their talking points down pat.
"We have an absolute constitutional obligation to intervene and do all within our means to reverse our failure," House Majority Leader Larry O'Neal, R-Bonaire said. "We have a measure before us today that at least gives us a fighting chance to turn cultures of failure into cultures of success."
The proposal passed despite misgivings from a handful of conservative Republicans who said they viewed it as another bureaucracy and an intrusion on local rights. It also overcame opposition from Democrats, whose leaders took a united stand against the proposal even as a band of rank-and-file members bucked the party line.
"We have failed to resource our children and our teachers, but yet we hold them accountable," said state Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus. "This is not good policy, and this is not a fair question."
‘A HOPE scholarship moment’
The governor has pushed other far-reaching plans, such as backing controversial changes to the criminal justice system and the HOPE scholarship. But he’s never taken on a fight as big as his pitch to create a statewide district that can seize control over failing schools, convert them into charters or shut them down.
The details are spelled out in a pair of proposals. Senate Resolution 287 approves a 24-word question that will be placed on ballots next year: "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?"
A separate proposal, Senate Bill 133, lays out specifics of how the plan would work. That passed by a 108-53 vote, and both chambers must now hash out minor differences before it goes to Deal's desk.
The initiative would give the state authority to place as many as 100 “persistently failing” schools in the new district, although Deal has said he would be far more choosy. Schools scoring below 60 on the state’s annual report card for school performance for three years running would be eligible for the program. Deal’s office estimates about 140 schools qualify, including more than 60 in metro Atlanta.
The schools would be under state supervision between five and 10 years, and they would be overseen by a superintendent who would report directly to the governor. The premise is based on a similar statewide district in Louisiana that’s showed some signs of success, although critics point out they also benefited from a surge of new funding.
Deal's plan has faced almost unified opposition from powerful education groups that have said it would hijack education funds and create a fragmented system. Other education leaders, though, signaled a willingness to embrace the proposal. DeKalb County schools Superintendent Michael Thurmond, for one, said he would endorse the plan if it exempted schools that showed steady signs of progress. That change is not reflected in the bill that passed.
“I honestly believe that this could be a HOPE scholarship moment for k-12 public education,” Thurmond said in an interview. “This bill, in tandem with the finance commission’s work, can transform public education — properly structured and constituted.”
A mini-Democratic revolt
The governor has cast the proposal as a moral imperative and often says the state should be the safety net for a wave of children failed by low-performing schools. He has put the brunt of his energy behind this proposal, staging listening sessions, policy speeches and leading a legislative delegation to New Orleans.
“Every child should have a fair shot at doing better than their parents before them,” he said in a statement. “And we as a society benefit if more Georgians have the education and job skills needed to attract high-paying jobs.”
State Rep. David Stover of Newnan, the lone Republican to speak against the constitutional amendment, said he worried that a future governor with different political leanings could abuse the power. And House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, D-Atlanta said it was a distraction from a broader debate on boosting k-12 funding, which she said has gotten short shrift since 2002.
“Money doesn’t solve the problem, but it’s a really good guess,” she said. “And we haven’t guessed in more than a decade.”
It passed, though, with the help of 11 members of her own caucus who made up for four Republicans who cast "no" votes and an additional five who didn't vote. Among the Democratic backers was state Rep. Stacey Evans of Smyrna, who implored her colleagues to remember the maxim that "perfect is the enemy of good."
“If we wait,” she said, “students will sit longer in schools waiting for us to rescue them.”
About the Author
