Fresh off a razor-thin victory in the state Senate, Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposal to give the state sweeping new powers over troubled schools began its journey Wednesday through the fractious state House.
And the debate that unfolded before the House Education Committee made clear it will be a rocky one.
Deal and his allies managed to corral precisely the two-thirds majority they needed in the state Senate earlier this month thanks to the support of a sole Democrat who crossed party lines. The task in the state House could prove more daunting as the governor's signature legislative proposal hurtles toward a likely vote next week.
Not surprisingly, Democrats raised concerns that the state’s worst schools need more resources and not new leadership. But several Republicans raised vocal concerns about the plan, voicing aloud discomfort that was largely kept under the radar during the debate in the Senate.
State Rep. Dave Belton, R-Buckhead, questioned whether the new system hands over too much power to an unelected superintendent. And state Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, wondered aloud whether new management could bring vast changes to long-struggling schools.
“Why do we need another bureaucracy?” asked Benton, later adding: “I’m concerned with this top-down approach we have. We get all bent out of shape when the federal government tells us what to do. And now we’re doing the same.”
The governor and his allies have cast his proposed constitutional amendment as a moral imperative. It would create a statewide school district that can take in as many as 100 distressed schools and give the state the power to fire their principals, transfer teachers and change what students learn. Its superintendent would also report to the governor’s office.
"This is not a panacea. It's not a magic bullet. If someone can fix every struggling school, please amend the bill," said state Rep. Christian Coomer, the governor's floor leader. "But if we can make a significant change that could improve the education for half the students in these schools, we've made a significant improvement."
A major flash point involves which schools would be at risk for takeover. The current proposal would make schools eligible for the program if they score below a 60 on the state's College and Career Performance Index three years running. At least 139 schools now fit that metric.
But critics want to narrow that number considerably. DeKalb County schools Superintendent Michael Thurmond told lawmakers that schools that show signs of progress, even if still under the 60-point threshold, should be left off the list.
“It’s unfair and disingenuous to say that these schools are not successful,” Thurmond said. “They are definitely not failing our children.”
The governor said in an interview that he wants to ensure that the state has “flexibility” over which schools it picks, though he vowed he would be selective in what schools are targeted for the program.
“It obviously requires our discretion. We have to start slow,” he said. “If a school is improving, it would not be one of those high-priority schools.”
Deal has stepped up his advocacy for the measure, his top legislative priority, as it nears a final vote. Even if it passes the state Legislature, it still must be approved by a majority of voters in a ballot referendum next year. That’s why Deal is trying to build support at events across the state, from ribbon-cutting ceremonies to GOP rallies.
“Why should I care? I’m not going to run again. And I seriously doubt that very many of the families of the children trapped in the failing schools have ever voted for me or any other Republican,” he recently said at an Americans for Prosperity rally. “We don’t gain anything politically by this. But we make our state better.”
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