Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog debated the efforts in the Legislature over the last few years — unsuccessfully thus far — to amend the Georgia constitution to let cities break from their counties and create their own school systems. The state constitution currently prohibits it. Here is a sampling of comments:
Bud: The real argument against city districts is the greater good. It's pretty hard to doubt that Dunwoody schools would be better if they separated (from DeKalb County schools). But Dunwoody has a vastly disproportionate share of the county tax base. If you leave behind a district with its tax base a bunch of poor residential neighborhoods, you have a basket case.
Rik: We have education policy dictated by a state constitution written in 1945. Things have changed in Georgia since then. Let's amend.
Georgian: Much of the problem I see is various groups claiming ownership of "education" money and wanting to be free to use "their" money as they choose. The fact is, education funding is a distribution of wealth. Wealth is taken from those who have no kids in the system and given to those who do by way of public school funding (and private school tax credit scholarships). Time after time, I hear people talk about a right to the current amount of education funds based on many different arguments. I have never heard an argument for parents to be awarded only the funds they pay into the system, and to let taxpayers with no children in the system keep their money. You can't have it both ways. Either we all pay in to educate all Georgia students, or taxpayers with no children don't have to pay at all, and students will have to get by on their parents' funds only (in whatever mechanism the state legislates).
Cere: Here's one very big thing we have all skipped over: The governor needs this old amendment to the state's constitution forbidding new school districts thrown out or changed in order to form his state takeover district of failing schools like the one in Louisiana, the "Opportunity School District." Totally different argument there. Heavily supported — statewide. You all have no idea how important this issue is in places like Macon. This isn't just about metro Atlanta or DeKalb. No way. This has a whole lot of statewide support, beginning at the governor's office.
DC: It is insane that massive, local public schools basically dictate property values in their district. Once the schools start failing, anyone who cares about their kids moves out. And those who don't care can move in and purchase the "now cheaper" housing. And thus the landslide starts — ending with the destruction of that entire district. The only areas where this doesn't happen are where enough parents care — which in all cases means a small district — or where parents are rich enough to send their kids to private school.
Snoo: It is another of those ironic situations. Let a city make their own schools and get the "enlightened" irrelevance of the Mercedes liberals of Decatur. Prohibit the cities from caring for themselves and making their own schools, and you get the mass thuggery and rot on an astronomic level from DeKalb County, where they spend $50 million on private attorneys to defend their incompetence while the schools have shredded crap for textbooks.
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