More than $3 million has already been raised to buy ads both extolling the virtues of and slamming Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed constitutional amendment allowing the state to take over failing schools.

As of Sept. 30, all of the $2.1 million raised by a fund opposing the amendment had come from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, and its Georgia affiliate.

Who is funding the advertising push to pass the proposal on next month's ballot isn't quite as clear. That's because a big chunk of the money has come from a fund set up by Deal's supporters in such a way that it doesn't have to disclose its donors.

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Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is the latest Georgia politician to challenge the state's campaign finance laws. He says the laws give rival Lt. Gov. Burt Jones an illegal advantage as they campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. (Jason Getz/AJC).

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

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