Q: Who is responsible for the wording that describes the two proposed amendments to the Georgia Constitution that will appear on the ballot for this month’s election?
—Tony Gardner, Cumming
A: Wording for the proposed amendments was chosen by the Constitutional Amendments Publication Board, which includes Gov. Nathan Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Speaker of the House David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge. Any language the board chooses must be approved by two-thirds of the board, according to Georgia Code 50-12-100.
Q: Are Georgia’s charter schools filled to capacity and have waiting lists? Or are there slots most of the time?
—Joan McClain, Dallas
A: At the start of the 2011-12 school year, 49 of 100 of Georgia's charter schools responding to the state's Annual Report Survey reported that they were at full enrollment and had waiting lists of various sizes. In 2010-11, 47 of the 101 charter responding schools stated they had waiting lists, according to the Charter Schools Division of the Georgia Department of Education. "It means that about half of our charter schools have slots available most of the time," Louis J. Erste, division director told Q&A on the News in an email. The waiting lists vary greatly by size, he stated. This year, there was a list of five at Futral Elementary in Griffin to a list of 1,500 at Cherokee Charter Academy in Canton. Some of the schools in high demand hold enrollment lotteries, Erste said in the email. Data from the Annual Report Survey is included in a report that is given to the General Assembly by Dec. 31, he said.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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