Fight over Opportunity School District amendment gaining steam

ALBANY — When Georgia voters head to the polls on Nov. 8, they will first cast ballots for elected positions before scrolling down to a list of proposed amendments to the state constitution. Amendment 1 consists of just 26 words, but is already generating a flurry of activity from opponents and supporters alike.

It reads: “Shall the Constitution of the State of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools to improve student performance?”

If passed, the amendment, also known as the Opportunity School District Act, would allow the state to take over any public school which scored below 60 three straight years on the CCRPI (College and Career Readiness Performance Index). The governor’s office would appoint an OSD superintendent who would have the power to hire and fire principals and teachers, and alter the school’s curriculum.

The proposed amendment states no more than 20 schools would be taken in by the OSD per year, so no more than 100 schools would be governed by the district at any one time. Those schools would then stay in the district for five to 10 years. Amendment 1 would also allow for the closure of schools which failed to improve after that period.

The OSD legislation is viewed as the cornerstone of Gov. Nathan Deal’s attempt at education reform in his final two years in office.

Since details of the possible amendment have been made public, the referendum has been panned by state teachers associations and many school boards, who see this as removing local control of schools and leading to a loss of FTE (Full Time Enrollment) revenue for local school systems.

In Dougherty County, Superintendent Butch Mosely is taking a neutral stance.

“As far as we are concerned, three out of four members of our local legislative delegation voted for SB133 (which is the foundation of the proposed amendment) and we will not have an official position on the referendum,” Mosely said. “My suggestion to the board of education is to not get involved in politics and let the state’s voters decide the issue in November.”

Democratic Sen. Freddie Powell Sims co-sponsored SB133 and voted for the bill along with fellow Democrat Rep. Darrel Ealum and Republican Rep. Gerald Greene. Rep. Winfred Dukes, a Democrat, voted against the bill.

But according to sources within the DCSS, a resolution opposing the OSD will come before the school board at its next meeting on Sept. 28.

During the last legislative session, getting the referendum amendment onto the ballot required a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate. It passed by a single vote in the Senate and by two votes in the House. The narrow margin of passage virtually assured a future fight from both supporters and opponents.

Those two camps have have already produced television ads supporting their positions which are currently airing. The 30-second pro amendment ad prominently features Sims, who could not be reached for comment late last week.

The ad against the OSD can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrsCe4HeyHM, and the ad in favor of the amendment can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNKXEEB9EZo

Dougherty County currently has four flagged schools on the list of 127 schools state-wide that would be impacted if the referendum passes — Southside Middle School, and Alice Coachman, Morningside and Northside elementary schools.

“We have a plan in place and if it works, the amendment should have no impact on us.” Mosely said. “We have put benchmarks in place for each school, each grade level and those that are at the 60 percent level, we expect them to make from three to five percent improvement every year.

“I am hopeful we can get all of our schools to the 90 percent level and we think that’s doable. This plan will work with good leadership at the school level with help from the administration.”

Dukes, citing loss of local control over public schools, has vowed to lead local opposition to the amendment.

For his part, Deal said he sees the referendum as a chance to help failing school systems get on track for improvement.

“By signing the Opportunity School District bill, we are promising better days ahead for students trapped in failing schools,” Deal said. “The power of positive change now rests in the hands of Georgia’s voters, and I know they share my belief that every child can learn and should have access to a high-quality education that prepares them for the workforce or for college.”