By Ashleigh Costello
EAGnews.org

ATLANTA, Ga. – A proposal that would give a state-level commission the authority to approve new charter schools in Georgia over the objections of local school boards is slated to be on the November ballot.

In a case that could set national precedent, Georgia voters will be asked to decide if the state constitution should be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities, reports OCGnews.com.

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Currently, only local school boards may determine whether charter schools may operate in their districts. The obvious problem is that local school boards are frequently hostile to charters, because they compete for students and the state money attached to them.

Giving those school boards the right to veto the creation of new charter schools is like giving McDonalds the right to veto the creation of new Burger Kings. They should not have the power to limit school choice for families.

“The way it stands now is if a local school board decides it does not want a charter school, that school board can turn the community’s application down,” said State Rep. Rahn Mayo. “If the referendum passes, communities would have another shot at establishing a charter by appealing the decision at the state level.”

Andrew Lewis, Vice President of the Georgia Charter School Association, told the news site he believes communities deserve the right to appeal.

“We’re in favor of the referendum,” Lewis said.  “Parents are screaming to have public school options for multiple reasons—the cheating scandals that we’ve seen in Atlanta, the number of high school dropouts we’ve seen in DeKalb, etc.  We believe that charter schools provide one additional tool in a tool belt that needs to be re-sharpened or thrown away altogether.

“Parents should be empowered to ask, ‘What is the best setting for my child?’”

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Not everyone is welcoming the proposal with open arms.

Verdaillia Turner, President of the Georgia Federation of Teachers and the Atlanta Federation of Teachers, recently voiced her opposition to the referendum.

“I don’t have a problem with charter schools, but I do have a problem with top-down decisions being made for local school boards,” Turner said.  “What’s wrong with this referendum is that it would take power from local school boards to decide what’s best in terms of education for our children, and give that power to another authority.”

In this case the other “authority” would be parents, and we believe they know better than any school board what’s best for their kids.

Turner also argued that more charter schools would threaten funding for traditional public schools.

“You have charter schools run by private companies, but you’re using public dollars for them… Really, a charter school is just a private school at the public’s expense.  It’s about education for a few,” said Turner.

Hardly. Hundreds of thousands of families all over America enroll their children in charter schools, and they clearly value having that option. Many charters are forced to employ lotteries to choose students, and turn many desperate students away.

The people of Georgia deserve the right to have charter schools in their districts if they choose, and their will should never be blocked by self-serving school boards and teachers unions. It’s their tax money, and they should be allowed to spend it on the type of schools they want in in their neighborhoods.

If the traditional schools want to maintain most of their students, they should do a better job of instructing them. Happy, successful students (and their parents) are far less likely to switch schools.

On the other hand, less successful students who may do better in a different environment should have the right to leave, even if that means their local school districts will lose a few bucks.

It should all be about competition and choice, because that’s what’s best for students and families. Their needs should be the first and only priority of the public education system.