Constitutional amendment would reinstate key commission that authorizes charter schools statewide

ATLANTA, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Georgia House of Representatives today passed legislation that would reinstate a crucial commission charged with authorizing charter schools, the first step in an effort by advocates of educational options to overturn a State Supreme Court decision that struck down the commission last year.

The American Federation for Children—the nation's voice for school choice—today praised leaders in the State House for the bipartisan vote to pass House Resolution 1162. The legislation seeks a Constitutional amendment that would reinstate the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, a state-level, independent charter school authorizing board that was able to approve charter schools that had been denied approval at the local level.

Such an amendment requires a two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate, as well as approval from two-thirds of voters during a general election. A reinstatement of the Commission would significantly strengthen the state's charter school sector, which currently serves more than 48,000 students across Georgia.

The measure's passage, which met the required two-thirds margin by a 123-48 vote, was shepherded through the House by Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, who led the original fight four years ago to create the Commission.

"It's important that we not only protect educational options for our children, but we provide our children with strong and diverse educational options," said Betsy DeVos, chairman of the American Federation for Children.  "We now call on the Senate to follow the House's lead and pass this important resolution to help kids."

Since the Georgia Supreme Court ruling last May that disbanded the Charter Schools Commission after seven school districts sued, the educational futures of thousands of students attending or slated to attend the 16 Commission-approved schools have been in limbo.

If the Charter Commission is not reinstated, Georgia would be the first state in the nation to displace students due to closing an entity that approves charter schools.

Georgia has long been at the forefront of education reform nationally. In addition to an array of high-quality charter schools, the state is home to two private school choice programs—the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship and the Georgia Scholarship Tax Credit Program.

SOURCE American Federation for Children

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