Education Advocates Announce Support for Constitutional Amendment
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Brighter Georgia Education Coalition Praises Leaders for Moving Forward
Atlanta, GA – The Brighter Georgia Education Coalition today called for prompt action on a constitutional amendment introduced by House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones and other leaders.
This amendment would address a problematic 2011 court decision that threatens the existence of highly successful public charter schools in Georgia. Under the current decision, the ability of charter schools to operate and grow in Georgia is in jeopardy, despite their documented success at lowering the dropout rate, raising student achievement, saving public funds and providing meaningful options for children trapped in failing public schools.
“Charter schools are an indispensable tool for raising student achievement with a public school option that puts parents, teachers and communities back in charge of educating kids,” said Georgia Charter Schools Association CEO Tony Roberts. “We commend this group of legislators for their courage in addressing the issue and look forward to working tirelessly with advocates from both sides of the aisle to pass it.”
The bipartisan legislation, HR 1162, has been introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives and will go to committee for initial consideration. Advocates are pushing hard for passage of the Amendment in this session so it can go on the ballot in the fall.
“No issue is more important to job creation and the future success of Georgia businesses than the education of our children,” said Georgia Chamber of Commerce President Chris Clark. “In our global economy, employers place a premium on an educated workforce, and Georgia’s public charter schools are helping to meet that critical need. We strongly encourage the legislature to act quickly in passing this measure.”
The non-partisan Brighter Georgia Education Coalition consists of a broad range of groups working together to enhance student achievement in our state. Current members of the group include:
- Georgia Charter Schools Association
- Center for An Educated Georgia
- American Federation for Children
- Georgia Chamber of Commerce
- Georgia Public Policy Foundation
- Americans for Prosperity
- 100 Dads
- StudentsFirst
- Black Alliance for Educational Options
- Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice
