For Immediate Release:
May 18, 2016
ATLANTA – Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) recently sent a survey to all Georgia House and Senate candidates ahead of the upcoming election in November and before the start of the 2017 legislative session. Democratic and Republican candidates who have responded prior to the May primary have expressed overwhelming support for charter schools as a public school option. They have also shown strong support for funding charter schools at the same level as traditional schools, which is one of the recommendations made by Gov. Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission.
The Education Reform Commission has proposed sweeping changes to improve the funding for all of Georgia’s public schools. The recommendations still need the approval of the Georgia General Assembly. At this point, more House candidates have responded than Senate candidates.
The survey questions and responses are shown below. Georgia Charter Schools Association will continue to receive surveys from House and Senate Candidates through the November election. If state lawmakers approve the commission’s recommendations, they will make significant changes to the state’s student funding formula and provide greater funding equity for public charter schools.
The preliminary survey results found:
- 95 percent of Democratic and Republican House candidates that responded support the growth of public charter schools in Georgia
- 93 percent of the Senate candidates that responded support the growth of public charter schools in Georgia.
- When asked if charter schools should be funded at the same level as traditional schools, 79 percent of House candidates gave a yes response.
- When asked if charter schools should be funded at the same level as traditional schools, 63 percent of Senate candidates said yes.
- 82 percent of all House candidates that responded support Governor Deal’s Education Reform Commission’s recommendations for the Georgia General Assembly.
- 86 percent of all Senate candidates that responded support Governor Deal’s Education Reform Commission’s recommendations for the Georgia General Assembly.
As a 501c3 organization, Georgia Charter Schools Association does not endorse or recommend any candidates for elected office. The results of this survey are given for informational purposes only.
House Candidate Survey Responses
What is your party affiliation?
60 candidates responded
Do you support the growth of public charter schools in Georgia as a means to provide more public school options for parents and their children?
60 candidates responded
In Georgia, public charter school students receive approximately 20% less in public funding than children attending a traditional public school. Do you support funding public charter schools dollar for dollar, at the same level as traditional public schools?
60 candidates responded
Do you support giving public charter schools access to and the first option to purchase vacant public school buildings when districts decide to sell them?
60 candidates responded
Many school districts allow newly approved public charter schools to share / co-locate underutilized facilities within the district. Do you support facility sharing between traditional public and public charter schools?
60 candidates responded
Independent public charter schools (non-conversion charters) on average spend about 15% of their operating dollars on various facility costs. State law prevents locally approved public charter schools from receiving capital outlay funds. Would you support a state law that dedicates a proportional share of the state’s capital outlay funds to locally approved public charter schools?
60 candidates responded
Governor Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission, a 35 member commission made up of Republican and Democrat leaders from the Georgia General Assembly, superintendents from urban, suburban, and rural school districts, business leaders, and education experts, spent 10 months updating Georgia 32 year old student funding formula. The Commission has recommended to Governor Deal a “student-based funding formula” that brings needed transparency and simplicity to our state’s K-12 funding formula. Do you support the Education Reform Commission’s recommendations for the Georgia General Assembly?
60 candidates responded
Senate Candidate Survey Responses
What is your party affiliation?
14 candidates responded
Do you support the growth of public charter schools in Georgia as a means to provide more public school options for parents and their children?
14 candidates responded
In Georgia, public charter school students receive approximately 20% less in public funding than children attending a traditional public school. Do you support funding public charter schools dollar for dollar, at the same level as traditional public schools?
14 candidates responded
Do you support giving public charter schools access to and the first option to purchase vacant public school buildings when districts decide to sell them?
14 candidates responded
Many school districts allow newly approved public charter schools to share / co-locate underutilized facilities within the district. Do you support facility sharing between traditional public and public charter schools?
14 candidates responded
Independent public charter schools (non-conversion charters) on average spend about 15% of their operating dollars on various facility costs. State law prevents locally approved public charter schools from receiving capital outlay funds. Would you support a state law that dedicates a proportional share of the state’s capital outlay funds to locally approved public charter schools?
14 candidates responded
Governor Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission, a 35 member commission made up of Republican and Democrat leaders from the Georgia General Assembly, superintendents from urban, suburban, and rural school districts, business leaders, and education experts, spent 10 months updating Georgia 32 year old student funding formula. The Commission has recommended to Governor Deal a “student-based funding formula” that brings needed transparency and simplicity to our state’s K-12 funding formula. Do you support the Education Reform Commission’s recommendations for the Georgia General Assembly?
14 candidates responded
