Education Advocates Announce Support for Constitutional Amendment
Brighter Georgia Education Coalition Praises Leaders for Moving Forward
January 26, 2012, 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 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 threatened, despite their documented success at lowering the dropout rate, raising student achievement, saving public funds and giving kids trapped in failing public schools meaningful options.
“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. 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,” said Georgia Charter Schools Association CEO Tony Roberts.
The bipartisan legislation, HR1162 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. In our global economy, employers place a premium on an educated workforce, and public charter schools represent an exciting new opportunity to achieve success on this front. We strongly encourage the legislature to act quickly in passing this measure,” said Georgia Chamber of Commerce President Chris Clark.
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
· BAEO – Black Alliance for Educational Options
. Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice
For further information or questions,
Please contact Mark Peevy, Coordinator of the Coalition
Cell: 770-315-2554
mpeevy@edinnovationpartners.com
