In response to the Supreme Court ruling declaring the Georgia Charter Schools Commission “unconstitutional,” GCSA President/CEO Tony Roberts wrote an op-ed that is scheduled to be published in the May 23 issue of the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s editorial page.
Here is an excerpt from the piece:
It’s important to remember that the commission was created after local school districts began blocking the development of all charter schools. The year prior to the law establishing the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, 26 charter petitions were submitted to school districts and all 26 were denied.
Now we are right back where we were. Students and their parents who want a quality charter school are at the mercy of local school districts.
We believe Gov. Nathan Deal and the Legislature will pursue whatever remedies are necessary to sustain these commission-approved schools and work for a permanent solution, including possibly a change to our constitution. Additionally, we believe Superintendent John Barge is working on a more immediate solution to ensure that the education of these children is not compromised. We will not rest until we see this fixed and all children have the opportunity to attend a high-quality charter school when that is their choice.
