GCPS Superintendent: Georgia 'Has Become Our Opponent' in Education

Wilbanks' statement on Charter School Amendment cites 'efforts by some to ... dismantle public education.'

Gwinnett Schools Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks has issued a statement expressing disappointment that Georgia voters passed the Charter Schools Amendment on Tuesday (November 6). The state's voters, by a strong majority, approved Amendment One, which allows for state officials to approve publicly funded charter schools, without the permission of local school boards. Wilbanks' statement said the amendment "is not in the best interest of students and public education in this state." -- How do you feel about the Charter Schools Amendment passing? Do you feel the Gwinnett system should remain the sole authority for charter schools in this county? Share your thoughts in the comments below. "We are disappointed that with the passage of Amendment …

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Georgia Charter Schools Amendment: What Will My Vote Mean?

Tuesday's ballot includes a Georgia constitutional amendment to re-establish a state commission to approve charter schools. Your job is to decide if that's a good idea.

There aren't a lot of statewide issues on the ballot Nov. 6, but one has the potential to affect school districts, parents and children throughout Georgia. It's Amendment 1, and the ballot will say it "Provides for improving student achievement and parental involvement through more public charter school options." The question voters will answer yes or no to is, "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities?" So what does a yes vote mean? If the amendment passes, the state will create a commission that can approve charter schools in local communities, even if local school boards oppose them. Supporters of the amendment believe this is necessary …

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Moms Talk

Won't Back Down

Film pulls trigger on education reform.

Imagine discovering that an over-worked teacher locked your crying child in a storage closet at school as punishment for not following the rules. Scenes like this are getting the Hollywood treatment in the 20th Century Fox film "Won't Back Down," to be released in theatres on September 28. The movie touches on parent trigger laws, a takeover movement that grants frustrated parents the right to petition for sweeping changes in low-performing schools. The law is designed so that if 51% of parents in a failing school agree, they will be given the power to replace teachers, change curriculum, close schools, or convert to a charter school. Charters are publicly financed, independent schools that receive waivers from public school districts in …

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Edward

10:55 am on Monday, September 17, 2012

@AM...it's always the teachers fault seems like a bit of a scape goat to me, for the parents out there that use the school system as a form of day care, a way to get the kids out of the house, find a place to hide those bad kids while the work to keep the lights on. Let's face some real facts here folks, kids in school today are not the same as they were 30 years ago. Today kids spit, curse, yell…   more ›

Parent Patch

Charter vs. Public Schools

Are charter schools harmful to communities?

I’m a fairly new parent. My son won’t attend kindergarten until 2013 so at the moment my only goal is to find a great school and make sure we are within the cluster for that school. Private schools, public schools and even charter schools are an option for us. But last week when I attended the first Gwinnett County School Board meeting, I got a fresh revelation that charter schools may not be the best choice for the community. Anyhow, I went to the meeting and heard a lot of great things going on within Gwinnett County Schools. The agenda entailed student recognitions for awards, SPLOST financial reports, many other important topics, but one that the board continued to revisit was the possibility of a Nov. 6th ballot vote for statewide …

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Georgia Supreme Court Strikes Down Charter Schools Act

The court rules that only local school systems can create charters, a win for Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Updated 5:30 p.m., May 16, 2011 The Georgia Supreme Court reversed a 2008 act that allowed the state to create a new kind of charter school called a “commission charter.” The fate of schools that have already been created using the act, including Ivy Preparatory Academy in Norcross, is now in question.  There are 16 commission charter schools in the state. Nine of the schools are currently operational while seven additional schools are scheduled to open in the fall. The schools serve 15,000 students total.  There are four charter schools operating within Gwinnett County. Three are Gwinnett County Board of Education-approved: The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Maxwell High School of Technology and New Life Academy …

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Laura Sullivan

3:37 pm on Monday, May 16, 2011

Hi Gail, Many of the details haven't been laid out by the courts yet. My understanding is that the state chartered special schools and the county charter schools will remain the same--no changes to management or funding. The schools set up by the 2008 Act--the commission charter schools--may simply be dissolved, we'll see. Hope this helps, Laura   more ›

GSMST and Jackson EMC Partner for the Future

The Gwinnett County charter school receives donation to compete in robotics competition from electric co-op, Jackson EMC.

Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology received a $2,500 check from Jackson EMC (Electric Membership Corporation). This donation to GSMST’s robotics club, RoboDragons, will be used to fund the club’s participation in robotics contests. “This is the fourth year of the club’s founding. In our first year we won first place in the Georgia FIRST Technology Challenge. From there we entered World Championship contest and competed against other states’ first place winners,” said Steven Keyes, 18, President of RoboDragons. Each year the competition gets tougher, entries are designed and built better. And the cost associated with robotics contests grows larger from one year to the next.  “These kids love to compete. They love …

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Hundreds Rally for School Choice Tuesday at State Capitol

Parents from neighborhood charter schools, home school youth among the crowd.

Braving rain and cold weather, some 500 school choice supporters gathered outside the Georgia State Capitol Tuesday to rally for alternative school options. The event gave parents, students, teachers and state lawmakers a platform on which to promote alternative education and to lobby for an increase in vouchers for public school pupils who want to attend private schools. Gathered under a tent and wearing bright yellow ponchos, demonstrators at the event--which began around 10 a.m. and ended before noon--held placards that read "I Yearn to Learn" and "School Choice Now." Speaking to the gathering were two students who spoke about the nurturing they have received through home schooling and a military mom who praised  the options she has …

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