There is so much hype about the evils of charter schools. Pretty much all of it is untrue. But, I could discuss with a person why the things he/she has heard are wrong all day and those who have their heels dug in will STILL believe the sky is falling – so it seems like an exercise in futility.
For those of you who do not have strong opinions one way or the other, I want to share something with you: Georgia Virtual Academy is a state sponsored charter school. There are so few charter schools in our state because most of them are not approved (9 out of 80 were approved by the state) that many people don't know anyone affiliated with a charter school. However, many people know someone or of someone who uses Georgia Virtual Academy.
Georgia Virtual Academy is a WONDERFUL thing! It gives parents the option to homeschool through the state. Which means they are sent textbooks, lesson plans, have a teacher at their disposal, etc. but work on their own pace and very often fly through lessons rather than drag through them. It is also a state sponsored charter school.
If Amendment One does not pass, many children will be displaced and that includes the kids being taught at home through GVA. Georgia Virtual Academy is a blessing our state cannot afford to lose! For those of you who do not know about it, check it out: http://www.k12.com/ga/who-we-are/
The language of Amendment #1 and its preamble are misleading. FACT: Local boards of ed & the state bd of ed can already approve high-quality charter schools. Failure of Amendment #1 won't hurt these schools or prevent approval of charter schools at the local or state level. FACT: Supporters of Amendment #1 have no way to pay for their plans to create an unnecessary state commission w/o taking money from existing schools. FACT: Many charter school supporters oppose Amendment #1. FACT: The Amendment #1 campaign is overwhelmingly funded by out-of-state donors including for-profit charter companies and supporters of school vouchers. Billion-dollar state budget cuts have led to class size increases & teacher furloughs & layoffs statewide. 2/3 of GA school systems have cut the academic year, jeopardizing student learning. Despite GA’s inability to fund k-12 education, a new funding formula sends 2.5X the funds/pupil to state charter schools than what the state sends to local charter & traditional public schools. Local charter schools & charter school systems are being left behind by supporters of Amendment #1. Charter-school supporters must rally against Amendment #1.
1) You must be referring to GCA. There is no GVA. 2) Homeschooling? It's a PUBLIC charter school. Not homeschool. 3) If amendment 1 doesn't pass, NO state charter school will close. That's a scare tactic. And it's blatantly false. You're 'assuming' that a lawsuit 'could' take place and 'perhaps' prohibit the state BOE from granting charters. Don't you think that would have happened already!? I certainly do. 4) In the future, try blogging about issues in truth, with solid facts. A headline stating that this school WILL close if the Amendment fails is nothing shy of misleading. But I guess that's why it's a blog... and not an article on the cover of the AJC.