State House passes charter schools amendment

House approves charter schools amendment

The second time was the charm for a constitutional amendment to allow the state to create charter schools.

After failing by ten votes two weeks ago, the House passed the measure by three today.  It now goes to the Senate where if it passes, voters would decide in November.

The resolution was needed to address a Georgia Supreme Court ruling last year that said it was unconstitutional for a state commission to approve charter schools and take away money from local school systems to fund them.

The measure was amended to add language supported by the Democratic caucus that creates a separate category of state charter schools.  It also specifies that the state would fund them.

“After much work and compromise since the last vote, HR 1162 has been changed and I support it in its current form,” says Rep. Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta), who voted against the measure the first time.

But Rep. Rashad Taylor (D-Atlanta) says local schools will still suffer in the end.

“There’s nothing in this resolution… that guarantees that public school funding will not decrease because of charter schools,” he says.

Sponsor Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones reaffirmed that no local funds would be reduced because of the resolution saying money will come from elsewhere in the state budget.

But Rep. David Wilkerson remains concerned local schools will still feel the pinch.

“You got to balance that $18 billion budget… something’s going to get cut, that pie is not going to all (of) the sudden grow,” he says.