And a big loss for Georgia's children. Hopefully it'll be challenged in court.

More polarization and divisiveness. We're going backward instead of FORWARD!.

I was thinking the same thing!

Couldn't get to a poll?

It ALWAYS amazes me when people vote for higher taxes and ever more layers of government rather than fixing the issues first...

What this amendment costs us nothing? check back in 6-12 months.

they do have to take children with disabilities, as they're public schools.
the good news is that your opinion, based on misinformation, got completely destroyed across the state yesterday. Children with disabilities currently being ignored in traditional public schools will now have an alternative to their educational dead-end, thanks to the 60% of Georgians who wisely voted YES.

Yes, but my question is why did I get numerous phone calls from California urging me to vote for this? Did any of you get these calls? Someone paid a lot of money for the telemarketing.

You have no idea what you are talking about. Of course we have chidlren with disabilities. Where on earth did you get information like that? Our children with disabilites get served, and they are very successful at our charter school!

Excuse me dan, my wife is a Special Ed teacher and you have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about. Ignored?

@North Georgia Weather: Excuse me, I've worked in Special Ed and I know exactly what he's talking about! A child with a learning disability gets lumped in with children who have other types of special education needs and gets minimally served! A child who truly has a chance at succeeding, a child who exceeds in other areas of the CRCT and will not pass a certain grade unless higher level service without behavior districations. The students with the severe behavior issues have a small likelihood of passing, and this is coming from me - a major advocate for kids with severe behavior issues. CHARTER SCHOOLS WILL SAVE MANY WHO WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN TREATED POORLY IN REGULAR PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!

N GA Weather, you're flat wrong. The charter schools have to take all children. And do so. There are numerous articles elsewhere on the Patch of people with spec. needs kids in charters who are thriving.

For someone allegedly in public schools, you're woefully misinformed on charter schools.

Good news: 2 million GA voters know better.

Dan, trust me, I'm a lot more informed about it than you are. And for the record, I never said that they didn't have to take special ed or disabilities. Your reading comprehension is lacking, is that because of public schools?

And here's the fallacy to the whole thing. Charter schools that are successful have fantastic parental support. Charter schools that don't do well almost always have a low amount of parental involvement. Following that logic, public schools that are the lower end of the test scores, have less parental involvement versus schools on the other end.

I say this because the whole problem with our education system is not the system. Sure, there are things that can be done better and I know they are constantly trying to improve. But the real problem lies in the breakdown of the family unit in this country. This breakdown contributes to a lack of disipline in the home which then carries over to school. How many of you whiners and complainers have spent just one class period in a school since you graduated? The school environment is very different than it use to be. Kids are rude, have a total lack of respect for any authority, they are disruptive, and have very little initiative to do anything on their own.

So don't count on your charter school to be any better than a public school, because in many cases, it won't be.

N GA Weather, I know far more about this amendment and charter schools than you can possibly imagine.

I do agree that parental involvement is the key. So why do you hate a successful charter school that manages to get active parental involvement just because somewhere there's a public school with slack parents? Why do you seek to punish all children for the failures of a few parents?

Your argument is exactly why I and 2 million others voted YES - to give parents trapped in public school hellholes with no parental involvement an option for a better education. And that's the biggest difference between you & I: You seek to keep kids trapped in failing schools, just hoping for the best without any real actions taken to improve the situation. I seek to get those parents' kids out of such schools and into an ed. environment where they can thrive. Why hold back everyone due to the actions of a few?

And if you weren't referring to special ed, why did you type "Excuse me dan, my wife is a Special Ed teacher and you have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about. Ignored?"?

I know exactly what I'm talking about and exactly the failing type of school system I'm glad parents may now be able to escape in some areas, though they had to fight people like you tooth & nail to do so.

You can have the last word - I'm not wasting any more bandwidth on anyone that wants to keep kids trapped in failure. You're a waste of time.

If charter schools take all children why is Ivy Prep all GIRLS?

Or has that changed now?

Exactly. It was worded " provides for improving student achievement and parental involvement through more charter school options". If you didn't know anything about the actual amendment you would vote yes. I know many folks who voted yes only to realize they would have voted no if they had known the truth. This was very misleading and made me really disgusted. It shows the intent of this leadership. Very misleading people here. There will be multiple lawsuits. A large firm is already on it.

I agree that the language was misleading. I read it a few times and decided to vote no; as I wrote, "It is polarizing and divisive." I spoke with a very well-educated, intelligent couple who have children in a charter school; they did not pick up on the hidden agenda (my words). The surprised look on the father's face when he realized what he had just voted for. The mother, who had not voted, said, "Thank you very much because I did not realize the effect of voting yes for this." After that I continued to discuss it with a few other parents because I felt they may not have understood the effect of voting yes; and I was correct. We each have our understanding of this amendment and voted accordingly; unfortunately, many people thought this would provide better education for all children. We say the federal gov't. should not control certain issues, so why should the state have this kind of decision-making authority on local schools? Why can't we work on improving the public schools, vote out the ineffective council members and work with the schools as parents need to? Some schools can't even get parents to pay 4 or 5 $ to support the PTA.

I just looked down at jeff's response and my eye caught this wording from the amendment: " provides for improving .................... parental involvement through more charter school options". Parents are supposed to have more involvement in a charter school, but that is not always the case. Who "enforces" this? It is most often the same parents who worked with the school before it became a charter school, who are working afterwards.

Nod, I agree 100%

It does seem to just be an inclusionary term to create another "board" of commish at the state level. And, as someone mentioned, the bill is 100 pages long, so I haven't read it. Is there somewhere to actually read the (bill) law?

Thank you so much Julie!! We need more parent and student voices to support this amendment and to support charter schools!!!

"Charter schools are public schools and are an important part of providing free, appropriate education to many."

"FREE"? Is your reference of "FREE" to be considered the same as in "FREE HEALTHCARE"? You may certainly feel "FREE" to toss around such a term loosely but the "FREE" mentality is this country is eroding it's true definition. (hence our recent election outcome) "FREE" is the new term for Entitlement.

Just note that there are millions of tax payers who have no children in school. Please explain to them how any of this is "FREE".

You haven't seen politics until you see how this plays out. Go read the stories about many of these schools, and how public funds are mismanaged and misappropriated. And when something happens at your charter school that you don't like, who are you going to cry to? No one locally, that's for sure. People have no idea what they've voted for but they sure made it sound good.

And we have several charter schools here in Gwinnett (part of Gwinnett County School System) that are doing well, and there is a place for them, but not by this method.

You all are so gullible.

Actually, she is not so gullible, but you are so closed minded North Georgia Weather. Not much will change as a result of this, except that more charter schools will be approved! Hooray for the people of Georgia! If you don't like what's going on in your charter school - guess what NGW?!?!?! You can go enroll in your local neighborhood school! YOU'LL HAVE A CHOICE!! That's more that what I had when they wanted to throw my child to the wolves.

Before those grapes get passed out , might want to wait through a budget cycle or 2.

Thank you Gina Hill! Please keep posting on this issue!! We need more parent and student success stories to be heard in support of charters!!!

Charters really aren't the issue, it's how the state will operate the new board that's front and center.

Why waste money on a lawsuit that will fail? I thought we lacked all sorts of funding. Yet now you want to burden the taxpayer with a frivolous lawsuit? Where's that money coming from? Complete hypocrisy, as usual, from the loser NO crowd.

Your side lost. Over half of GA has tired of your do-nothing, idea-less behavior that has crapped on our kids' education for decades. Time to step aside for reform.

The people have spoken.

Frank, there is one in place, so we should all stay tuned.

And now, IMO, it's time for the counties to sue the state for withholding almost $6 billion from public education over the last 10 years. The last time I checked, QBE IS LAW. Don't give me the 'it's broken crap' - if so, no one has bothered to fix it yet! So... you lawyers out there... wherever you are. Get yourselves together, march down to the Gold Dome, and wipe the floor with our moronic legislators that are more concerned with the 1% of GA's kids attending Charters, than the 95% of kids SUFFERING from austerity cuts.

You are insulting over half of the citizens of Georgia if you are implying that the Governor somehow "tricked" them into voting yes. I think everyone is smart enough to know that with all campaigns it is up to the voter to seek the facts. If the wording was an issue, surely one could read up on the amendment. Aren't all responsible voters required to get the facts? I know where I live hundres of lies were being tossed around trying to convince people to vote know.
I am sorry that you feel this way. However, rather than waste countless dollars on a law suit, why doesn't everyone just get to the business of spending money on educating our children?

Common Sense is correct on every point.

The wording was not a neutral question, it basically said "if you want better schools, vote for this". While some charter schools do very well (we have two in Gwinnett that are great) but others are worse than public schools. I don't understand why we need another level of government just to manage privately run (for profit) and government funded schools. Despite what you might think, this isn't the "fairy tale" ending you think it will be. All the kids in Georgia will suffer because of this short sighted attempt to privatize the school system.

The purpose of this is to give parents and students in Georgia more choices when it comes to public education. In some schools, the admins and certain teachers rule like warlords. Long live the people!! Long live more choices for the people!!

So lets NOT fix the main problem but ADD yet another layer of government to fund and let go just as far off the deep end...

FORWARD HO!

local supers and admins...and some teachers...sold out public education long ago. 60% of Georgians are fed up with the current system. Those in public education have only themselves to blame but of course, these folks have never embraced accountability.

Accountability? Look at your own charter school that won't put its test scores on its website, won't allow parents to elect representatives to its council or board, won't put contact information for board members on its website, won't comply with Open Meetings law, and if a parent has a complaint, they have to call Florida.

had your heroic superintendent & local board approved that charter school, you could complain about it. But they didn't so you can't. My neighbors rave about its effects on their children though, so it sounds like they're doing a great job doing what the dismal school they left couldn't do: inspire and educate their children.

I had no problems finding test scores though. The Patch published them months ago. Getting a copy of the real, 500+ page CCSD budget has been like pulling teeth though. I refuse to pay several hundred $$$ for something I've already paid for.

So you admit there is no accountability to taxpayers for a state charter school? Even a state charter school uses Cherokee County money through local fair share dollars that fund the state education budget AND through state income tax. More than 250 parents removed their children the first year, so not all had rave reviews. Real accountability does not rely on someone else's website for information.

" Real accountability does not rely on someone else's website for information."

and yet, with the CCSD Budget, that's all either of us has to go by!!!

And what do we have to go by with a charter school budget? 3 pages of vague line items you had to be hounded into posting a day before the primary? Cherokee County schools have months of financial reports, SPLOST reports, a 75-page budget summary (for the last 3 years), more than 50 different documents right there on their own website-- not on Patch!

Bullies, the real CCSD budget is 100s of pages long and not easily available to the public, as my fruitless efforts have shown. I'm not interested in the watered-down version on their website - I'd like to see a line x line itemized budget but have been told it'll cost me $100s, though I've already paid 1000s in property tax. So much for accountability.

dan, what if 1000 people went up to get a copy of the budget... how much money and time would that cost the school system? Do they eat that money or attempt to be good stewards and recoup those losses?

And let me tell you something, you know nothing about "those in public education". I've worked for two school systems for 25 years and my wife is a teacher. I live the life every day. You simply DO NOT know what you are talking about.

Dan, the point is not to hear you whine about how you want public schools cater to your every whim, the point is you have claimed charter schools to be superior in every way, including accountability. Show us how your school provides more/better budget info. Show us how your school meetings and agenda packets are more accessible. Show us where your meetings are recorded. Show us how your board members are elected/selected. Show us one thing that equals greater accountability.

Bullies, give the charter school a call for that information. And Amendment 1 isn't just about Cherokee County's schools but the entire state.

N GA Weather - You've spent 25 years in public education. You've no idea how life is in the private sector, where we can't take taxpayer's $$$ when we fail at our jobs (unless we're Wall St - then Obama will bail us out!). if schools had done a better job educating children over the years, this amendment's passage wouldn't have been necessary. Unfortunately for tens of thousands of GA school children over the decades, that wasn't the case.

Those in public education need to get their act together and start educating our children rather than whining about funding. We're tired of the excuses as we continue to throw good money after bad. Thankfully, parents will have alternatives to failing public schools now, regardless of short-sighted local boards.

Overwhelmingly, GA voters agreed with this yesterday. You folks need to stop living in Denial - your monopoly on education is over.

Make more than the gwinett dude who rakes in $410K (not to mention what his staff makes)? And then there are all the other superintendents raking it in. That's big government we don't need.

NOW THERE"S a Charter that makes sense - take all English as second lanuage students

Please explain, Dean. I'm interested in hearing more about what you deem "horrible, wasteful and corrupt" in public school systems.

It was definitely disenchanting Georgette. Also, it is sad to know that if the only choice presented is a republican party (name) & the other choice is (write it in), that many are totally baffled because they do not know a name to (write in)....bad bad politics...bad bad practices.

The state can't be bought. We've been funding these district fat cats and their fat cat staffs for too long. Time to get that liberal mindset chucked out. The state is helping the locals take ownership and the big government crowd doesn't like it.

Juan, the ownership of schools is local now (or was in the case of charter schools). There won't be anyone local to go to when your charter school has issues, that will all be at the state level.

If you voted yes, you voted to create ANOTHER level of government, in addition to the State Department of Education.

Can't win? Sue!

yep - sue and drain even more taxpayer funds, even after crying for months about a supposed lack of funding.

It was a victory for the realists and a crushing defeat for the hypocrites!

NO ideas + NO interest in fixing a broken system == NO CHANCE OF WINNING.

Let's hope it's more successful than the idiots (some local!) that got together with Glenn Delk to sue the school systems for supposedly campaigning against A1 (even though PUBLIC Charter Schools advocated for it all around the state). I'm assuming Steely thought that was a big waste of money, too?

that didn't waste a dime of my money nor yours, Common Sense.

which apparently isn't so common.

I need to get my wine-making equipment together - there's bushels of sour grapes in this thread going to waste!

it will be interesting to see whether the court allows a hearing on the lawsuit challenging the highly misleading ballot language. perhaps some voters from counties like fulton and dekalb, which heavily supported the "yes" vote, might be recruited to describe why they voted "yes". for the courts (upon whom there will be quite a bit of political pressure) not to grant a hearing would be to allow our government to defraud the voters into amending the constitution. that's serious stuff. think about the ballot language appended to the next "initiative". what's next?

Hi, spite!

To ignore is to to refrain from noticing or recognizing. To tune out. To disregard.

I.E. what the traditional public ed. system has done for years to the children and parents of GA, resulting in the overwhelming # of YES votes we saw yesterday.

Had the traditional ed. system done its job and put children FIRST all these years, yesterday's A1 passage wouldn't have been necessary.

You can shoot the messenger all you want but the message was clear yesterday. LOUD and clear.

you lost - GA children won. Get over it.

How many kids do you think will benefit from this Dan? And then let's weight that against what is good for the rest of the kids in Georgia that you've now crapped on.

A M E N sister.

If it were a zero sum equation, you would be right...but it is not. These new charter schools will be funded at 2.5x what the traditional school student is funded. (about $7400 per student for new charter vs. $2995 per student at traditional public school. Do the math!

In spite of.... are you for or against A1? On one post, you praise Frank 'NO' Jones but here, you tip your cap to 'YES' Anastasia.

My moonshinin' days are long past. Can't afford the liquor tax!

Steely...yes I do know what I am talking about. Why have you been so antagonizing to everyone. The problem is you dish it but can't take it. I can see why you take a stance with crooked practices. This is so much about what was done & how it was done to get the yes votes...it shows that some people don't play by the rules and can't win by the rules so they stoop low and get what they want anyway they can...and your singing praises about it and shooting everyone down that can see what was done.

Its Obama money...

QE forever!

You make no sense, InSpiteOf. In one post, you praise Frank NO Jones and in the other you tip your cap to YES Anas.

Please continue the weak personal insults, for they are always the first sign of a lost debate. Though 2 MILLION+ GA voters are a pretty good sign too!

Where were you raised? Georgia? And where do you live?

Thank you Jodi!! Keep blogging in support for charters!!

A NO vote was not a vote against Charter Schools. I was a vote against THIS PLAN. This plan will fund Charter Schools at 2.5 times the amount that our public schools are funded. From where will this extra money come?

Great point Christy, and you notice that no one has answered that question.

@North Georgia Weather. Where I was raised isn’t an issue. What was instilled in me is the issue and that was, that as a parent I am MY child’s advocate. And as his advocate keeping him in the public school system was robbing him, I tried working with my prior school over my child’s issues. But as some point I have to step back and say “we are at an impasse and it’s time to move on”. The charter school is a welcome for those parents who feel they are beating their heads against a wall with school officials. Would anyone in your circle of family or friends expect you to go to a job day after day after day where you are getting nothing out of it, so stressed over bulling and other issue I won't dredge up. A job where you are actually being left behind in furthering your career becasue you are not being shown any new technology. Thats all we as parents are looking for, for our kids.

Jeff, that is good to know. When I saw the ballot, I was hoping there would be a legal challenge if it passed. So misleading. The Romney Campaign must have coordinated with Deal to get that wording on the ballot.

TSPOST or whatever the acronym is was worded to "trick" us into voting yes. We voted no. So, it seems the voters are smart enough as to what to accept and what to reject.

Spite, it's sad that...to the NO crowd...one who presents facts is an "antagonizer". Additionally, your buddies Frank Jones, Monty Brewster, and numerous others have been just as antagonistic - your silence on their behavior is both hypocritical and deafening. Finally, if board chair Mike Chapman can figuratively give the middle finger to thousands of parents who desire school choice (58,000 of them in Cherokee County), I can advocate for Amendment 1 on a public website.

I don't care for being politically-correct with your feelings nor self-esteem when discussing the futures of my grandchildren and their education. It's time to speak frankly about the sorry state of GA public education. Yesterday was the first step to real reform. 2 million Georgians agreed with me.

Don't like it? You can just move.

Tell me dan (I like Steely Dan too much to call you that), where do you live? Maybe it's just YOUR school system that is bad. And why you think that all of a sudden charter schools are just gonna start popping up everywhere?

One Spammer, many names - Emily, Make Mine A Double, DunwoodyWorkingMan, Roger That ......

You are pounding sand, little boy.

Miles are you saying African Americans are not smart enough to understand the ballot? I guess that is easier than admitting that the schools in Fulton and DeKalb are awful. Shame on the "uninformed" for voting for school choice. They should just be happy with what they have. School choice is here and you will just have to swallow it.

Following that logic, then only white children will be allowed to attend charter schools? Ri-freaking-diculous.

Please tell me how?

How does voting for Obama determine whether you are racist or not? Surely, you're not suggesting only racists voted against him.

Mr. B, you need to take a class in text analysis. If I say that I am most certainly not A because I did B, that has nothing to do with C. I purport that it is highly unlikely to vote for a man who is half black for President if you are a racist. This has nothing to do with those who voted for someone else. CHOICES, NGW. How many times does it have to be typed? CHOICES. You have children, that's been established. So, if your wife works, and you work, and you need someone to care for your baby, you aren't confined to the choice of one nanny or one day care center. If one person has bad references or doesn't deliver high quality service to your family, then you have CHOICES. Charter schools offer CHOICES.

Athens Mama, I don't have children. I'm not a racist either and I don't feel like I should have to pay for your child's education problems. I feel that you should consider all this before having sex.

I ask you, do you feel that I should be forced to pay for your child's education?

Athens Mama, you have been deceived then, as many voters have been. Taking 250% of the funding allocated to non state chartered schools, (all public schools), is going to divert funds to these schools, and rather than helping your children or those of your friends, these funds are going to be used to set up schools for the privileged. With the anti tax mentality of Georgia voters in general, any siphoning of the limited funds available will only go to denigrate the schools we have now. This amendment most importantly takes control away from local school boards and turns them over to the politicians in Atlanta, and their cronies. Nathan Deal's board is not going to be elected. This deal sounds to me just like the unethical business deals (google Nathan Deal and salvage titles) that Deal was involved in that made him resign his US House seat, before he was fully investigated by the non partisan ethics panel in that body. You have made a known crook the head of the public schools.

I agree that folks better look at overall funding for public education in Georgia. A slice of too small a pie may be better than no slice but both the pie and the slice are too small. And don't forget that high school is what makes or breaks a student's future. Many charter schools end at 5th or 6th or 8th grade. You better start working on improving and supporting your local public high school now. Your children won't be in a bubble forever. Even if you find a protected place for them to go to school, teens find friends all over. And then they move out of the home. If you have only worried about your child's bubble and not the world around them, they are doomed because you cannot bubblewrap them forever.

High schools may make or break a students future, however, if they can't read by the time they get there, they don't have much chance.

"I'm very surprised that folks with a stated belief in smaller government and more local control of everything would have embraced this amendment."

You shouldn't be. It illustrates how bad most local school boards are.

I'm very surprised that folks who ask others to 'find out the facts' are themselves so misinformed about Amendment 1.

Nowhere in Amendment 1 is approval for charter schools removed from the local boards. Rather, it provides an appeals process for when local boards deny charters. Local control isn't lost.

In the scenario where a local board denies a charter petition that is subsequently approved by the new state charter commission, not a single dime of local $$$ would go towards the funding of that new school. Local money isn't lost.

Such a school would not be overseen by a local board but why would the local board care, as it already denied the passage of the charter.

Such a school would be filled with children of parents whose property tax $$$ still wouldn't be spent on education of their own child.

The folks begging people to blindly vote NO are the ones mainly responsible for the educational mess we're in right now. Of course they want blind approval of the continuation of their squandering of billions of educational tax $$ each year.

The greatest scoundrels cloak themselves as victims and wrap themselves in shrouds of mediocrity, all so that the flow of tax $$$ into a broken system will continue without accountability. The greatest of scoundrels decry such accountability - like roaches, they want to run & hide when the lights are turned on.

Great post Martin and very true.

And Dan... who is hiding what? You always talk about lack of accountability, you have no idea how little accountability these new charters will really have. and did you know that the old state charter commission itself declined 76 percent of applications that had previously been turned down by local districts for charter schools?

Well said Marsi!

Well said, and said succinctly as well.

Laptops for all!!

Wow, Mike! Your post sounds like you really have ALL kids at heart. I can rest a little easier tonight knowing I've got such valiant educational warriors like you and Steely Dan looking out for my kid in traditional public school... NOT!

'We won, they lost!' What are you, 5 years old?

Common Sense, what do you expect from adults these days? These are the same idiots that think ANYONE won after electing Obama again.

This nation is screwed! Democrats spew hatred, racism and division and that is exactly how America is responding in every way.

Heil Obama And Power To The Liberal!

Earth is flat crowd. You can count the number of issues where conservatives are the progressives on one hand. On the other hand, I have friends that have NEVER sided (never, not once, would eat their left arm first) with Republicans--except on this. I'd like to chalk it up to bipartisanship, big tents and common sense, but their are too many legitimate arguments on both sides to explain it. Gotta be something else...like confusing the fact that several metro jurisdictions are so corrupt, it trumps any legitimate discussion about the proposed law.

This isn't the unintended consequence but the intended consequence. A lot of people considered this and that's why they wanted the amendment to pass. Let's just hope it's challenged in court and overturned.