The polling was conducted to gauge support for HR1162.  The bi-partisan bill would amend the Georgia state Constitution to raise student achievement by allowing state and local approval of public charter schools.

As a result of a May 2011 Supreme Court decision which declared Georgia’s independent charter school authorizer unconstitutional, state law now gives exclusive control of charter schools to local school boards. Local boards have aggressively denied charter school petitions, seriously limiting the growth of this educational option.

Among voters polled, 62% support the proposed Constitutional Amendment and would vote “yes” if the election were held today, with another 17% undecided. This support is consistent across both political parties, with Republicans voting yes at 66%, Democrats at 58%, and independent voters at 62%.

Support for the amendment enjoys stronger than average support among African-American voters (65%) and Latino voters (75%) than it does among white voter (61%), indicating strong support for charter schools among minority respondents.

The survey also asked voters about their confidence in the ability of public charter schools to educate students. Results showed that Georgia voters have greater confidence in charter schools than they do in their local school system, the State of Georgia, or the United States Government when it comes to educating students.

Voters also strongly believe (86% yes) that education should be a partnership between the State of Georgia and local school districts (9% no).

“As Georgians learn more and more about the success of high performing charter schools, they want this option for their own children,” said Dr. Tony Roberts, CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. “Unfortunately, there are not enough charter schools in Georgia to meet the demand. People are astounded to learn how many local school districts have denied well-thought out charter petitions with strong community backing.  They have been rightly enraged when local districts have denied renewals to some of the top performing charter schools in the state. We need to change the law, and the Constitutional Amendment is the only way to do so.”

To gauge the electoral impact of the Constitutional Amendment, the survey also asked voters if they would be more likely to support a legislator who voted in favor of putting an Amendment on the ballot. 56% of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for a legislator who took this action, and 26% said it would make no difference.

The survey concluded that support for public charter schools in Georgia enjoys an unusually high level of support from Georgia voters, regardless of political party, race, ideology, gender or age.

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CONTACT: 
Nina Rubin – Director of Communications
Georgia Charter Schools Association
600 W. Peachtree Street, Suite 1555
Atlanta, GA 30309
office:  404-835-8903
cell:  404-536-7339
nrubin@gacharters.org
Follow us @GAChartersRock

The Georgia Charter Schools Association is a non-profit membership organization for Georgia’s charter school operators and petitioners. Our mission is to:

• Advance awareness of charter schools
• Communicate charter school needs to state and local officials and support legislation to strengthen charter schools in Georgia
• Build partnerships and collaborations and grassroots support for charter schools
• Develop programs and services that advance student achievement, school accountability and professional learning for charter school leaders

Phone: (706) 865-2315
FAX: (706) 865-7784

www.white.k12.ga.us

This Amendment would address a problematic court decision that threatens the existence of highly successful public charter schools in Georgia. Under the current decision, the ability of charter schools to operate and grow in Georgia is threatened, despite their documented success at lowering the dropout rate, raising student achievement, saving public funds and giving kids trapped in failing public schools meaningful options.

“Charter schools are an indispensable tool for raising student achievement with a public school option that puts parents, teachers and communities back in charge of educating kids. We commend this group of legislators for their courage in addressing the issue and look forward to working tirelessly with advocates from both sides of the aisle to pass it,” said Georgia Charter Schools Association CEO Tony Roberts.

The bipartisan legislation, HR1162 has been introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives and will go to committee for initial consideration. Advocates are pushing hard for passage of the Amendment in this session so it can go on the ballot in the fall.

“No issue is more important to job creation and the future success of Georgia businesses than the education of our children. In our global economy, employers place a premium on an educated workforce, and public charter schools represent an exciting new opportunity to achieve success on this front. We strongly encourage the legislature to act quickly in passing this measure,” said Georgia Chamber of Commerce President Chris Clark.

The non-partisan Brighter Georgia Education Coalition consists of a broad range of groups working together to enhance student achievement in our state. Current members of the group include

·        Georgia Charter Schools Association

·        Center for An Educated Georgia

·        American Federation for Children

·        Georgia Chamber of Commerce

·        Georgia Public Policy Foundation

·        Americans for Prosperity

·        100 Dads

·        StudentsFirst

·        BAEO – Black Alliance for Educational Options

.        Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice

For further information or questions,
Please contact Mark Peevy, Coordinator of the Coalition
Cell:  770-315-2554
mpeevy@edinnovationpartners.com

Georgia Connections Academy (GACA) is a public charter virtual school that was approved by the Georgia State Board of Education to serve grades K–8 for the 2011–12 school year; expanding to K–12 for the 2012–13 school year. The school accepts students from anywhere in the state.

GACA helps each student maximize his or her potential and meet the highest performance standards through a uniquely individualized learning program featuring:

• A challenging curriculum developed by leading education experts.
• Instruction from state-certified teachers experienced in online instruction.
• Support from trained counselors, principals, and administrative staff.
• Curriculum materials needed to participate in a dynamic online learning environment.

Learn More:

http://www.connectionsacademy.com/georgia-school/home.aspx

Enrollment Info:

http://www.connectionsacademy.com/georgia-school/enrollment/home.aspx