ATLANTA – Many state leaders, including Gov. Nathan Deal and state schools Superintendent John Barge, say they expect – or at least hope for – a relatively quiet legislative session on education issues. But an idea from an Atlanta Republican could upset those plans.
Rep. Edward Lindsey plans to push a bill that would allow parents in a public school to vote whether their campus should be converted into an independent charter school. Lindsey promises that his bill also would allow either parents or teachers to hold referenda on whether a school’s administration should be replaced.
He promised Friday that his initial draft, which he has not yet filed, would leave any final decisions on charters or administrators to local school boards.
The General Assembly convenes Monday for its annual session.
So-called “parent-trigger” bills are the latest front in the burgeoning school-choice movement. Twenty state legislatures have considered the idea, and seven states have adopted some version of the law, with California leading the way in 2010.