Gov. Nathan Deal asked Georgia lawmakers on Wednesday to support a new plan to fix low-performing schools after voters last fall rejected a proposal for the state to take over public schools that consistently struggle.
Keeping a focus on education in his State of the State speech to the Legislature, Deal said the number of students enrolled in failing schools – meaning they posted failing scores on standardized tests at least three years in a row – rose from about 68,000 in 2015 to nearly 89,000 last year.
“It should be abundantly clear to everyone, including those in the education community who so staunchly support the status quo, that this is unacceptable,” Deal said. “If this pattern of escalation in the number of failing schools does not change, its devastating effects on our state will grow with each passing school year.”
The Republican governor, who is midway through his final term, pushed hard last year for a constitutional amendment allowing the state to take control of low-performing schools. Teacher unions and parent-teacher associations fought that plan, saying it usurped control from local school boards. Voters resoundingly defeated the amendment in November, with nearly 60 percent opposing it.
Deal offered no specifics Wednesday of what the new plan might include. But he told lawmakers he’s working closely with House Speaker David Ralston, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and other House and Senate leaders to present a bill during a the 40-day session that opened Monday.