Brown vs. Board of Education Plaintiff Viola Davis says NO on Amendment 1
By Viola Davis RN BSN
Victor Hugo – The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness.
The Georgia Charter School Amendment will get a “No” vote from me despite my long history of supporting innovation within our education system though the use of charter schools. We refuse to call the legislation the Charter School Amendment because the law has little to do with charter schools and everything to do with money, greed, and manipulation. The legislation we will vote on November 6, 2012 needs to be labeled the “Georgia Charter Commission” because this is the focus of the amendment.
Remember, the “Georgia Charter Commission Amendment” has Republicans fighting amongst each other and if that doesn’t make you question why, nothing will. If you see Republicans fighting, you better follow the “money”. Superintendent John Barge (R) went against the “Georgia Charter Commission Amendment” despite the strong support of some high level Republicans to include Governor Nathan Deal (R). The “Charter Commission” Amendment to be voted on will:
- Expand government bureaucracy – Recreate the “Georgia Charter Commission” with over $430 million dollars the state can’t afford.
- Remove local control – Recreate state “Georgia Charter Commission” with 7 appointed bureaucrats.
- Reinforce the “Redistribution of Wealth” and Unfunded Mandates – continues the outdated QBE formula (Local Five Mill Share), out of control Austerity Cuts, and placing over 70% of the Refugees in the Clarkson Cluster.
Georgia General Assembly passed the Transportation Investment Act (TSPLOST) and the “Georgia Charter Commission Amendment” in one of the most conservative states in the union. Let’s face an uncomfortable truth, the two laws our Georgia General Assembly wanted passed this year make a mockery of the Republican ideology and create a facade of hypocrisy that would make “real Republicans” cry out, “stop you closet liberals”! To this day, the people in power have not presented verifiable proof of how they (Georgia General Assembly) will finance this new state commission.
The Charter Amendment is about greedy elected officials wanting to get their hands on the money isolated for our school system. Remember, there is profit in problems and Georgia has a major problem with the education system. These same elected officials, with their partners called consultants, do not give a damn about improving the education system in Georgia because if they did, they would correct the outdated QBE formula that removes over $100 million dollars from “donor counties” such as DeKalb County, Fulton County, and Cobb County.
“Georgia Charter Commission Amendment” is bad policy/law and bait and switch. We need to vote “no” for the following reasons:
- DeKalb County is a “donor school system” that has over $100 million dollars removed from the school system for over 6 years to redistribute to other school systems throughout Georgia through the use of the state’s outdated QBE formula. Why would any “donor school system” vote for this amendment without the Georgia General Assembly correcting the QBE formula first?
- DeKalb County School System has been underfunded for years by the state of Georgia as well as school systems throughout the state; yet, the state proclaims to have the money to finance this new agency with over $430 million dollars. Where will the Georgia General Assembly get the money?
- The 7 people to serve on the new Georgia Charter Commission will be appointed. Where is the local control with 7 appointments of unelected bureaucrats?
- The preamble to the charter school amendment was written to mislead the public. Why would anyone “trust” a law that needs to use misleading words and manipulation to gain the support of the public?
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.votesmartgeorgia.com/blog/brown-vs-board-of-education-plaintiff-viola-davis-says-no-on-amendment-1