Thomas Co. issues resolution against charter school vote - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Whereas: 

The Thomas County Board of Education believes that a system of quality public education is one of the essential foundations of America's past, current, and future greatness; and

Whereas:

The Thomas County Board of Education believes that quality public education for every child, regardless of heritage or circumstance, is the key to equality, freedom, and the realization of individual potential; and

Whereas: 

The Thomas County Board of Education believes that without quality public education a great divide will exist between the educated and the uneducated, corresponding to a divide between the prosperous and the impoverished; and

Whereas: 

The state of Georgia's economic condition has resulted in a significant decline in state funding for the public schools that serve the educational needs of over ninety percent of Georgia's children; and

Whereas:

This severe funding challenge has caused Thomas County Schools to experience ongoing increases in class sizes, fewer instructional resources, reduced compensation for teachers due to four consecutive years of employee furloughs and reduced work schedules, and

Whereas: 

Advocates for a system of school vouchers, state-approved charter schools, and other educational options that divert public school funds away from local community schools support the operation of private or for-profit charter schools; and

Whereas: 

The erosion of financial support for public education serves to deepen the inequalities and diminish the opportunities for every Georgia child to be well-educated, achieve the American dream, and contribute to this nation's greatness; and

Whereas: 

The Thomas County Board of Education believes that the Georgia Supreme Court ruled correctly in declaring it unconstitutional for an appointed state commission to approve charter schools over the objection of the duly elected local board of education, which is accountable to the taxpaying public; and

Whereas: 

The Thomas County Board of Education opposes the state's establishment of a separate system of state-authorized public charter schools that are funded through a funding formula that unilaterally takes critically needed funds from local public school districts and redirects them to the state-controlled charter schools, thereby further debilitating the significantly underfunded existing system of funding for public education for all Georgia students; now, therefore; 

Be It Resolved  

That the Thomas County Board of Education urges the Governor and State Legislators to commit to adequately fund quality public school education for all K-12 students in Thomas County and throughout Georgia; to acknowledge the countless, unheralded successes of public schools in the state; to cease efforts to erode local control of public schools, and to encourage the innovation, flexibility, and accountability that are necessary for Georgia's public schools to continuously improve; and

Be It Further Resolved:

That the Thomas County Board of Education does hereby request that voters of the State of Georgia  oppose the Constitutional amendment relative to state approval of charter schools, which will be on the  November 6, 2012 General Election ballot;  and 

Be It Further Resolved: 

That the Thomas County Board of Education authorizes and directs the Superintendent to transmit an official copy of this resolution to the Governor, appropriate State Representatives and Senators, the State Board of Education, and the Georgia Department of Education.