Senate Democrats Tuesday criticized Gov. Nathan Deal’s school takeover plan as too extreme and offered a state grant program for struggling schools to develop community services.
The Democrats’ Senate Bill 124 would fund grants administered by the state Department of Education through closing tax exemptions such as Delta Air Lines’ for aviation fuel purchases, tagged at $22 million a year. Also targeted would be tax credits for private school scholarship donations, now capped at $58 million. Federal grants and business contributions would also be included.
Senate Minority Leader Steve Henson, D-Tucker, said Deal’s plan for the state to take over failing schools is “too broad in scope. It must be more comprehensive. Our legislation is laser-focused and based on sound models that have produced real results.”
Deal spokesperson Jen Talaber said in an e-mail to InsiderAdvantage “The governor does not believe the Senate Democrat proposal is a substitute for his proposal. However, he does believe it could be reviewed by the Education Reform Commission as part of its broader work.”
The commission is examining the state’s K-12 system, including possible changes in the QBE funding formula. The panel will make its recommendations in August.
Deal’s Opportunity School District plan is based on similar programs in Louisiana, Tennessee and Michigan. “Many Democrats are skeptical about what each of these has produced,” Henson said. “Each of these has produced questionable results and questionable statistics.” He said that Deal’s plan “needs to vetted properly before the Legislature can make an effective decision” and called for lawmakers to hold off on approving the plan this year.
“There’s no urgency to pass it because it won’t go on the ballot until 2016,” Henson said.
A large number of Senate Democrats turned out for the announcement of the community schools plan, indicating that Deal faces tough odds in gathering the Democratic support he likely will need to pass the proposed constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds victory margin.
Still, Henson said “we don’t have a have caucus position on the governor’s plan. We’re looking at this.”
House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, D-Atlanta, has said that she’s keeping an open mind on the governor’s proposal. Henson said the Senate Democrats are talking to their House counterparts as well as Republicans about the community schools plan.
The Democrats said their model is based on programs that have met success in Cincinnati, Nashville, New York City and Kentucky. Sen Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, said the plan will “move Georgia closer to an opportunity to adopt a model of community schools, an approach that has been utilized widely across the nation already.”
Under the plan, a failing school could apply for a grant to serve as a “comprehensive service delivery center” to offer early childhood education, after school tutoring, parental education, mental and physical health care and community and civic involvement programs.
Transportation bill changing. The House leadership was negotiating significant changes to its transportation funding plan to make it more palatable to school boards and municipal governments, sources told InsiderAdvantage Georgia.
Not connected with those talks, Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul told InsiderAdvantage Georgia that he has some concerns, but now is mainly monitoring the legislation.
“We know the bill is going to undergo some changes,” Paul said. “We’re watching and looking at it. We’re not burning bridges in Sandy Springs over it.”
Paul said that he believes “the bill is two weeks from maturity. The real bill will probably come from the conference committee. We’ll be laser focused on that.”
While Paul said he recognizes the need for Georgia to increase transportation funding, “we just hope that the state doesn’t look to have major projects funded solely at the expense of local governments.”
The legislation as now written allows county commissions to impose a 6-cent-per-gallon fuel excise tax, to be shared with municipalities for transportation projects. That “puts municipalities at the mercy of county commissions,” he said. “That makes any municipality a little nervous.”
Paul said he is also concerned about how a city would get transportation funds if a county refuses to approve the excise tax. He said he wants changes so that municipal governments “will be able to replace the lost revenues if the county commission doesn’t exercise its discretion.”
Rafting bill approved: The House on a 159-0 vote approved a bill to exempt users of homemade rafts from boating under the influence penalties.
