GAE President on OSD Amendment, ‘It’s like saccharin’

Dr. Chapman visits Dublin to discuss school amendment; Dublin school on list may not be affected

By SANDY ALDRIDGE

"We've got to defeat that amendment. It's like saccharin -- sounds great, looks sweet, but it'll kill you."

Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) President Dr. Sid Chapman is determined to spread the word about and hopefully defeat the proposed constitutional amendment regarding Opportunity School Districts (OSD) in Georgia.

Dr. Chapman was in Dublin Wednesday on the first of many stops he's making throughout the state now through October spreading the word to Georgians about "how disastrous for public education the OSD really is."

"The OAS idea sounds good, but it takes away local control and places it in the hands of the governor and his czar in Atlanta. All of this is designed to dismantle public education and substitute with privatization. Just follow the money trail," Chapman said Wednesday. "That's where you'll find the real motives of proponents of this amendment."

"On Election Day 2016, we want to help ensure that Georgia voters understand fully what their vote on OSD actually means," he said. "Unfortunately, there is marketing from proponents of OSD that doesn't fully inform voters who are frankly too busy with their everyday lives to delve into the details. We truly hope the media between now and election day lays out the facts for Georgia citizens to make an informed decision."

Chapman contends that the public needs facts which must include current data and research outcomes from similar OSD projects already in progress, e.g., New Orleans and Tennessee.

"Before the 2015 legislative session new education initiatives such as OSD were being proposed.

Yet there had been no effort to evaluate current programs for value, success, impact or results. Nothing had been shared with taxpayers, and most importantly parents, regarding what previously implemented policies and procedures had yielded for Georgia's 1.7 million public school students. Instead of allowing best practices and results to be the guidepost, we observed a full-scale corporate assault for new programs and procedures that have yielded very little successful student outcomes in places like New Orleans," he said.

As an example, Chapman points to Georgia systems that were early adapters of either staying as is or converting to a Charter System or the IE2 System as a result of Race to the Top. He notes that the state has yet to assess and analyze student performance results to determine how student outcomes are trending using those models. This data could have been compared with the traditional school operating models currently in effect. From that information, Georgia could have made decisions about school models based on actual outcomes and not intangible projections.

Chapman also points to the current QBE funding formula which is undergoing review by Gov. Deal's Education Reform Commission. "Yes, the formula is now outdated, but it was never fully funded and given a chance in its heydey. Let's implement and assess something fully before we simply ditch it for political expediency and the next 'big idea.'"

Lisa Morgan is a 14-year veteran of DeKalb County Schools currently at Midway Elementary School, which is on the OSD list. Her main concern, as well as other educators and schools affected by this decision, was how this and any legislation would affect her students. She would come to learn that despite their best intentions and efforts, the Governor and his Office of Student Achievement had failed to take into account the experience from a key variable - an educator currently working in the classroom. While lawmakers, academicians, consultants, administrators, retired educators, and business leaders had provided their input regarding the legislation amending the Georgia Constitution to allow the state takeover of local community schools, one key voice had yet to be heard -- a current practitioner. That, notes Chapman, is indefensible.

In her earlier testimony before the state's House Education Committee, Morgan said, "This is very personal for me. You've heard [them called] students, children...but these are my babies you're discussing today! I have worked with my colleagues at Midway for 14 years. We are committed to each and every one of our children - and not just their academic growth, but to their social growth, their emotional growth. Our students have so many challenges that you can't understand!"

Community realities such as parental absenteeism, poverty, hunger - nutrition, housing, hygiene and even guardianship issues, all major challenges to a child's learning environment incurred through no fault of the schools, have led these "chronically failing" schools to their current academic realities and subsequent stigmatization under OSD. "This is what the majority of the schools on the OSD's takeover list face," exclaimed Chapman. "Their ultimate success will come from providing complete, essential resources and support that can be used locally to empower them toward positive change, not from some 'OSD superintendent' sitting miles away in an Atlanta office."

"The state level 'take-over' of local schools, which is what OSD would do, is intrusive and falls well outside of the values of what we feel most Georgians hold regarding our children, which comes down to local control," Chapman said.

"While GAE acknowledges there are schools that must close the achievement gap, we contend that a state takeover is not the method to apply. We all realize that there is an urgency to address schools that are not meeting our children's needs. However, we also cannot expose our children to unproven methods that disjoint their learning. We must work together to address the myriad of issues and challenges that impact student achievement and success. We do not need a fourth school system in Georgia to which local monies would flow. We are barely funding the one we have now."

In the state's initial listing of "failing schools" three years ago, over 100 schools were tapped as candidates for OSD. Dublin's Saxon Elementary was on that list. Dublin City Schools Superintendent Dr. Fred Williams said yesterday that the state is now proposing to take over only 20 schools throughout the state to make this new statewide district. He doesn't believe Saxon will be in that group.

"Saxon only made the list because of some data concerning some virtual school students who missed testing," he said. Those students' scores followed them back to their home school districts and skewed the real results.

"We believe in consistent school improvement and have a strategic plan in place for that improvement at each school. As we continue to focus on what needs to be done every day, and as everyone continues to be diligent in the day to day operations, we believe no Dublin city school will need to be taken over by the state. However, public education in Georgia will definitely be affected if this amendment passes," said Williams.

He said he will continue to read the research about similar programs in New Orleans and Tennessee. He added that many different organizations in the state, including GAE, are expressing serious concerns about the program and its ramifications for public education in Georgia.

Dr. Juli Alligood, superintendent of Laurens County Schools, said none of the county schools are on the list, and she doesn't foresee any of them as potential candidates for the takeover. "All our schools are making progress. We don't think we will have to deal with OSD. I think the state has good intentions in it, but thankfully, we aren't on the list."