Full disclosure: I am the Steve Golden quoted in the below press release.
Young Democrats of Georgia Opposes Charter School Amendment
Atlanta—Young Democrats of Georgia is joining a bi-partisan group of organizations, elected officials, and educators in their opposition of Amendment 1, an amendment seeking to amend Georgia’s constitution to create a statewide panel to approve the creation of charter schools without coordination or approval from local school boards.
“This amendment would take power away from locally-elected school boards and put it in the hands of a nebulous panel of political appointees charged with expanding the reach of charter schools, not understanding the needs of a county,” said YDG President Louis Elrod. “While we do not oppose charter schools as a concept, we oppose this amendment which we believe will result in an unfunded mandate that will have a disastrous effect of Georgia’s youngest minds.”
Young Democrats of Georgia’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to oppose Amendment 1.
“We can—and do—have charter schools in Georgia, and the process by which they are approved and built is through locally-elected school boards,” added Executive Vice President Steve Golden. “If those in the county believe those school boards made a poor decision, like rejecting a good charter school, there is already a vehicle to change that decision: democracy. The establishment of this board is a dangerous detour from the local control that is truly the best option for Georgia’s future.”
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Young Democrats of Georgia (www.georgiayds.org) represents thousands of Georgians from all corners of the state, who belong to high school, college, and county chapters.
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