Bill Would Give Gov. Control over APS board, Shrink DeKalb Board

A bill that would dramatically impact both Atlanta’s and DeKalb County’s school boards was passed by the Georgia House of Representatives on Monday.

DeKalb’s school board would shrink from nine to seven members, under Senate Bill 79. The legislation also would give Gov. Nathan Deal the authority to remove all members of the Atlanta school board.

The bill, which passed by a vote of 109-62, now heads back to the Senate for final approval with two days left in this legislative session.

The legislation, which was opposed by many Democratic members of Atlanta’s and DeKalb’s legislative delegations, would require Atlanta’s school board to face a hearing before the state Board of Education by July 31.

Atlant's system is currently under probation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). If the state board determines that Atlanta’s system is not making enough progress in cleaning up the system, the governor would have the option of removing every Atlanta school board member.

The bill also “sets the optimum number of members for the DeKalb County school board at seven, which we’ve already agreed upon, in previous legislation and debates, as the ideal number for a school board,” said Majority Whip Ed Lindsey, R-Atlanta, the bill’s main House sponsor.

Last year, similar squabbles and controversies in Clayton and Warren counties resulted in legislation giving the governor the authority to remove their board of education members. Under the bill passed Monday, that power would be extended to Atlanta.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed sent a letter to House members expressing his support for the bill. But many metro House Democrats argued the bill was an intrusion of the state into a strictly local matter.

“If the governor is allowed to remove people who are duly elected, and replace them with non-elected board members, they will ultimately be responsible for choosing our next school superintendent,” said state Rep. Gloria Tinubu, D-Atlanta. “This bill takes away our right to have representation in that process.”

“The DeKalb delegation was never given the chance to consider this bill,” said state Rep. “Coach” Williams, D-Avondale Estates. “Why is the state making policy decisions about one or two school systems within Georgia? Let's get back to the concept of local control.”

“There is no right way to do a wrong thing, and this is wrong on so many levels,” said state Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates. “When does local control actually come into play down here?”

One metro Atlanta Democrat who supported the bill was state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur. “In light of governance and conduct issues of the DeKalb school board, the size should be reduced. Smaller boards serve children better.”

“This bill is all about when a school board gets in the way of a student attending an accredited school,” said state Rep. Kathy Ashe, D-Atlanta, who also supported the bill. “It says that, when adults sometimes get in the way of students learning, it’s time for someone else to step in and deciding what’s in their best interests.”