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LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- From the press release issues by the Georgia School Boards Association:

The Georgia School Boards Association is pleased with the State Supreme Court’s strong endorsement today of the role of locally elected boards of education.  The Association and its members are committed to continuing to provide a strong and innovative system of public education for all of the State’s children. 

In a decision that upholds the “fundamental principle of exclusive local control of general primary and secondary public education,” the Georgia Supreme Court held the Georgia Charter Schools Commission Act to be “clearly and palpably” in violation of the State Constitution.  

In preserving the 134 year history of local control enshrined in the current and earlier Georgia Constitutions, the Court rejected the General Assembly’s attempt to expand its authority to create “special” state schools and to define “special” to mean whatever it wanted it to mean.  

According to the Court, the special schools authority “cannot be interpreted either as a relinquishment of the historical exclusivity of control vested in local boards of education over general K-12 schools or as a carte blanche authorization for the General Assembly to create its own general K-12 schools so as to duplicate the efforts of or compete with locally controlled schools for the same pool of students educated with the same limited pool of tax funds.”

The Association, through its Delegate Assembly, has a long history of supporting charter schools approved by local boards of education. 

“Charter schools, approved by local boards of education, that focus on increasing student achievement through unique programs can be a strong addition to the diverse educational opportunities offered by local school systems,” said Dr. James Pope, President, Georgia School Boards Association and a board member on the Carrollton City School Board.