Did you know that Georgia Virtual Academy will be closed if Amendment One isn't passed?
There is so much hype about the evils of charter schools. Pretty much all of it is untrue. But, I could discuss with a person why the things he/she has heard are wrong all day and those who have their heels dug in will STILL believe the sky is falling – so it seems like an exercise in futility.
For those of you who do not have strong opinions one way or the other, I want to share something with you: Georgia Virtual Academy is a state sponsored charter school. There are so few charter schools in our state because most of them are not approved (9 out of 80 were approved by the state) that many people don't know anyone affiliated with a charter school. However, many people know someone or of someone who uses Georgia Virtual Academy.
Georgia Virtual Academy is a WONDERFUL thing! It gives parents the option to homeschool through the state. Which means they are sent textbooks, lesson plans, have a teacher at their disposal, etc. but work on their own pace and very often fly through lessons rather than drag through them. It is also a state sponsored charter school.
If Amendment One does not pass, many children will be displaced and that includes the kids being taught at home through GVA. Georgia Virtual Academy is a blessing our state cannot afford to lose! For those of you who do not know about it, check it out: http://www.k12.com/ga/who-we-are/
Jen
4:30 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
There is no such thing as the Georgia Virtual Academy. Georgia Virtual School offers online high school courses through the state and is not a charter school. Do you mean Georgia Cyber Academy? The one that just barely made AYP last year? The one that has been out of compliance with IDEA since November 2009? Three years out of compliance and sending their families charter amendment campaign emails through their parent organization, but doesn't bother to notify their special needs families that they are not fully in compliance with IDEA?
Debbie Pascoe
5:34 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Jen? Georgia Virtual Academy. There IS such a thing: http://www.k12.com/ga/who-we-are/
w h
12:54 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Debbie, the link you've posted dead. Jen is right. GA Virtual Academy had to change its name to GA Cyber Academy because of confusion of its original name wGeorgia Virtual School, which is part of the GA Dept. of Education. GA Cyber Academy is an online charter school. See http://www.k12.com/gca.
The language of Amendment #1 and its preamble are misleading.
FACT: Local boards of ed & the state bd of ed can already approve high-quality charter schools. Failure of Amendment #1 won't hurt these schools or prevent approval of charter schools at the local or state level.
FACT: Supporters of Amendment #1 have no way to pay for their plans to create an unnecessary state commission w/o taking money from existing schools.
FACT: Many charter school supporters oppose Amendment #1.
FACT: The Amendment #1 campaign is overwhelmingly funded by out-of-state donors including for-profit charter companies and supporters of school vouchers.
Billion-dollar state budget cuts have led to class size increases & teacher furloughs & layoffs statewide. 2/3 of GA school systems have cut the academic year, jeopardizing student learning. Despite GA’s inability to fund k-12 education, a new funding formula sends 2.5X the funds/pupil to state charter schools than what the state sends to local charter & traditional public schools. Local charter schools & charter school systems are being left behind by supporters of Amendment #1. Charter-school supporters must rally against Amendment #1.
Debbie Pascoe
1:46 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Thank you, w h. Perhaps GVA did become GCA. Your FACTs are missing some info. For example, your first one: the Cherokee County School Board never approves charters -- well, never has. All the noise made them come up with their own and that made them seem less anti-charter but the "charters" are very different from the idea most would call a charter school. Fact two is just wrong. Fact three -- hmmm... perhaps locally approved ones? Can you show me one? Fact four -- perhaps. I definitely like the idea of vouchers.
Monty Brewster
9:38 am on Friday, November 2, 2012
Debbie, how about you post a blog about Astrophysics as well. You seem to post your ideas about things that you have not fully researched and barely grasp the concepts that surround it. Perhaps title it with "The Earth Will Explode if Amendment 1 Doesn't Pass"?
Common Sense
4:41 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Wow. There is apparently not a 'truth filter' on the Patch for those who wish to blog. Debbie, I understand that you believe your intentions are good. However, your entire blog is loaded with inaccuracies:
1) You must be referring to GCA. There is no GVA.
2) Homeschooling? It's a PUBLIC charter school. Not homeschool.
3) If amendment 1 doesn't pass, NO state charter school will close. That's a scare tactic. And it's blatantly false. You're 'assuming' that a lawsuit 'could' take place and 'perhaps' prohibit the state BOE from granting charters. Don't you think that would have happened already!? I certainly do.
4) In the future, try blogging about issues in truth, with solid facts. A headline stating that this school WILL close if the Amendment fails is nothing shy of misleading. But I guess that's why it's a blog... and not an article on the cover of the AJC.
Ellen
2:10 pm on Friday, November 9, 2012
Prior to the vote, an extremely reliable source heard directly from Sally Fitzgerald of the Georgia PTA, that there was a lawsuit against the State BOE challenging its charter granting authority. It was already written & ready to file if Amendment 1 failed. Currently, our state's constitution gives the state authority to grant charters to "special" schools & the definition of "special" has most likely expanded beyond the intent of the original wording. It is evident from both the majority opinion and the dissent that state charter schools would have been left on a precipitous slope without a change to the state constitution.
Debbie Pascoe
12:56 am on Saturday, November 3, 2012
HI, Common Sense. Yes, I acknowledged that GVA may have become GCA. Totally. It is now called Georgia Cyber Academy. Parents are using it as a tool for homeschooling. It is a public charter school like the brick and mortar public charter schools are. I'm going to let you take me to school on the assuming thing. I had to go for more and more information on that one. Every time I asked for clarification to confirm that that was right I was told, "yep -- that's about right." A few days ago, I got this answer: "without amendment one, we are one lawsuit away from being closed." This blog is intended to shed light on the good reasons to support charter schools. Georgia schools need change -- as a state, we are not doing so well. And it's not because we can't. Georgia is amazing and beautiful and our kids deserve the best beginning they can get.
Common Sense
4:27 pm on Saturday, November 3, 2012
Debbie, this blog tells readers - straight up - that the virtual program, GCA, will close up shop if Amendment 1 fails. That is inaccurate. 'One lawsuit away' from closing is a heck of a lot different than plain old 'closing.' We are ALL just 'one lawsuit away' from destruction if these are the standards we're using. And I am certainly not willing to support changing our constitution for a 'potential lawsuit.' Sounds like the perfect scare tactic for parents. I'm not buying!
Monty Brewster
2:13 pm on Saturday, November 3, 2012
Debbie, I agree with your last sentence regarding our kids getting the best beginning they can. In fact, the only research that shows one type of education being of significant benefit over anything else is a good Pre-K program. So why aren't parents pushing for improvements in this area? Instead we are wasting time and taxpayer money on something that has never proven to be better than what we currently have.