Bill Would Give Governor Power to Remove Atlanta School Board Members

Buckhead State Rep. Ed Lindsey took to the House floor on Monday in support of  controversial legislation that would give the governor the authority to remove every member of Atlanta’s school board.

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

Senate Bill 79, which was opposed by numerous Democratic members of Atlanta’s legislative delegation, requires Atlanta’s school board to face a hearing before the state Board of Education by July 31. If the state board determines that Atlanta’s system – which is under probation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – is not making enough progress in cleaning up the system, the governor can replace every Atlanta school board member.

“There are some who say, ‘Let’s just wait and hope things turn out alright for the Atlanta school board.’ Folks, hope is not a strategy for success,” said Lindsey, (R-Atlanta), the House majority whip  and the bill’s main House sponsor. “We all agree that some progress has been made, but the heaviest lifting is still to come.”

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 numerous metro House Democrats opposed it.

“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.”

One metro Atlanta Democrat who supported the bill was state Rep. Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta). “This bill is all about when a school board gets in the way of a student attending an accredited school,” said Ashe. “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.”

The bill would also shrink the size of DeKalb’s school board from nine to seven members.