Oconee County School Officials Oppose Amendment 1 To State Constitution On the November Ballot

Both Oconee County School Superintendent Jason Branch and Board of Education Chairman Tom Odom have spoken out publicly against Amendment 1 to Georgia Constitution that is on the November ballot.

The so-called Opportunity School District amendment asks voters to decide if they want “to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?"

Branch told those attending an election forum on Sept. 15 that he opposes the amendment because it takes control of schools away from the local elected and appointed officials.

Odom, in a pair of article in The Oconee Enterprise, also objected to the amendment because it takes control away from local leaders, but he outlined in addition a series of objections to administration of the Opportunity School District and the criteria used for designating schools as failing.

The Opportunity School District amendment is one of four on the ballot.

As of the end of the day today (Monday), 582 voters had cast their ballots in the first day of early voting, representing 2.1 percent of the 27,845 eligible voters in the county.

For more on this story, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Dr. Jason Branch