Avossa Joins Group To Study Role of Feds in Education

Staff Report

On Wednesday, Fulton County Schools Superintendent Robert Avossa will join the 15-member panel of the “Role of Federal Government in Education Study Committee” for its first meeting.

Created by House Resolution 550 during the Georgia General Assembly’s 2014 legislative session, the committee will:

-Review the role of the federal government in public education, both historically and recently;

-Review the origins of the Common Core standards, including its genesis as a voluntary, state-led effort, the subsequent endorsement by the federal government, and the effects and implications of newer federal ties to the Common Core standards;

-Review any agreements in effect between Georgia education agencies and the federal government relating to Common Core standards to determine what liabilities could be incurred by Georgia taxpayers if any part of existing programs is terminated prematurely; and

- Make recommendations to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the State Board of Education, the State School Superintendent, the Governor, and local boards of education based on such review to ensure that all state standards, curriculum, and assessments remain under the control of the state.

“This study committee will undertake the important task of examining the federal government’s involvement in how we, as Georgia educators, make decisions for our students, teachers and families,” Avossa said. “I am keenly interested in how we can make our voices heard so that educational mandates and funding coming down from the federal level will have our students’ and schools’ best interests in mind.”

Avossa serves at the request of Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, who announced appointees to the committee last Friday. Joining Avossa are five state representatives, one state board of education member, two superintendents, three teachers, and three parents/grandparents throughout the state.

The committee’s first meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 30 in room 606 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building in Atlanta.