Bill Would Give Governor Power to Remove Atlanta School Board Members

Gov. Nathan Deal could get the authority to remove all members of the Atlanta school board, thanks to legislation passed Monday by the Georgia House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 79, a hotly contested law that was opposed by many 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 currently under probation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) – is not making enough progress in cleaning up the system, the governor would have the option of removing every Atlanta school board member.

"I'm surprised it's at the state level," said Midtown resident Sherri Caldwell, whose son attends Grady High School. "It seems that perhaps our Mayor [Kasim Reed] could step in."

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

“There are some who say, ‘Let’s just wait and hope things turn out all right for the Atlanta school board.’ Folks, hope is not a strategy for success,” said Majority Whip Ed Lindsey, R-Atlanta, 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 many metro House Democrats argued the bill was an intrusion of the state into a strictly local matter.

“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 reduce the number of DeKalb school board members from nine to seven.