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Georgia Authorization of the State Government to Intervene in Failing Local Schools, Amendment 1 (2016)

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Georgia Amendment 1
Flag of Georgia.png
Election date
November 8, 2016
Topic
Education
Status
Defeatedd Defeated
Type
Constitutional amendment		Origin
State legislature
2016 measures
Seal of Georgia.png
November 8
Amendment 1 Defeatedd
Amendment 2 Approveda
Amendment 3 Approveda
Amendment 4 Approveda
Polls
Voter guides
Campaign finance
Signature costs
Georgia Constitution
Flag of Georgia.png
Preamble
Articles
I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI

The Georgia Authorization of the State Government to Intervene in Failing Local Schools, Amendment 1 was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Georgia as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment.[1] It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported authorizing the state to form an Opportunity School District that would govern certain elementary and secondary schools determined to be "chronically failing."[2]
A "no" vote opposed authorizing the state to form an Opportunity School District that would govern certain elementary and secondary schools determined to be "chronically failing," thereby continuing to have school boards and local school districts supervise respective schools.[2]

Election results

Amendment 1
ResultVotesPercentage
Defeatedd No2,414,40159.91%
Yes 1,615,780 40.09%
Election results from Georgia Secretary of State

Overview

Amendment design
The amendment was designed to trigger the implementation of Senate Bill 133. SB 133 would have provided for three governance models of schools under an "Opportunity School District" (OSD) agency:

  1. direct management by the OSD,
  2. shared governance between the OSD and local board of education and
  3. transformation of the school into a charter school.

SB 133 would have given the OSD power to close schools as the “intervention of last resort.”[3] No more than 20 schools would have been taken in by the OSD per year, and no more than 100 schools would have been governed by the district at any one time. Schools would have stayed in the district for five to ten years. Schools would have been considered "persistently failing schools" could fall under the purview of the OSD if they scored below 60 on the Georgia Department of Education accountability measure.[4]

According to the Athens Banner-Herald and Governor Nathan Deal's (R) office, the amendment was modeled after the Recovery School District in Louisiana and the Achievement School District in Tennessee.[4][5]

State of public education in Georgia

See also: Public education in Georgia

In 2015, a study done by Education Week ranked Georgia 31st out of the 50 states in terms of education quality, giving the state an overall grade of "C minus."[6] Georgia has over 2,200 schools and 127 are considered to be "failing" by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement.[7][8]

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:[9]

“

Provides greater flexibility and state accountability to fix failing schools through increasing community involvement.[10]

”

Ballot question

The proposed ballot question was as follows:[1][9]

“ Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?

( ) Yes

( ) No[10]

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:[9]

“

This proposal authorizes the General Assembly to provide for the creation of an Opportunity School District and authorizes the state to assume the supervision, management, and operation of failing public elementary and secondary schools, including the power to receive, control, and expend appropriated funds for such purposes. It amends Article VIII, Section V of the Georgia Constitution by adding a new Paragraph VIII. A copy of this entire proposed amendment is on file in the office of the judge of the probate court and is available for public inspection.[10]

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article VIII, Georgia Constitution

Amendment 1 was designed to add a Paragraph VIII to the end of Section 5 of Article VIII of the Georgia Constitution. The following text was designed to be added by the proposed measure's approval:[1][9]

Paragraph VIII. Opportunity School District. Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph II of this section, the General Assembly may provide by general law for the creation of an Opportunity School District and authorize the state to assume the supervision, management, and operation of public elementary and secondary schools which have been determined to be failing through any governance model allowed by law. Such authorization shall include the power to receive, control, and expend state, federal, and local funds appropriated for schools under the current or prior supervision, management, or operation of the Opportunity School District, all in the manner provided by and in accordance with general law.[10]

Full text

The full text of SR 287, Amendment 1's corresponding legislation, was available here.

Background

Senate Bill 133

Education Policy Logo on Ballotpedia.png
Education policy is a major issue in Georgia. To learn more, see "Public education in Georgia."

Senate Bill 133 (SB 133) was an act dependent upon voter approval of the Georgia State Intervention in Failing Public Schools Amendment. The act would have gone into effect on January 1, 2017, if voters had approved the amendment, but repealed on January 1, 2017, because the amendment was defeated.[3]

Since the proposed constitutional amendment would have allowed the state to govern failing schools "through any governance model allowed by law," SB 133 was designed to provide three different governance models. The models would have been housed under the authority of an "Opportunity School District" (OSD) agency. The governor of Georgia would have appointed a superintendent to head the OSD agency, and the superintendent would have reported directly to the governor.

The OSD superintendent would have been authorized to waive State Board of Education rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and provisions for OSD schools, but not federal, state, or local government rules or court orders. The OSD would have been able to select, approve, or remove the OSD schools' principals, transfer teachers, control the schools' budgets, and modify education content.[11]

The OSD would have been authorized to add 20 schools to the OSD program in any single school year and would have no more than 100 schools under its supervision at any given time. The selection of schools to be added to the OSD program would have been based on "an analysis of performance over the three-year period with emphasis on student growth and progress and other considerations."[3]

The following four intervention plans, the first three of which would have been classified as governance models, would have been allowed:[3]

  • Direct management of the school by the OSD.
  • Shared government of the school by the OSD and the local board of education pursuant to a contract in which the board of education operates the school and the OSD superintendent has the power to direct changes to be made at the school.
  • Transformation of the school into an OSD charter school in which the OSD agency works with the State Charter Schools Commission to establish the school as a charter school.
  • Closure of the school if the school is not enrolled at full capacity. This would be the "intervention of last resort."

The OSD superintendent would have implemented a process for gaining community feedback to inform his or her decision regarding the most appropriate intervention model for a particular school.

Senate Bill Resolution 828

Georgia State Senator Vincent Fort (D-39) introduced Senate Bill Resolution 828, which called for a revision of the ballot question to read as follows:

“ Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow an appointee of the Governor to take over local school operation, buildings, and control of all federal, state, and local funding if a school has low scores on standardized tests or for any other reason a future legislature may allow?[10] ”

Fort, when discussing the use of the phrase "to intervene" in the measure, said, "The public ought to at least have truthful language when they go to the ballot this November." Fort introduced Senate Resolution 828 in order to use the words "take over" and "to control" instead.[12]

Failing schools

According to Georgia Leads on Education, 127 Georgia schools are considered to be "failing" by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement. Schools are marked as "failing" if they received a College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) score that was below 60 in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Entering 2016, the state had 181 school districts with over 2,200 schools. Below is a table showing the official failing schools and their respective districts:[7][13][14]

Nonbinding ballot question

The Richmond County Democratic Party put a nonbinding question on the ballot on May 24, 2016, in order to raise awareness about the amendment. The question was defeated, with 69 percent of voters voting "no." Specifically, the question went into more detail regarding the manner of how the state would intervene in the case of chronically failing schools, and it read as follows:[15][16][17]

“

Shall the constitution of Georgia be amended to allow an appointee of the governor to bypass the elected state school superintendent in order to take over local school operations, buildings and control of all federal, state and local funding if a school has low scores on standardized tests or for any other reason a future legislative act may allow?[10]

”

Support

GAOpportunityforAllStudentslogo.png

Georgia Leads on Education led the support campaign for Amendment 1.[18]

Supporters

Officials

The following legislators sponsored Amendment 1's corresponding legislation:[1]

Georgia Leads on Education Advertisement entitled "Quality Opportunity 2:00"

Other officials supporting Amendment 1 include:

Organizations

Arguments

Gov. Nathan Deal was described by the Atlanta Journal Constitution as seeing the amendment as "his signature education legislation and his legacy to Georgia’s student." Gov. Deal said the following:

“ While Georgia boasts many schools that achieve academic excellence every year, we still have too many schools where students have little hope of attaining the skills they need to succeed in the workforce or in higher education.

We have a moral duty to do everything we can to help these children. Failing schools keep the cycle of poverty spinning from one generation to the next.

Education provides the only chance for breaking that cycle. When we talk about helping failing schools, we’re talking about rescuing children.

I stand firm on the principle that every child can learn, and I stand equally firm in the belief that the status quo isn’t working.[10]

”
—Gov. Nathan Deal[11]

The PolicyBest editorial board published an article supporting the measure because it was already working to change the status quo for failing schools. An excerpt is below:[21]

“

Until now, local systems could continue to apply a one size fits all approach and hide behind bureaucratic excuses for failure. Now, with the direct threat of someone else fixing the problem, districts across the state are getting serious about finding solutions that work down to the school and even the student level. The schools that are hoping success will show that the constitutional amendment isn’t needed should be encouraged to show results. Their new sense of urgency, however, proves not only that the Opportunity School District is needed but is also already working.[10]

”

Opposition

KeepGASchoolsLocalUpdatedLogo.jpg

The Committee to Keep Georgia Schools Local led the opposition campaign for Amendment 1.[22]

Opponents

Individuals

  • Rep. Spencer Frye (D-118)[19]
  • Valarie Wilson, executive director of the Georgia School Boards Association
  • Andrew Young, former U.S. ambassador and Atlanta mayor[23]
  • Hank Aaron, retired major league baseball player for the Atlanta Braves and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee[23]
  • Tommy Dortch, chairman emeritus of 100 Black Men of America[23]
Keep Georgia Schools Local advertisement entitled "Fine Print"

Organizations

  • Georgia Association of Educators[11][24]
  • Georgia Parent‑Teacher Association[25]
  • Georgia Federation of Teachers[25]
  • Georgia AFL-CIO state chapter[25]
  • Georgia School Boards Association[26]
  • Professional Association of Georgia Educators[26]
  • Georgia School Superintendents Association[26]
  • Georgia League of Women Voters[27]
  • Georgia NAACP[28]

School boards

  • Bibb County school board[26]

Arguments

Rev. Frank Brown, president of Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, and Verdaillia Turner, president of the Georgia Federation of Teachers, deemed the amendment "hype," saying, "Our kids deserve a great, high-quality public education that is based on proven strategies, not hype." The pair elaborated:

“ Gov. Nathan Deal is promoting legislation to create a so-called Opportunity School District that would turn over control of struggling schools to the state or to private companies that operate charter schools. Deal is basing his design on other state takeovers, especially Louisiana’s takeover of New Orleans schools...

The only thing that is trapping kids in low-performing schools is a resistance to using proven programs that will help turn around schools and give all kids a great, high-quality public education. Let’s fix struggling schools with proven programs, not close them, farm them out or privatize them.

Let’s look at New Orleans, the highly touted supposed miracle on the Gulf on which Deal’s proposal is based. Practically every public school there has become a charter school since Hurricane Katrina.

Here are the facts. No doubt about it, New Orleans public schools were struggling before Hurricane Katrina, but the main reason is that they were starved for resources. Yet, research has found that test scores for New Orleans public schools were rising before Katrina hit. Today, after the drastic privatization changes, student achievement in New Orleans schools continues to be near the bottom of all the parishes in the state of Louisiana...[10]

”
—Rev. Frank Brown and Verdaillia Turner[11]

The two went on to offer a few alternative solutions:

“ Failed policies won’t fix our schools. There is a better way.

Take New York City. Years ago, the teachers union worked closely with the school district to create the Chancellor’s District, an initiative focused on the lowest-performing schools. Through reduced class sizes, increased instructional time, after-school programs, professional development for teachers and other supports, the Chancellor’s District was able to significantly improve student outcomes.

Sadly, this innovative and successful model was disbanded when Mayor Michael Bloomberg came into office. His strategy of mass school closures, turning to charters and a fixation on testing failed to improve the public schools.

In Austin, Texas, Reagan Early College High School was slated for closure, but educators, parents and other community members fought back. The school became a community school, offering not just wraparound services for its low-income students but college-level courses that enable students to graduate with scores of college credits. Since 2008, Reagan’s graduate rate has soared from 48 percent to 85 percent.

In Cincinnati, every school was turned into a community school, providing students with access to strong academics and programs and services addressing kids’ health, social and emotional needs. Cincinnati is now the highest-performing urban school district in Ohio.

Let’s do what works, not what “sounds” good. We can do it if lawmakers are willing to show some fortitude, grit and backbone to stand up for our kids’ best interest.[10]

”
—Rev. Frank Brown and Verdaillia Turner[11]

Other arguments against the amendment include:

  • Philip Lanoue, superintendent of Clarke County School District, argued, "Educators, school boards and local school communities have the ultimate responsibility for providing engaging learning environments that ensure all students achieve. To change the Georgia Constitution to take away that responsibility will fragment communities across the state, and sets a very dangerous precedent for future decisions in educating all Georgia students."[5]
  • Sid Chapman, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, referring to the possibility of the OSD transforming a school into a charter school, said, "These schools belong to each community. They do not belong to outside entities that want to come in and make a profit off of them."[29] Chapman also later argued that the ballot language was flawed, saying "it is misleading. It makes everyone believe that it’s simply the state trying to do something for failing schools—but the devil is in the details, [...] The bill allows for outside, private, charter entities to come in and run schools. They can fire the whole faculty and take public dollars."[30][31][32]
  • Valarie Wilson, executive director of the Georgia School Boards Association, called the debate over the measure "a war...being waged for our children, for our state," and stated that the number of schools that qualify as failing represent only 4 percent of schools in the state, making it a relatively narrow problem that might not be worth a change the constitution to fix.[19]
  • Ramona Toombs, vice president of the Georgia Federation of Teachers, argued that the measure does not address issues facing Georgia's children outside of school, saying "If the governor is serious about providing a real opportunity for Georgia students, he should be focused on ways to address the out-of-school factors that cause our children to have difficulties learning."[25]
  • Tiffany Hodge, writing for the Augusta Chronicle, argued that the ballot language was misleading, saying "The wording for the preamble and the amendment on the ballot is so misleading it is unethical. This is a power grab by bureaucrats and out-of-state special interests. Georgia voters must look at the fine print to clearly understand why they must vote “no” on Amendment 1."[33]
  • R. Rex Hussmann, a former chaplain at Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital, said, "For some reason the Governor has decided that Atlanta lawmakers and out-of-town corporate business people know more about what’s good for educating Georgia’s children than parents, local community leaders and professional educators. We can do better. Vote No to Amendment One."[34]
  • David Dekle, vice-chairman of the Columbia County Board of Education, wrote, "Ten years from now, do Georgians really want a two-pronged educational system in which we segregate our poorest, most economically disadvantaged children, and outsource their education to the lowest responsible bidder for profit – while other students in the same community remain locally governed? I hope we don’t."[35]
  • Larry McDowell wrote, "I take issue with the state’s view that the only way to fix failing schools is to turn over virtually all decision-making power to one individual — someone who cannot be held accountable by anyone from the schools they supervise. I cannot justify such an overreach of state power, even if the supposed purpose is to improve student achievement. I urge all who intend to vote on Nov. 8 to please take the time to read the entire OSD bill before casting a ballot. Although many voters will be focused on the presidential election, they should also be focused on Amendment 1 and how it can impact the schools in our state. Many parents fear that the OSD legislation is equal to a forcible seizure of their children’s education, which they won’t have an impact on if passed. In my view, their fears are warranted," in the Sentinel, a student newspaper at Kennesaw State University:[36]

Polls

Georgia Amendment 1
Poll Yes NoUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
Survey USA
10/25/2016-10/27/2016		 29%54%18%+/-4.1800
Atlanta Journal Constitution/ABT SRBI
10/17/2016 - 10/20/2016		 34%59%8%+/-3.91,003
Landmark/Rosetta Stone
10/18/2016		 34%44%22%+/-4600
AVERAGES 32.33% 52.33% 16% +/-4 801
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Media editorials

Support

  • WALB News said the following in support of Amendment 1:[37]
“

We think this is a good plan. If a school is consistently under-performing, shouldn't someone do something about it? Shouldn't someone outside the system be able to have a better view looking in? The amendment has its downsides, like potentially eliminating good teachers, who are simply stuck in a bad district, and possibly limiting parent feedback at the local level. We do hope the idea of simply having an OSD, could force state educators and administrators to take a closer look at their own performance before interference would even have to take place. Besides, good teachers and good schools hitting the high marks, shouldn't have to worry about the amendment anyway.[10]

”
  • The Augusta Chronicle editorial board wrote the following:[38]
“

Don’t believe the hysterical hype. This amendment may be the only hope that failing schools have. If we’re truly willing to do anything for our kids, we can do this much. We can team up as parents, teachers, administrators and local and state officials to fix our broken schools. We just have to say “yes” to Amendment 1 on Nov. 8.[10]

”

Opposition

  • The Gainesville Times editorial board argued for a "no" vote on Amendment 1:[39]
“

For all these concerns, we urge a “no” vote on Amendment 1. Whatever its fate, we urge legislators to revisit the issue and consider other options to bring officials and parents together to turn around schools. A state takeover should be a last-ditch resort only when local leadership is clearly the problem. Districts making a sincere effort to overcome economic challenges should be given the help and resources they need.[10]

”
  • The Rome News-Tribune published an editorial in opposition to Amendment 1. An excerpt is below:[40]
“

Good intentions notwithstanding, the proposed state constitutional amendment to create the so-called state “Opportunity School District” represents an unwarranted, dangerous power grab that deserves overwhelming defeat by the voters of Georgia.[10]

”
  • The Marietta Daily Journal editorial board wrote the following in opposition to the measure:[41]
“

The last thing our local school boards need is some high-handed, unaccountable commissar seizing our schools, firing our teachers and contracting with opportunistic, for-profit charter companies anxious to gorge on taxpayer dollars. [...] Don’t let local dollars fall into the hands of parasitic state bureaucrats and a parade of special interests. Vote no on the Opportunity School District amendment.[10]

”
  • The Savannah Morning News said the following:[42]
“

Amendment 1 on Georgia’s ballot is a bad idea for anyone who believes in local, accountable government. If it passes, schools that repeatedly test poorly could be taken out of the hands of local school boards and put under the control of a special superintendent appointed by the governor and based in Atlanta. The ballot question asks voters “to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools.” That’s somewhat misleading as there are plenty of things that can be done now, if elected school boards and their superintendents have the political courage, including cleaning house at chronically failing schools. We recommend a No vote on Amendment 1.[10]

”

Neutral

Note: The Savannah Morning News later published an editorial in opposition to Amendment 1.

  • The Savannah Morning News editorial board wrote the following about Amendment 1:[43]
“

Democrats in the GOP-controlled legislature have vowed to fight this plan, which is no surprise. They also plan to offer an alternative, which is healthy. No party has a monopoly on worthy ideas. The more debate on how to best fix failing schools in Savannah and elsewhere, the greater the chance for better outcomes for students, families and communities.[10]

”

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Georgia ballot measures


Opportunity for all Georgia Students registered to support the measure. The committee raised $3.42 million.[44]

Committee to Keep Georgia Schools Local, Inc. registered to oppose the measure. The committee raised $3.02 million.[45]

Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Support $3,420,000.00 $0.00 $3,420,000.00 $3,420,000.00 $3,420,000.00
Oppose $2,967,945.20 $57,680.16 $3,025,625.36 $2,196,883.93 $2,254,564.09
Total $6,387,945.20 $57,680.16 $6,445,625.36 $5,616,883.93 $5,674,564.09

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee(s) supporting the measure.[46]

Committees in support of Amendment 1
Committee Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Opportunity for all Georgia Students $3,420,000.00 $0.00 $3,420,000.00 $3,420,000.00 $3,420,000.00
Total $3,420,000.00 $0.00 $3,420,000.00 $3,420,000.00 $3,420,000.00

Donors

The following were the top donors to the support committee(s).[46]

Donor Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions
Georgia Leads, Inc. $2,188,640.00 $0.00 $2,188,640.00
Jim Walton $400,000.00 $0.00 $400,000.00
Action Now Initiative $375,000.00 $0.00 $375,000.00
50CAN Action Fund, Inc. $310,000.00 $0.00 $310,000.00
American Federation for Children Action Fund $75,000.00 $0.00 $75,000.00

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee(s) in opposition to the initiative.[47]

Committees in opposition to Amendment 1
Committee Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Committee to Keep Georgia Schools Local, Inc. $2,967,945.20 $57,680.16 $3,025,625.36 $2,196,883.93 $2,254,564.09
Total $2,967,945.20 $57,680.16 $3,025,625.36 $2,196,883.93 $2,254,564.09

Donors

The top donors to the opposition committee(s) were as follows:[47]

Donor Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions
National Education Association $4,700,000.00 $0.00 $4,700,000.00
American Federation of Teachers $250,000.00 $0.00 $250,000.00
Georgia Association of Educators $133,500.00 $0.00 $133,500.00
Better Georgia $0.00 $57,680.16 $57,680.16

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing ballot measures in Georgia

A two-thirds (66.67%) vote in both chambers of the Georgia Legislature is required to refer an amendment to the ballot. Georgia is one of 16 states that require a two-thirds (66.67%) vote.

The Georgia Senate approved the amendment on March 5, 2015, with 38 senators voting yea and 15 voting nay.[1] On March 25, 2015, the Georgia House of Representatives narrowly approved the measure in a 121 to 47 vote.[48]

Senate vote

March 5, 2015

Georgia SR 287 Senate Vote
ResultVotesPercentage
Approveda Yes 38 67.85%
No1526.78%

House vote

March 25, 2015

Georgia SR 287 House Vote
ResultVotesPercentage
Approveda Yes 121 67.22%
No4726.11%

Lawsuit

  
Lawsuit overview
Issue: Alleged biased ballot title and summary language
Court: Fulton County Superior Court
Ruling: The case was dismissed.
Plaintiff(s): Kimberly Brooks, Rev. Timothy McDonald, and Melissa LaddDefendant(s): Governor Nathan Deal (R), Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle (R), and Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R)
Plaintiff argument:
The ballot title and summary wording is misleading		Defendant argument:
Not filed yet

  Source: Fulton County Superior Court Atlanta Journal-Constitution

State profile

Demographic data for Georgia
 GeorgiaU.S.
Total population:10,199,398316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):57,5133,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:60.2%73.6%
Black/African American:30.9%12.6%
Asian:3.6%5.1%
Native American:0.3%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:9.1%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:85.4%86.7%
College graduation rate:28.8%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$49,620$53,889
Persons below poverty level:21.1%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Georgia.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Georgia

Georgia voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Georgia, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[49]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Georgia had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Georgia coverage on Ballotpedia

Related measures

Education measures on the ballot in 2016
StateMeasures
CaliforniaCalifornia Proposition 58, Non-English Languages Allowed in Public Education Approveda
AlabamaAlabama Auburn University Board of Trustees, Amendment 1 Approveda
MaineMaine Tax on Incomes Exceeding $200,000 for Public Education, Question 2 Approveda
OklahomaOklahoma One Percent Sales Tax, State Question 779 Defeatedd

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Georgia Amendment 1 opportunity school district 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Georgia Authorization of the State Government to Intervene in Failing Local Schools, Amendment 1 (2016) - Google News

See also

External links

Support

Opposition

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Georgia Legislature, "Senate Resolution 287," accessed March 23, 2015
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Open States, "Senate Resolution 287," accessed April 11, 2016
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Georgia Legislature, "Senate Bill 133," accessed March 24, 2015
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Office of Governor Nathan Deal, "Opportunity School District proposal," accessed September 2, 2016
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Athens Banner-Herald, "Teacher groups, other critics line up against governor's Opportunity School District," March 22, 2015
  6. ↑ Education Week, "Georgia Earns a C-Minus on State Report Card, Ranks 31st in Nation," January 2, 2015
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Georgia Leads on Education, "Official List," accessed September 29, 2016
  8. ↑ Georgia Department of Education, "Schools and Districts," accessed October 3, 2016
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Georgia Secretary of State, "Proposed Constitutional Amendments General Election November 8, 2016," accessed September 28, 2016
  10. ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Atlanta Journal Constitution, "House Ed Committee approves school takeover bill. Can it pass full House at higher bar?" March 23, 2015
  12. ↑ 11Alive, "Lawmaker wants change to failing schools ballot question," February 3, 2016
  13. ↑ Georgia Department of Education, "Schools and Districts," accessed September 29, 2016
  14. ↑ Georgia Department of Education, "College and Career Ready Performance Index," accessed September 29, 2016
  15. ↑ Augusta Chronicle, "Augusta Democrats to pose ballot question about school takeover plan," March 11, 2016
  16. ↑ Question 5 Augusta, Georgia, "General Primary and Nonpartisan Election Tuesday, May 24, 2016 Democratic Question 5 Election Results," accessed October 3, 2016
  17. ↑ Augusta Chronicle, "Richmond County May 2016 Sample Ballot," May 22, 2016
  18. ↑ Georgia Leads on Education, "Home," accessed September 19, 2016
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Athens Banner-Herald, "Athens area opposition forming to November education referendum on Opportunity School District," January 18, 2016
  20. ↑ Peach Pundit, "StudentsFirst GA Commends Deal, Cagle, and General Assembly for Education Legislation," May 13, 2015
  21. ↑ PolicyBest, "Opportunity School District Already Working As Desired," August 10, 2015
  22. ↑ Keep Georgia Schools Local, "Home," accessed September 19, 2016
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 RollingOut, "Andrew Young, Hank Aaron, Tommy Dortch: ‘Vote no to Georgia’s Amendment 1’," October 23, 2016
  24. ↑ Online Athens, "Georgia Association of Educators president brings campaign against Amendment 1 to Athens," October 20, 2016
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 WABE 90.1 FM, "Ga. Community Groups Urge Voters To Stop School Takeover," March 23, 2016
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Macon Telegraph, "More deceptive language in Amendment 1," August 27, 2016
  27. ↑ Suwannee Democrat, "League of Women Voters hears differing ideas on education amendment," October 21, 2016
  28. ↑ The Champion, "NAACP formally opposes three Georgia amendments," November 8, 2016
  29. ↑ The Florida Times-Union, "Teachers, students rally against Deal's plan for struggling schools," March 24, 2015
  30. ↑ The Champion, "Georgia Association of Educators takes stance against state takeover," October 24, 2016
  31. ↑ Dear Decaturish, "Dear Decaturish – A vote against Amendment 1 is a vote for keeping schools local," October 31, 2016
  32. ↑ The Herald Gazette, "Local shares opinion on Amendment 1," October 28, 2016
  33. ↑ Augusta Chronicle, "Vote 'No' on Amendment 1," September 23, 2016
  34. ↑ Rome News-Tribune, "GUEST COLUMN: Governor’s school amendment a bad deal for Georgia," October 24, 2016
  35. ↑ The Augusta Chronicle, "Amendment's endgame is school privatization," October 24, 2016
  36. ↑ The Sentinel, "Opinion: Say no to Amendment 1," October 31, 2016
  37. ↑ WALB News, "Editorial: Opportunity School District good plan for schools," September 22, 2016
  38. ↑ Augusta Chronicle, "Opportunity Knocks," October 29, 2016
  39. ↑ Gainesville Times, "Editorial: State amendment offers a top-down school fix," October 16, 2016
  40. ↑ Rome News-Tribune, "EDITORIAL: State school takeover proposal deserves overwhelming defeat by voters," July 10, 2016
  41. ↑ Marietta Daily Journal, "EDITORIAL: School amendment offers no ‘opportunity’," September 17, 2016
  42. ↑ Savannah Morning News, "Editorial: Vote 'no' on Amendment 1 against state takeover of local schools," October 22, 2016
  43. ↑ Savannah Morning News, "Editorial: Fixing schools that fail must be a priority," January 22, 2016
  44. ↑ Georgia Ethics, "Opportunity for all Georgia Students," accessed February 19, 2025
  45. ↑ Georgia Ethics, "Opportunity for all Georgia Students," accessed February 19, 2025
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named sup
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named opp
  48. ↑ WSB-TV, "House approves Gov. Deal's 'failing schools' amendment," March 25, 2015
  49. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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