Tattnall BOE votes to oppose Opportunity School District Amendment

The Tattnall County Board of Education voted Monday to approve a motion to oppose an education amendment that will be on the ballot this November.

The Board voted unanimously to approve a resolution opposing the Opportunity School District Amendment denoting several areas of concern and highlighting the different between metro area schools and schools outside those highly populated areas. The initiative is designed to aid what are considered on the state level to be “failing schools.”

The Board, in its resolution cited the following concerns:

• An outside superintendent would be brought in to replace the local administration by the state.
• The Governor’s direct oversight of the Superintendent’s actions with regard to policies, procedures, regulations, school rules, and other items.
• The superintendent would have the authority to close the school, reorganize staff, fire and hire staff, and direct get local school board to make changes at the discretion of the Governor’s board and appointed superintendent.
• Control local tax dollars
• Focus heavily on standardized test scores in determining “failing schools.”
• Of great concern to the Board is the politics of an ever evolving legislature and changing Governor.

The initiative is one of four Constitutional Amendments on the ballot this fall.

State Representative Bill Werkheiser, State Senator Jack Hill and outgoing Senator Tommie Williams all voted in favor of thee initiative in the legislature.

Tattnall County has 3,773 students across 3 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and one high school.

The full resolution is below: