SB390 is Bad Policy: Just Ask Gov. Perdue!

Opponents of SB390 (the bill that provides no additional money for local schools, but provides more state control of local tax dollars) found a new and surprising supporter today:

Governor Perdue

A check of his website revealed that he has formulated the best arguments to date- against the passage of this egregious legislation. For example when writing about education, Governor Perdue says that his mission is to:

"...Ensure a Public Voice and Responsive Government

• Bring decision-making closer to those citizens who are affected through local control and recognition of public sentiment on the issues of great concern to the citizens of Georgia.

With regard to achievement in Education, the Governor says:

• ...The Governor believes the best way to achieve these goals is to promote local decision making, accountability, discipline in the classroom and respect for educators...
• ...Local teachers, administrators and parents know the needs of their children better than anyone. We must make flexibility a permanent component of our education policy to empower our local school systems to make the right decisions for their students.
• ...Governor Perdue supports flexibility and accountability in education.....Flexibility is particularly important with schools having to meet the requirements of the federal "No Child Left Behind Act." This legislation allows school systems to distribute financial and human resources to the students who need them the most.
• Governor Perdue believes that

...local educators know the specific needs of their students far better than the state....

Amen, Governor, Amen. But please tell us how that squares with

SB 390, the 65%=Failure Bill:

"To amend Part 4 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to financing for quality basic education, so as to require local school systems to spend a minimum amount of operating funds on direct classroom expenditures; to provide a short title; to provide for definitions; to provide for incremental compliance; to provide for a one-year waiver to compliance; to provide for sanctions for noncompliance; to provide for the submission of budget and expenditure information; to provide for rules and regulations....."

IS THIS THE DREADED PERDUE FLIP-FLOP???

Don't take my word for it....go to http://www.gov.state.ga.us/issues_gov/index.shtml

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