1. Opportunity School District Georgia PTA’s Position

2. PTA Mission To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

3. What is Opportunity School District? Senate Bill 133 Amendment to the Constitution of Georgia Allows for creation of statewide school district under the control of a Governor-appointed, state-level Superintendent

4. Ballot Language November 2016 The following proposed state constitutional amendment will appear before voters: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?

5. Defining Failing Schools Schools that have scored 60 or below on Georgia’s College and Career Readiness Index (CCRPI) for three consecutive years The OSD is authorized to take up to 20 qualifying schools per school year with no more than 100 schools under its supervision at any time. The legislation says “the schools selected for inclusion in the OSD should represent geographic diversity, including urban and rural schools.”

6. Concerns Removes control of local public schools Strips funding for local public schools Restricts community access to public facilities, instructional materials, and school equipment Allows for the diversion of state education funding away from local public schools to taxpayer-funded private schools

7. Important Questions Where is the community involvement in the decision to take over a school, the changes that need to be made, or in the governance of the new school district? What is the exit strategy for schools? What defines success? How does the school and its assets get returned to the school system?

8. Where We Stand Senate Bill 133 does not align with Georgia PTA’s Legislative Priorities or the “Operation Ready to Learn” Resolution passed by the Georgia PTA delegates in July 2015. Georgia PTA does not support the Constitutional Amendment as currently created by Senate Bill 133.

9. What can I do?