Deal, Lawmakers Meet on Atlanta Schools’ Probation (GA)

January 20, 2011

Gov. Nathan Deal said he is hopeful Atlanta’s school system will not permanently lose its accreditation after being placed on probation, and he sees legislative action as a "last resort" to resolve the issue that could jeopardize the futures of thousands of high school students.

Deal met Wednesday with Georgia House and Senate members who represent districts that include Atlanta and appointed House Minority Leader Stacy Abrams and Republican Sen. Beth Beskin as liaisons to the governor’s office. They will observe the actions of the Atlanta school board as it attempts to emerge from the probationary status assigned Tuesday by the Southern Associat ion of Colleges and Schools, an Atlanta-based agency that sets educational standards in the state.

"We do not view this as a political issue – this is an educational concern," Deal told reporters after a closed-door meeting with legislators. "We have not discussed legislative steps. We are not at that stage. It is premature to talk about legislative fixes."

SACS has given the system nine months to make improvements.

SACS made an onsite visit in December and reviewed school system documents after hearing complaints last year that the school board wasn’t governing effectively. Mark Elgart, president and chief executive officer of SACS, said the board has failed to meet standards for governance and leadership.

Being stripped of accreditation could put the 50,000-student district in danger of losing private grants and could keep students from gaining admission and winning scholarships at some colleges.

Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with the governor, state Rep. Rashad Taylor, whose district includes a large swath of the city, said the SACS report was "filled with gossip and innuendo and is light on facts and substance on how we educate our kids."

"I have serious concerns about the report that was issued," Taylor said. "SACS has been held up as the gold standard for a long time. Maybe they shouldn’t have the monopoly on accrediting."

Taylor said he plans to introduce legislation changing the Atlanta Public School charter, including the roles of the general counsel and chief financial officer.

State Sen. Vincent Fort joined Taylor in talking to rep orters before meeting with Gov. Deal. He said the report "has created an alarmist atmosphere" and has placed the school board leaders in a difficult position.

"It’s between a rock and a hard place," said Fort, who has taught as a college professor in Atlanta over the past 25 years. "They have to comply. That’s their job. But my confidence in what (SACS) has done is suspect at best. If I was to give it a grade, I’d give it an F."

Elgart said board members told the SACS reviewers that "their inability to govern" is affecting the school district negatively.

"The report provides the system with a road map to improving governance," Elgart said in a prepared statement. "With the board’s commitment, the required actions in the report will help the system effectively respond to their current challenges."