Gov. Nathan Deal saw six out of 10 Georgians reject his passionate plea to allow him to take over failing schools.

Why?

Voters did not accept the governor’s insistence the best hope for failing Georgia schools rested with proposed his Opportunity School District, patterned after similar state takeover districts in New Orleans and Tennessee.

The marketing plan for Amendment 1 never seemed to coalesce. Besides Deal, few big GOP names got behind the Opportunity School District, perhaps payback for the governor’s veto of the religious liberties and guns-on-campus laws. Many Georgians complained about the overtly racial mailers from the pro OSD campaign.

But at the heart of the defeat was likely the public’s support of local control of their schools. They just did not believe the governor could better run their schools from Atlanta.

To read more, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Morehouse alum Alex Maganda was recently detained by immigration authorities. (Courtesy of Maszoliin Spencer)

Credit: Maszoliin Spencer

Featured

Braves first baseman Matt Olson (left) is greeted by Ronald Acuña Jr. after batting during the MLB Home Run Derby as part of the All-Star Game festivities on Monday, July 14, 2025, at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC