Group urges caution with state takeover of schools

An Atlanta-based think tank says Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposal to take over failing schools needs more study and transparency.

Nearly all the top takeover candidates on Deal’s list of 139 schools enroll a large number of children from poor and minority families, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute notes in a new policy brief: Ninety-two percent of the students participate in the federal free- and reduced-price school meal program and 88 percent are black.

High-poverty schools operate with disadvantages, such as higher teacher and principal turnover, the 6-page report says. Despite gains made in other states already operating similar programs, GBPI recommends further study, saying it is unclear what drove those gains. The group also calls for amendments to Deal's proposal, asking that the Opportunity School District, as it is being called, be required to publish detailed reports about teacher turnover, student demographics, suspension and expulsion rates and other measures.