Occupy DeKalb Asks: Will the Real Republican Please Stand?

PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE TOMORROW, NOV. 6 - Get to the polls early so nothing can prevent you from voting as the day goes on.

VOTE NO on Amendment 1 - we do not need an appointed commission to start charter schools or hear appeals on charter school applications. We can do both in Georgia already without having to change our constitution or give up our local control.

VOTE NO on Amendment 2 - we cannot support the request for a governing body to sign multi-year leases when the school board in DeKalb County took advantage of such power by signing 30 year deals to turn over our school grounds to T-mobile for the purpose of building dangerous cell towers. Anyone who is elected should not be able to sign any agreements that commits their futures replacements to honor and may or may not be in the best interest of the people at that time.

Here are the words from OCCUPY DEKALB



Will the "Real Republican" Please Stand?

Charter Commission Amendment Manipulates Black Support

By Viola Davis RN BSN

Victor Hugo – The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness.

The Georgia Charter School Amendment will get a “No” vote from me despite my long history of supporting innovation within our education system though the use of charter schools. We refuse to call the legislation the Charter School Amendment because the law has little to do with charter schools and everything to do with money, greed, and manipulation. The legislation we will vote on November 6, 2012 needs to be labeled the “Georgia Charter Commission” because this is the focus of the amendment.

Remember, the “Georgia Charter Commission Amendment” has Republicans fighting amongst each other and if that doesn’t make you question why, nothing will. If you see Republicans fighting, you better follow the “money”. Superintendent John Barge (R) went against the “Georgia Charter Commission Amendment” despite the strong support of some high level Republicans to include Governor Nathan Deal (R). The “Charter Commission” Amendment to be voted on will:
•  Expand government bureaucracy – Recreate the “Georgia Charter Commission” with over $430 million dollars the state can’t afford.
•  Remove local control – Recreate state “Georgia Charter Commission” with 7 appointed bureaucrats.
•  Reinforce the “Redistribution of Wealth” and Unfunded Mandates - continues the outdated QBE formula (Local Five Mill Share), out of control Austerity Cuts, and placing over 70% of the Refugees in the Clarkson Cluster.

Georgia General Assembly passed the Transportation Investment Act (TSPLOST) and the “Georgia Charter Commission Amendment” in one of the most conservative states in the union. Let’s face an uncomfortable truth, the two laws our Georgia General Assembly wanted passed this year make a mockery of the Republican ideology and create a facade of hypocritical that would make “real Republicans” cry out, “stop you closet liberals”! To this day, the people in power have not presented verifiable proof of how they (Georgia General Assembly) will finance this new state commission.

The Charter Amendment is about greedy elected officials wanting to get their hands on the money isolated for our school system. Remember, there is profit in problems and Georgia has a major problem with the education system. These same elected officials, with their partners called consultants, do not give a damn about improving the education system in Georgia because if they did, they would correct the outdated QBE formula that removes over $100 million dollars from “donor counties” such as DeKalb County, Fulton County, and Cobb County.

“Georgia Charter Commission Amendment” is bad policy/law and we need to vote “no” for the following reasons:

1.  DeKalb County is a “donor school system” that has over $100 million dollars removed from the school system for over 6 years to redistribute to other school systems throughout Georgia through the use of the state’s outdated QBE formula. Why would any “donor school system” vote for this amendment without the Georgia General Assembly correcting the QBE formula first?

2.  DeKalb County School System has been underfunded for years by the state of Georgia as well as school systems throughout the state; yet, the state proclaims to have the money to finance this new agency with over $430 million dollars. Where will the Georgia General Assembly get the money?

3.  The 7 people to serve on the new Georgia Charter Commission will be appointed. Where is the local control with 7 appointments of unelected bureaucrats?

4.  The preamble to the charter school amendment was written to mislead the public. Why would anyone “trust” a law that needs to use misleading words and manipulation to gain the support of the public?

The same people who pushed the failed T-SPLOST tax referendum are now pushing the “charter commission” amendment. I refuse to debate the issue of charter schools because (once again) the amendment has little to do with charter schools and everything to do with money.

Over 90% of the 2.7 million statewide campaigns were financed by people who live outside the state of Georgia. We need to send a message to the over 90% profiteers located outside of our state that we demand “true” solutions to our educational problems. We may be desperate parents searching for a quality education for our children; however, we refuse to “sell the car just to buy gas.”

Read more on Occupy DeKalb's website here.