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The Georgia House of Representatives today voted down a Constitutional Amendment clarifying the state’s role in education. This was in response to the Georgia Supreme Court’s ruling last year giving local school boards exclusive control over education. The amendment would also have rescued the hundreds of students in high-performing public schools authorized by the state over the last few years – schools that are doomed to go out of business without a long-term solution.

The arguments against the amendment included concerns about diverting money away from local school systems and that giving parents the opportunity to choose an alternative school would impinge upon local control.

Although it sounds like a debate about allowing vouchers for private schools, that was not the case.

I am writing on behalf of over 40,000 AFP Georgia members to urge your support of House Resolution 1162, one of our strongest AFP Score Card issues in 2012 and the best option for addressing our current need for more school choice in Georgia. This resolution allows the voters of Georgia to approve an amendment that gives parents more options where they can choose the school that best fits their individual child’s needs by creating a stronger environment for charter and other alternative education options to flourish. It re-asserts greater accountability for local school boards by creating a way for choice and competition in education where the money follows the child. When schools compete, kids win. House Resolution 1162 is the ultimate argument for local control because there is no one more local than the parent of a child in determining their educational needs.