Gwinnett School Supt. Disappointed by Amendment 1 Passage

Gwinnett Schools Supt. Alvin Wilbanks has issued a statement expressing disappointment that Georgia voters passed the Charter Schools Amendment on Tuesday (November 6).

The state's voters, by a strong majority, approved Amendment One, which allows for state officials to approve publicly funded charter schools, without the permission of local school boards.

Wilbanks' statement said the amendment "is not in the best interest of students and public education in this state."

How do you feel about the Charter Schools Amendment passing? Do you feel the Gwinnett system should remain the sole authority for charter schools in this county? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

"We are disappointed that with the passage of Amendment 1 the state, rather than being our partner, has become our opponent in the all-important work of educating the state’s children," the statement read.

The Gwinnett system, which is the state's largest with more than 165,000 students, has four charter schools within its ranks that were set up by GCPS according to charter school rules. They are the Gwinnett Online Campus (Norcross), Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (Lawrenceville), Maxwell High School of Technology (Lawrenceville), and
New Life Academy of Excellence (K-3 in Norcross) and (K-8 in Duluth).

However, the recent controversy over Peachtree Corners-based Ivy Prep Academy, an all-girls charter school, shows the controversial nature of the just-passed amendment.

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