BC-GA—XGR-School Board Reform, 1st Ld-Writethru,0412

Ga. lawmakers consider school board reform bill

Eds: ADDS details from meeting, quotes, background on bill.

By DORIE TURNER

Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers are looking at overhauling how the state regulates school boards after one of the state’s school districts lost accreditation last fall.

The bill would give the governor the power to remove school board members, limit how many members a board can have and require ethics training. It’s part of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s response to a report issued in September by a task force recommending widespread change to prevent more problems for the state’s public school districts.

The report came out just days after the Atlanta-based Southern Association of Colleges and Schools yanked the accreditation of the Clayton County school district Sept. 1, a move blamed on a “dysfunctional” and “fatally flawed” school board.

The situation frustrated Perdue, who has little power under current state law to intervene. Clayton County residents had asked the governor to take over the 50,000-student district.

“This is one of the most important bills we will vote on this session,” said state Senate Education Committee member Gail Buckner, a Democrat from Morrow, which is in Clayton County.

The committee debated the bill — sponsored by Sen. Bill Heath, a Republican from Bremen — on Tuesday but did not vote on the measure. A vote is expected in coming weeks.

Local school boards have opposed the legislation, saying it holds them to rules that aren’t required of other elected boards, including city councils and county commissions. Board members testified during the committee meeting that the legislation takes power away from voters by allowing the governor to remove elected officials.

“Getting between the voters and elected officials, any elected official, is a very serious issue,” Fulton County school board member Katie Reeves said. “You can’t make what happened in Clayton never happen again by legislation.”

Lawmakers also are mulling a bill that would prevent registered sex offenders from serving on a school board. The Senate passed the bill Tuesday.

The accreditation crisis in Clayton County led to a turnover of the entire school board last year, either by resignation or forced removal. The district — with a new board in place — is working to regain accreditation, but in the meantime students who graduate from the suburban Atlanta district may not be eligible for some scholarships or admission to many colleges.

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On the Net:

Clayton County Schools: http://www.clayton.k12.ga.us/

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: http://www.sacs.org

S.B. 84: http://www.legis.ga.gov