A majority of Georgia voters oppose changing the Constitution to remove local control from city and county school boards with only 16 percent of Georgians supporting the change. Georgians between the ages of 30 and 44, those most likely to have children who are about to start or have just started school, oppose the change by a nearly 2:1 margin with 43 percent saying they strongly oppose the change.
Here are the questions we asked voters:
Over the last several years, state government has cut more than $1 billion from the state budget in money that is sent to local school boards for K-12 education. At the same time, the state is asking for more control over local education decisions. Do you support or oppose granting the state more control over education tax dollars raised by local city and county school boards?
Total Support: 18%
Total Oppose: 69%
Neither: 7%
Not sure: 5%
Strongly Support: 14%
Strongly Oppose: 60%
The Georgia Constitution now gives local school boards the power to create charter schools in their community. More than 150 charter schools have been created by local school boards. Should the state government be given the power to create special charter schools over the objection of locally-elected school boards?
Total Support: 27%
Total Oppose: 53%
Neither: 11%
Not sure: 8%
Strongly Support: 19%
Strongly Oppose: 45%
Some state legislators want to change the Georgia Constitution to allow the state to override locally-elected school boards’ decisions whenit comes to the creation of charter schools in their county or city. Do you support or oppose changing the state constitution to do this?
Total Support: 16%
Total Oppose: 61%
Neither: 11%
Not sure: 10%
Strongly Support: 13%
Strongly Oppose: 57%
Download a PDF of the full survey results here: Better Georgia Survey March 2012 (PDF)
