EDITORIAL: Failing schools a negative Georgia must overcome

In his State of the State address Wednesday to the General Assembly, Gov. Nathan Deal carried a theme of looking at the positive things that were going on in the state.

But one aspect that is a drawback to Georgia that has to be addressed is the number of failing schools.

According to the governor, 26 more schools in the past two years have joined the list of those in the state that had failing scores for three consecutive years, bringing the current total to 153. Where 68,000 students were enrolled in schools listed as chronically failing in 2014, that number has increased now to 89,000.

More disturbingly, 106 of the failing schools are elementary schools. Students in those schools should be building a base for success in high school, college and in adult life. The foundation cannot allowed to be faulty.

“It should be abundantly clear to everyone, including those in the education community who so staunchly support the status quo, that this is unacceptable.,” Deal said. “If this pattern of escalation in the number of failing schools does not change, its devastating effects on our state will grow with each passing school year.”

Last year, Georgia voters turned down a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the state to take over failing schools. In a state where local control is strongly preferred, the amendment was seen as overreach from the Capitol. But while Georgians did not see the Opportunity School Districts as the answer, an answer is still needed.

Deal said that since nearly seven out of 10 failing schools are elementary schools, his proposals this year will aim particularly at that level.

“If we can reverse this alarming trend early on,” he said, “if we can eliminate this negative that directly or indirectly impacts all of us, then our reading comprehension scores, math skills, graduation rates and the quality of our work force will all improve considerably.”

We were happy to see District 12 state Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, a retired educator whose district includes Dougherty County, is among those Deal named as the group his office is working with to develop legislation in this area. Deal said Sims and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, House Speaker David Ralston, House Chairman Brooks Coleman, state Rep. Kevin Tanner, Senate Chairman Lindsey Tippins and others would craft legislation that will be presented this session.

With about half of the state budget dedicated to education, Deal indicated he didn’t see resources as the problem.

“It is not enough to pour more and more money on a problem in hopes that it will go away,” he said. “By addressing this negative, the students of today will be prepared for the jobs of tomorrow – jobs that are already on their way to our communities.”

We wish Sims and her colleagues success in tackling this serious and complex problem. Georgia will be a strong state if its public schools, especially those that impact students in their critical elementary years, are all strong. We hope that all involved — both lawmakers and educators — will come to the table with open minds and a single purpose — improving educational opportunities for our students. Georgia must not fail these, our future leaders, now so that they will not fail our state in the future.