Fayette | News

School voucher bill kicked back to House committee Tues.

Tue, 04/01/2008 - 3:00pm
By: The Citizen

Unclear if bill will be voted on before session end this week

A bill that might have allowed Clayton County students to attend Fayette County Schools should Clayton lose its accreditation this fall was sent back to the House Rules committee Tuesday afternoon.

Senate Bill 458 was expected to come up for a vote on the House floor earlier Tuesday, and Rep. Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City) was set to propose an amendment that would disallow students from such school systems from enrolling in any public school outside their own county.

Ramsey said Tuesday afternoon that he still intends to propose that amendment. He added that he's unsure of what will happen next with SB 458.

The bill's initial version created an uproar among Fayette residents because an amendment would have required Fayette and other public school systems to accept Clayton's students if that county loses its accreditation as expected this fall.

The net result was a firestorm of emails and phone calls to Ramsey, Sen. Ronnie Chance and also Gov. Sonny Perdue on the matter.

The requirement for public schools to accept out-of-county students from de-accredited counties was removed from the current version of the bill by the House Rules Committee last week.

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You still need to fight SB 458!
Submitted by PTC Dawg on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 10:24am.

E-mail your Representative; call the Governor's office 404-656-1776 and the Lt Gov's office 404-656-5030 to voice your opposition! There is always the chance that this will make it back to the House floor for a vote before they recess Fri.
As for the voucher issue, perhaps folks have been educating themselves and are now questioning just how much vouchers would improve this (Clayton County) or any situation. In states that already have vouchers in place, it is a very small minority that takes advantage of them. And, just like the "voluntary redistricting" that took place in Fayette Co a couple years ago, I'm guessing that the majority are the higher performing students from the middle to upper socioeconomic homes that can afford to take advantage. (Good private schools usually cost more than what's provided by a voucher and there is still the transportation issue.)
We can thank No Child Left Behind for usually creating more mess than good! But, for Clayton County, looks like it is finally mobilizing them to improve their leadership.

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Where have all the pro-voucher folks gone?
sniffles5's picture
Submitted by sniffles5 on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 8:16am.

Where oh where are all of the Citizen's pro-voucher bloggers?

Let's see...

Mixer spoke approvingly of legislation that allowed kids in failing school systems to go elsewhere...

Jeffc likes vouchers...

Den$e Conner likes vouchers...

RetArmyMajor says we need school vouchers...

RetArmyMajor says we REALLY need school vouchers...

Shadow08 wants school vouchers...

Den$e Conner sez school vouchers are a quick solution to everything (!!!) ...


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snif: vouchers
Submitted by sageadvice on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 10:00am.

Well you see snif it is whose ox is being gored. Same thing about bailing out the banks and the war funding.

Republicans have no principles anymore except when it is in their favor!

Can you imagine how much crap they would have generated if a democratic president had been at war for six years to no avail?

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Hey sage....If the Democrat Bill Clinton...
Submitted by TyroneTerror on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 11:56am.

had done what he should have, Osama would be in prison or better yet DEAD! Without him in the picture chances are we wouldn't have been attacked on our on soil.

But Slick Willy was more worried about getting his knob polished than getting rid of Osama.

Its politicians in general that have a problem with principles anymore, Democrats and Republican ones. Its to the point that its not about what's right for this country, its what will keep them in power.

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Excellent revisionism, TyroneTerra!
sniffles5's picture
Submitted by sniffles5 on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 12:03pm.

Yep, everything bad in Amurica is/was Clinton's fault.

Of course, back then ole Clinton had the Republicans attempting to stop him every step of the way...when Clinton TRIED to do something, you and your Fox Nutwork buddies were braying "Aspirin Factory!" and "Wag the Dog!" Then, as now, you Republicans were more interested in playing politics than keeping America safe.

Let's not forget Dubya's famous response when briefed that "Bin Laden Determined to Strike In USA"..."Okay, your ass is covered!"

Real leadership there, no?

If the US Supreme Court had selected Al Gore instead of the Decider, chances are Bin Laden would be dead and Sept 11th would have been just another day.


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Not everything is his fault...
Submitted by TyroneTerror on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 12:51pm.

but there are numerous things that are...includig Bin Laden. Any way you look at it you can't escape the fact that he dropped the ball with Bin Laden.

You think Gore would have kept 9/11 from happening....

If that logic is any indication of how Democrats think....then ya'll really are a bunch of Dumba$$es!

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Tyroneterror, ???
AF A-10's picture
Submitted by AF A-10 on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 2:03pm.

Would casting two votes for George W. Bush prove one was smart? No one will ever be able to prove that 9/11 would not have happened with Al Gore in the White House. One can make a VERY strong case that PREOCCUPATION with Iraq pre-9/11 clouded the Bush administration's judgment and effected our actions and inactions pre and post 9/11. I believe that ONLY GWB could have IGNORED a PResidential Daily Bulletin titled "Al Qaeda determined to strike within the U.S. using Airplanes."

And, in the "buck stops here" spirit of accountability, I can think of no one more culpable in Osama's survival than our current President.

Kevin "Hack" King


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I expected as much from you Hack.
Submitted by TyroneTerror on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 2:30pm.

Of course it HAS to be GWB's fault. Everything is his fault according to you Liberals.

"I believe that ONLY GWB could have IGNORED a Presidential Daily Bulletin titled "Al Qaeda determined to strike within the U.S. using Airplanes."

Of course that's what you believe. It doesn't matter to you that Bin Laden had been linked during Clinton's Presidency, to other attacks on US Interests. He was offered up to the US, but President Clinton refused to act on it. So exactly why isn't Clinton culpable?

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