VoteScope

Education as Described in the Georgia Constitution

The following information about education was taken from the Georgia Constitution.

ARTICLE VIII. EDUCATION

SECTION I. PUBLIC EDUCATION

Paragraph I. Public education;

free public education prior to college or postsecondary level; support by taxation. The provision of an adequate public education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia. Public education for the citizens prior to the college or postsecondary level shall be free and shall be provided for by taxation, and the General Assembly may by general law provide for the establishment of education policies for such public education. The expense of other public education shall be provided for in such manner and in such amount as may be provided by law.

TOC

SECTION II. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Paragraph I. State Board of Education.

(a) There shall be a State Board of Education which shall consist of one member from each congressional district in the state appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Governor shall not be a member of said board. The ten members in office on June 30, 1983, shall serve out the remainder of their respective terms. As each term of office expires, the Governor shall appoint a successor as herein provided. The terms of office of all members appointed after the effective date of this Constitution shall be for seven years. Members shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified. In the event of a vacancy on the board by death, resignation, removal, or any reason other than expiration of a member’s term, the Governor shall fill such vacancy; and the person so appointed shall serve until confirmed by the Senate and, upon confirmation, shall serve for the unexpired term of office.

(b) The State Board of Education shall have such powers and duties as provided by law.

(c) The State Board of Education may accept bequests, donations, grants, and transfers of land, buildings, and other property for the use of the state educational system.

(d) The qualifications, compensation, and removal from office of the members of the board of education shall be as provided by law.

TOC

SECTION III. STATE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT

Paragraph I. State School Superintendent.

There shall be a State School Superintendent,
who shall be the executive officer of the State Board of Education, elected at the same time
and in the same manner and for the same term as that of the Governor. The State School
Superintendent shall have such qualifications and shall be paid such compensation as may
be fixed by law. No member of the State Board of Education shall be eligible for election
as State School Superintendent during the time for which such member shall have been
appointed.

SECTION IV.
BOARD OF REGENTS
Paragraph I. University System of Georgia; board of regents. (a) There shall be a Board
of Regents of the University System of Georgia which shall consist of one member from
each congressional district in the state and five additional members from the state at large,
appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Governor shall not be a
member of said board. The members in office on June 30, 1983, shall serve out the
remainder of their respective terms. As each term of office expires, the Governor shall
appoint a successor as herein provided. All such terms of members shall be for seven years.
Members shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified. In the event of a
vacancy on the board by death, resignation, removal, or any reason other than the
expiration of a member’s term, the Governor shall fill such vacancy; and the person so
appointed shall serve until confirmed by the Senate and, upon confirmation, shall serve for
the unexpired term of office.
(b) The board of regents shall have the exclusive authority to create new public colleges,
junior colleges, and universities in the State of Georgia, subject to approval by majority
vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Such vote shall not be required to
change the status of a college, institution or university existing on the effective date of this
Constitution. The government, control, and management of the University System of
Georgia and all of the institutions in said system shall be vested in the Board of Regents
of the University System of Georgia.
(c) All appropriations made for the use of any or all institutions in the university system
shall be paid to the board of regents in a lump sum, with the power and authority in said
board to allocate and distribute the same among the institutions under its control in such
way and manner and in such amounts as will further an efficient and economical
administration of the university system.
(d) The board of regents may hold, purchase, lease, sell, convey, or otherwise dispose
of public property, execute conveyances thereon, and utilize the proceeds arising
therefrom; may exercise the power of eminent domain in the manner provided by law; and
shall have such other powers and duties as provided by law.
(e) The board of regents may accept bequests, donations, grants, and transfers of land,
buildings, and other property for the use of the University System of Georgia.
(f) The qualifications, compensation, and removal from office of the members of the
board of regents shall be as provided by law.

SECTION V.
LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS
Paragraph I. School systems continued; consolidation of school systems authorized;
new independent school systems prohibited. Authority is granted to county and area
boards of education to establish and maintain public schools within their limits; provided,
however, that the authority provided for in this paragraph shall not diminish any authority
of the General Assembly otherwise granted under this article, including the authority to
establish special schools as provided for in Article VIII, Section V, Paragraph VII.
Existing county and independent school systems shall be continued, except that the General
Assembly may provide by law for the consolidation of two or more county school systems,
independent school systems, portions thereof, or any combination thereof into a single
county or area school system under the control and management of a county or area board
of education, under such terms and conditions as the General Assembly may prescribe; but
no such consolidation shall become effective until approved by a majority of the qualified
voters voting thereon in each separate school system proposed to be consolidated. No
independent school system shall hereafter be established.

Paragraph II. Boards of education. Each school system shall be under the management
and control of a board of education, the members of which shall be elected as provided by
law. School board members shall reside within the territory embraced by the school system
and shall have such compensation and additional qualifications as may be provided by law.
Any board of education to which the members are appointed as of December 31, 1992,
shall continue as an appointed board of education through December 31, 1993, and the
appointed members of such board of education who are in office on December 31, 1992,
shall continue in office as members of such appointed board until December 31, 1993, on
which date the terms of office of all appointed members shall end.

Paragraph III. School superintendents. There shall be a school superintendent of each
system appointed by the board of education who shall be the executive officer of the board
of education and shall have such qualifications, powers, and duties as provided by general
law. Any elected school superintendent in office on January 1, 1993, shall continue to serve
out the remainder of his or her respective term of office and shall be replaced by an
appointee of the board of education at the expiration of such term.

Paragraph IV. Reserved.

Paragraph V. Power of boards to contract with each other. (a) Any two or more boards
of education may contract with each other for the care, education, and transportation of
pupils and for such other activities as they may be authorized by law to perform.
(b) The General Assembly may provide by law for the sharing of facilities or services
by and between local boards of education under such joint administrative authority as may
be authorized.

Paragraph VI. Power of boards to accept bequests, donations, grants, and transfers. The
board of education of each school system may accept bequests, donations, grants, and
transfers of land, buildings, and other property for the use of such system.

Paragraph VII. Special schools. (a) The General Assembly may provide by law for the
creation of special schools in such areas as may require them and may provide for the
participation of local boards of education in the establishment of such schools under such
terms and conditions as it may provide; but no bonded indebtedness may be incurred nor
a school tax levied for the support of special schools without the approval of the local
board of education and a majority of the qualified voters voting thereon in each of the
systems affected. Any special schools shall be operated in conformity with regulations of
the State Board of Education pursuant to provisions of law. Special schools may include
state charter schools; provided, however, that special schools shall only be public schools.
A state charter school under this section shall mean a public school that operates under the
terms of a charter between the State Board of Education and a charter petitioner; provided,
however, that such state charter schools shall not include private, sectarian, religious, or
for profit schools or private educational institutions; provided, further, that this Paragraph
shall not be construed to prohibit a local board of education from establishing a local
charter school pursuant to Article VIII, Section V, Paragraph I. The state is authorized to
expend state funds for the support and maintenance of special schools in such amount and
manner as may be provided by law; provided, however, no deduction shall be made to any
state funding which a local school system is otherwise authorized to receive pursuant to
general law as a direct result or consequence of the enrollment in a state charter school of
a specific student or students who reside within the geographic boundaries of the local
school system.
(b) Nothing contained herein shall be construed to affect the authority of local boards of
education or of the state to support and maintain special schools created prior to June 30,
1983.

SECTION VI.
LOCAL TAXATION FOR EDUCATION
Paragraph I. Local taxation for education. (a) The board of education of each school
system shall annually certify to its fiscal authority or authorities a school tax not greater
than 20 mills per dollar for the support and maintenance of education. Said fiscal authority
or authorities shall annually levy said tax upon the assessed value of all taxable property
within the territory served by said school system, provided that the levy made by an area
board of education, which levy shall not be greater than 20 mills per dollar, shall be in such
amount and within such limits as may be prescribed by local law applicable thereto.
(b) School tax funds shall be expended only for the support and maintenance of public
schools, public vocational-technical schools, public education, and activities necessary or
incidental thereto, including school lunch purposes.
(c) The 20 mill limitation provided for in subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph shall not
apply to those school systems which are authorized on June 30, 1983, to levy a school tax
in excess thereof.
(d) The method of certification and levy of the school tax provided for in subparagraph
(a) of this Paragraph shall not apply to those systems that are authorized on June 30, 1983,
to utilize a different method of certification and levy of such tax; but the General Assembly
may by law require that such systems be brought into conformity with the method of
certification and levy herein provided.

Paragraph II. Increasing or removing tax rate. The mill limitation in effect on June 30,
1983, for any school system may be increased or removed by action of the respective
boards of education, but only after such action has been approved by a majority of the
qualified voters voting thereon in the particular school system to be affected in the manner
provided by law.

Paragraph III. School tax collection reimbursement. The General Assembly may by
general law require local boards of education to reimburse the appropriate governing
authority for the collection of school taxes, provided that any rate established may be
reduced by local act.

Paragraph IV. Sales tax for educational purposes. (a) The board of education of each
school district in a county in which no independent school district is located may by
resolution and the board of education of each county school district and the board of
education of each independent school district located within such county may by
concurrent resolutions impose, levy, and collect a sales and use tax for educational
purposes of such school districts conditioned upon approval by a majority of the qualified
voters residing within the limits of the local taxing jurisdiction voting in a referendum
thereon. This tax shall be at the rate of 1 percent and shall be imposed for a period of time
not to exceed five years, but in all other respects, except as otherwise provided in this
Paragraph, shall correspond to and be levied in the same manner as the tax provided for by
Article 3 of Chapter 8 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
special county 1 percent sales and use tax, as now or hereafter amended. Proceedings for
the reimposition of such tax shall be in the same manner as proceedings for the initial
imposition of the tax, but the newly authorized tax shall not be imposed until the expiration
of the tax then in effect.
(b) The purpose or purposes for which the proceeds of the tax are to be used and may be
expended include:
(1) Capital outlay projects for educational purposes;
(2) The retirement of previously incurred general obligation debt with respect only to
capital outlay projects of the school system; provided, however, that the tax authorized
under this Paragraph shall only be expended for the purpose authorized under this
subparagraph (b)(2) if all ad valorem property taxes levied or scheduled to be levied prior
to the maturity of any such then outstanding general obligation debt to be retired by the
proceeds of the tax imposed under this Paragraph shall be reduced by a total amount
equal to the total amount of proceeds of the tax imposed under this Paragraph to be
applied to retire such bonded indebtedness. In the event of failure to comply with the
requirements of this subparagraph (b)(2), as certified by the Department of Revenue, no
further funds shall be expended under this subparagraph (b)(2) by such county or
independent board of education and all such funds shall be maintained in a separate,
restricted account and held solely for the expenditure for future capital outlay projects for
educational purposes; or
(3) A combination of the foregoing.
(c) The resolution calling for the imposition of the tax and the ballot question shall each
describe:
(1) The specific capital outlay projects to be funded, or the specific debt to be retired,
or both, if applicable;
(2) The maximum cost of such project or projects and, if applicable, the maximum
amount of debt to be retired, which cost and amount of debt shall also be the maximum
amount of net proceeds to be raised by the tax; and
(3) The maximum period of time, to be stated in calendar years or calendar quarters
and not to exceed five years.
(d) Nothing in this Paragraph shall prohibit a county and those municipalities located in
such county from imposing as additional taxes local sales and use taxes authorized by
general law.
(e) The tax imposed pursuant to this Paragraph shall not be subject to and shall not count
with respect to any general law limitation regarding the maximum amount of local sales
and use taxes which may be levied in any jurisdiction in this state.
(f) The tax imposed pursuant to this Paragraph shall not be subject to any sales and use
tax exemption with respect to the sale or use of food and beverages which is imposed by
law.
(g) The net proceeds of the tax shall be distributed between the county school district and
the independent school districts, or portion thereof, located in such county according to the
ratio the student enrollment in each school district, or portion thereof, bears to the total
student enrollment of all school districts in the county or upon such other formula for
distribution as may be authorized by local law. For purposes of this subparagraph, student
enrollment shall be based on the latest FTE count prior to the referendum on imposing the
tax.
(h) Excess proceeds of the tax which remain following expenditure of proceeds for
authorized projects or purposes for education shall be used solely for the purpose of
reducing any indebtedness of the school system. In the event there is no indebtedness, such
excess proceeds shall be used by such school system for the purpose of reducing its millage
rate in an amount equivalent to the amount of such excess proceeds.
(i) The tax authorized by this Paragraph may be imposed, levied, and collected as
provided in this Paragraph without further action by the General Assembly, but the General
Assembly shall be authorized by general law to further define and implement its provisions
including, but not limited to, the authority to specify the percentage of net proceeds to be
allocated among the projects and purposes for which the tax was levied.
(j)(1) Notwithstanding any provision of any constitutional amendment continued in
force and effect pursuant to Article XI, Section I, Paragraph IV(a) and except as
otherwise provided in subparagraph (j)(2) of this Paragraph, any political subdivision
whose ad valorem taxing powers are restricted pursuant to such a constitutional
amendment may receive the proceeds of the tax authorized under this Paragraph or of any
local sales and use tax authorized by general law, or any combination of such taxes,
without any corresponding limitation of its ad valorem taxing powers which would
otherwise be required under such constitutional amendment.
(2) The restriction on and limitation of ad valorem taxing powers described in
subparagraph (j)(1) of this Paragraph shall remain applicable with respect to proceeds
received from the levy of a local sales and use tax specifically authorized by a
constitutional amendment in force and effect pursuant to Article XI, Section I, Paragraph
IV(a), as opposed to a local sales and use tax authorized by this Paragraph or by general
law.

SECTION VII.
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE
Paragraph I. Educational assistance programs authorized. (a) Pursuant to laws now or
hereafter enacted by the General Assembly, public funds may be expended for any of the
following purposes:
(1) To provide grants, scholarships, loans, or other assistance to students and to parents
of students for educational purposes.
(2) To provide for a program of guaranteed loans to students and to parents of students
for educational purposes and to pay interest, interest subsidies, and fees to lenders on
such loans. The General Assembly is authorized to provide such tax exemptions to
lenders as shall be deemed advisable in connection with such program.
(3) To match funds now or hereafter available for student assistance pursuant to any
federal law.
(4) To provide grants, scholarships, loans, or other assistance to public employees for
educational purposes.
(5) To provide for the purchase of loans made to students for educational purposes who
have completed a program of study in a field in which critical shortages exist and for
cancellation of repayment of such loans, interest, and charges thereon.
(b) Contributions made in support of any educational assistance program now or
hereafter established under provisions of this section may be deductible for state income
tax purposes as now or hereafter provided by law.
(c) The General Assembly shall be authorized by general law to provide for an education
trust fund to assist students and parents of students in financing postsecondary education
and to provide for contracts between the fund and purchasers for the advance payment of
tuition by each purchaser for a qualified beneficiary to attend a state institution of higher
education. Such general law shall provide for such terms, conditions, and limitations as the
General Assembly shall deem necessary for the implementation of this subparagraph.
Notwithstanding any provision of this Constitution to the contrary, the General Assembly
shall be authorized to provide for the guarantee of such contracts with state revenues.

Paragraph II. Guaranteed revenue debt. Guaranteed revenue debt may be incurred to
provide funds to make loans to students and to parents of students for educational purposes,
to purchase loans made to students and to parents of students for educational purposes, or
to lend or make deposits of such funds with lenders which shall be secured by loans made
to students and to parents of students for educational purposes. Any such debt shall be
incurred in accordance with the procedures and requirements of Article VII, Section IV of
this Constitution.

Paragraph III. Public authorities. Public authorities or public corporations heretofore or
hereafter created for such purposes shall be authorized to administer educational assistance
programs and, in connection therewith, may exercise such powers as may now or hereafter
be provided by law.
Paragraph IV. Waiver of tuition. The Board of Regents of the University System of
Georgia shall be authorized to establish programs allowing attendance at units of the
University System of Georgia without payment of tuition or other fees, but the General
Assembly may provide by law for the establishment of any such program for the benefit
of elderly citizens of the state.

Elect State School Board

Why do we need the State School Board to be elected?

Justification is found by the following reasons, namely, (1) Critical Race Theory (2) Common Core, and (3) The deliberate “dumbing down” of Georgia students.

(1) Critical Race Theory (CRT)
The acronym CRT is commonly used, to sum up several issues that are taking place in Georgia Schools.  All of the issues may be traced to the basic term “indoctrination” of the students. The radical left-wing teachers and facilities are imposing indoctrination on their students without the consent of their parents.

No one may identify the potential of any given student at any given point in time. An excellent example of this is the biography of Thomas A. Edison. His teachers thought the boy to be simple-minded. Thomas’ mother thought otherwise and took the boy’s education into her own hands. The rest of the story is history.

A person’s potential in life is NOT predetermined by the person’s race or gender. Other factors play an important part in success or failure. Education has been proven to be the catalyst to propel one to change one’s circumstances. Initiative, determination, and risk play a part in the achievement of any goal one sets for himself/herself. Any so-called “teaching that one cannot succeed based upon one’s race or gender” is flawed, and if it is found in GA schools, needs to be stopped immediately.

When parents first learned about CRT, they confronted the local school boards across Georgia. By then the CRT materials had already reached classrooms and had infiltrated school libraries. Some of the school boards took the position that CRT wasn’t being taught in their schools and have failed to listen and heed parents’ wishes. The appointed members of the GA State School Board have failed Georgians when it comes to fighting for parents’ rights on this and the other issues discussed in this paper.

(2) Common Core
When Common Core was adopted in Georgia by legislative action several years ago, the name “Common Core” was changed to Georgia’s Performance Standards. This name change to Georgia Performance Standards is nothing but the Common Core curriculum. This curriculum is still in our schools. Common Core, aka Georgia Performance Standards, is the instruction practice standards set for the K to 12 students. This initiative over the years has proven to actually dumb down students. The Common Core initiative was first described as preparing students to be competitive on a global scale, but post-studies have shown it had the reverse effect on the students. [reference needed]. Phonics, reading, writing, spelling, language, US and World history, science, technology, engineering, and math are subjects that need to be taught in Georgia schoolrooms.  Critical thinking, using one’s God-given mental facilitates, [memory, reason, analysis, imagination, concentration, and will], must be reinstated in the school rooms of Georgia.

(3) Deliberate Dumbing Down of GA [and entire USA] students
Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, served as the senior policy advisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, during the first term of U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Ms. Iserbyt later came across a federally funded grant entitled Better Education Skills through Technology (Project BEST), part of which was headed “What we (U.S. Dept. of Education) can control and manipulate at the local level”. After leaking this document to Human Events, she was removed from her post in the Department of Education. Ms. Iserbyt’ s work, The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America, published in 1999, with Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98–89726 ISBN: 0–9667071–0–9, may be found at the following link

http://deliberatedumbingdown.com/ddd/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DDDoA.pdf

In 2020, the New York Times introduced an indoctrination tool, The 1619 Project, which completely skews the history of the USA. At about the same time, Hillsdale College, a privately funded college, announced it’s 1776 project. Hillsdale College educators have developed a K-12 educational curriculum that we believe to be one that needs to be adopted by the GA State Board of Education. That curriculum may be reviewed at

https://k12.hillsdale.edu/Curriculum/The-Hillsdale-1776-Curriculum/

Our entire educational system has been under attack since the turn of the 20^th century. “Soviets in the Classroom” — first published in 1989 — is an important piece of work that outlines the agreements made between our government and the Soviets with regard to education. Included is a timeline starting in the 1930s listing important events related to this transformation. Is the repugnant act of burning the American flag more damaging to our nation’s political integrity than letting the Soviets into our classrooms, in person, on video, or through U.S.-Soviet jointly developed curricula?

http://deliberatedumbingdown.com/ddd/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Soviets_in_Classroom.pdf

The people of the great State of Georgia must be made aware of what has been taking place behind the scenes in our Government for several years. Our God-given rights have been eroding for the past 100+ years. It is imperative for people to become aware, to take charge of our future, which is our children, and put proper education back in the classroom.

The role of the NEW Elected State School Board

The State School Board sets policies and standards for Georgia public schools. The responsibilities should include:

• Reviewing the proposed charters for new schools with the authority to veto an applicant.
• Refusing Federal money offered when strings are attached. Common Core, Critical Race Theory (CRT), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), etc.
• Determine the number of days GA schools will be open and when schools should be closed.
• Develop and implement teaching standards that will improve the education of students.
• Remove the materials, teachers, and facilities that are allowing student indoctrination in our schools.
• Adopt a curriculum, such as one proposed by the educators of Hillsdale College, for the K-12 students of Georgia.

Elected School Boards use the democratic process to choose the board’s leadership. The intention is to give the people their own voice at the State School Board by electing their representatives so they can hold them accountable. A major pro of this system is that voters can hold state school board officials accountable by voting them out if they disagree with the job they have done. Elected school boards are the most common system across America. Electing the State School Board members will keep the focus on educating the students properly.

Elected School Board members have greater independence and freedom to act in the best interest of the school system than do the appointed board members. An elected board is in a better position to work closely and effectively with the State School Superintendent and staff than an appointed board.

Proposal by Vote Scope

Currently, in Georgia, we have 14 State School Board members, one from each congressional district, that are appointed by the Governor. We at Vote Scope, propose that we elect one member from each of the 14 Congressional Districts in Georgia every two years as with the congressional candidates. With the current system, state school board member selection is influenced by the governor’s party affixation and the ethnic background of those they select to be on the board. In the event, the governor does not agree with the board’s decisions he can replace the appointed member. The appointed boards have a history of becoming a rubber stamp for the governor.

Question? Should the GA State Board members be selected from Congressional districts or from the RESA districts?

RESAs in GA

There are 16 Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs) in the State of GA. School Superintendents, who are elected, from each of the school districts in the State of GA belong to one of the RESA boards. The RESA boards determine the curriculum and classes required for teachers to maintain their teaching certificates. This process and “train the teacher” materials MUST be more transparent.

The Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) is comprised of 16 regional educational service agencies strategically located in service districts throughout the State of Georgia. The agencies were established for the purpose of sharing services designed to improve the effectiveness of the educational programs of member school systems. In addition, the RESAs assist the State Department of Education in promoting its initiatives. The RESAs inform systems of innovation and gather research on programs as needed. See https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Pages/default.aspx

What can you do to get the State School Board elected and working for the people?

1. Locate and read the Charter that applies to your child’s school district – a school district charter is a contract between the school district and the GA State Board of Education. NOTE: Some or all of GA Title 20, the laws pertaining to education in GA, may be disregarded. This depends upon the wording OF THE CONTRACT (Charter).
   1. Note: find the charter at your local school district website. For instance, Banks County School Board website, Hall County School Board website, Lumpkin County School Board website, etc.
   2. Did you know that students nowadays watch videos on their subject matter? Many of those videos come through the Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) and Georgia Public Broadcasting. As you may or may not be aware – PBS broadcasting is WOKE!
2. Research K-12 curriculums that have been developed by educators (note – any or all of these may be incorporated or ignored – depending on the terms of the school district charter.)
   1. https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Pages/default.aspx
3. Research K-12 curriculums developed by alternate educators – for instance, Hillsdale College

1. 1. https://k12.hillsdale.edu/Curriculum/The-Hillsdale-1776-Curriculum/

1. Research the information about elected vs appointed school boards on the internet.
   1. https://www.newsmax.com/politics/school-boards-conservatives-gender-identity/2022/09/19/id/1088182/
2. Contact your friends & family and ask them to meet with their elected officials to find out how the elected official stands on the subject of electing the State Board of Education members
   1. Generate a petition for your friends and neighbors to sign that demands the elected official enact legislation to provide for the election of all GA State Board of Education members – to serve for a two-year term.
   2. Unfortunately, it may take years to be able to achieve our goal, but we must start someplace. A good way to convince people that the State School Board needs to be elected is to point out the possibility of a liberal gubernatorial candidate winning the election and the very real possibility of the liberal governor replacing the existing board with a very liberal body.