Habersham County State Senator John Wilkinson says our local schools won’t be among those targeted for improvement by a bill that will give state officials the power to take over failing county systems.
Sen. Wilkinson provided the following report to Now Habersham:
Thursday, March 5, the Georgia State Senate passed two significant pieces of legislation. Senate Bill 133 will create Opportunity School Districts in Georgia and Senate Bill 129 ensures that Georgians can continue to express their religious beliefs without discrimination.
Let me provide some background for Senate Bill 133. Several years ago a bill was passed to measure a school’s performance. In district 50 we are blessed with some of the most outstanding school systems in the state and historically they have received high marks. Unfortunately, some schools in the state consistently do not perform up to standards. Recently, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, I was invited to accompany Governor and Mrs. Deal along with a small group of legislators on a trip to view schools in New Orleans that had addressed a similar challenge successfully. We spent two days visiting with parents, teachers, community leaders, school board members, and administrators regarding the progress that had been made. This experience was helpful to me as the legislation was considered on the Senate floor. All of our children deserve the opportunity for a good education and I believe this bill is a step in that direction.
SB 133 creates an Opportunity School District (OSD) to address low achieving schools in Georgia. The OSD will select up to 20 schools in a single academic year, but will not exceed a total of 100 schools. The schools will be chosen based on their performance over a three-year period, while taking various factors into consideration. The selection process will include a public hearing allowing for community and parent involvement. There is not a more important factor in a person’s quality of life than a good education. I believe this bill provides hope to all of our students for just that. I am pleased that the initial list under consideration does not include any schools in the 50th Senatorial district. This is a testimony to the educational opportunities in our district.
Religious freedom is a cornerstone in the foundation of our country. To ensure the citizens of Georgia can continue to express our religious beliefs without discrimination we passed Senate Bill 129, the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act. SB 129 prohibits government from burdening a person’s exercise of religion unless the government admits a governmental interest. A person can claim a violation of this in defense and receive appropriate relief from the government. The protections set forth in SB129 do not apply to a situation in which a law is broken or safeties and securities are in danger.
Senate Bill 112 also passed this week. It is a revision in the law regarding the removal and storage of deer carcasses. In the future, you will be able to use an electronic device to tag your deer after harvesting it.
Please feel free to contact my office at any time to talk about pending legislation or address other concerns in our district. I look forward to personally welcoming you to your Capitol.
Sen. John Wilkinson serves as the Chairman of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee. He represents the 50th Senate District which includes Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and Towns counties and portions of Hall and Jackson counties. He can be reached by phone at 404.463.5257 or by email at [email protected].
For more on recent events at the Georgia Capitol and how state lawmakers impact life here in Habersham, visit the Now Habersham Politics Page
