Major Education Issues Uncertain As Crossover Day Looms

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The fate of several education bills remain uncertain as Crossover Day looms. / Flickr/CC

There are just four legislative days left until Crossover Day 2017. Any bill that hasn’t made it through at least one chamber of the Georgia General Assembly by Friday will be dead for the year.

But, with the clock ticking, there are still a number of major education issues that haven’t crossed over.

The first is a followup to Governor Nathan Deal’s failed Opportunity School District plan.

The bill would establish a “Chief Turnaround Officer” to intervene in low performing schools and allow the governor to suspend school boards in districts where at least half the schools fail to meet standards for at least five years.

Then, there’s the “campus carry” bill that would allow students to carry guns on public college campuses. A similar measure was passed by Georgia lawmakers last year before being vetoed by Governor Deal.

Another bill would restrict the ability of the state’s public colleges to investigate sexual assaults.

There are also a trio of measures that would expand school choice in the state.

A pair of bills would raise a cap on tax credits given to Georgians who bankroll private school scholarships. The tax credit program has been wildly popular. In recent years, it has reached its $58 million dollar cap on the first day and has subsidized private education for thousands of students.

Another measure would establish Education Savings Accounts to allow parents to put public money towards private education.