(AJC) — The Georgia House voted today to give Gov. Nathan Deal the power to intervene in the Atlanta Public Schools accreditation controversy by removing all members of the city’s troubled school board if he chooses. Senate Bill 79, which evoked a passionate floor debate, also would cut the size of the DeKalb County School Board from nine to seven members. It passed the House 109 to 62 and, to become law, still has to clear the state Senate with only two days left in the 40-day legislative session. Supporters said the governor needs the authority to remove the nine-member Atlanta school board, which is up against a Sept. 30 deadline for showing the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools that it has made headway on infighting and other problems that in January landed the city school system on accreditation probation. The bill sets up a two-step process for removing the school board members that starts with a hearing before the State Board of Education by July 31 to look at the Atlanta board’s progress. House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, one of the bill’s chief supporters, called the measure a “safety net” for the 49,000 students who attend Atlanta Public Schools.
