State Rep. Tom Taylor (R-Dunwoody) this month presented House Resolution 58, his independent school system bill. Co-sponsors are state Reps. Buzz Brockway (R-Lawrenceville) and Valencia Stovall (D-Forest Park).
Taylor has been saying for months the resolution, which calls for a constitutional amendment to allow municipalities to form their own school districts, will be a “heavy lift.” He said at the Dunwoody Homeowners Association annual meeting on Jan. 29 that numerous new state representatives in the General Assembly will hamper support for the resolution. Also, he said, in rural areas of the state, county school districts are the largest employers, so legislators from those areas can be skeptical of changes.
As a proposed constitutional amendment, the proposal requires approval from two-thirds of the members of the House and the state Senate before it can be put on statewide ballot referendum.
Taylor has been working with members of the Georgians for Local Area School Systems (GLASS) to educate legislators and lobby for the resolution. Taylor’s legislation calling for a public vote on the amendment has repeatedly stalled over the past several years.