The two sides of the charter school amendment debate

• Courtesy of Bert Brantley/Courtesy of Jane Langley
• Bert Brantley (left) of Families for Better Public Schools and Jane Langley of Vote Smart Georgia breakdown the charter school debate

In less than one month, voters will decide the proposed charter school amendment, which would allow the state to authorize charter schools without local school boards' consent. Much of the recent discourse has turned towards the electoral advocacy taking place on both sides of the debate. With polls indicating that the referendum could go either way, there's a lot at stake for all parties involved.

Over the course of the past week, CL spoke with Bert Brantley of Families for Better Public Schools, a pro-charter amendment group, and Jane Langley of Vote Smart Georgia, an anti-charter amendment coalition. In each of these conversations, the two representatives offered compelling arguments for why voters should cast a ballot either for or against the amendment.

Both of our conversations with these spokespeople delved into many of the nuances presented during the ongoing debate. We've posted excerpts from those separate discussions, breaking down the points Brantley and Langley made on various aspects surrounding the charter school amendment referendum.