Georgia's kids deserve REAL OPPORTUNITY!

Have you really looked at the so-called "Opportunity School District" (OSD) amendment that will be on the ballot in November? If not, please take some time to research the implications.

 

Fact:   OSD contains an option to withhold three percent of the school's administrative funds,       resulting in fewer funds for instruction costs.  

Facts:  The OSD: 

• supercedes all contracts with schools.
• the OSD superintendent (chosen by the Governor) will have the authority to waive the policies of the Department of Education.
• will  determine the achievement and growth of the state's schools AND
  subjectively rate public schools (A, B, C, D, F).
• can purchase services from anyone.
• will keep the schools for a minimum of five years but can keep them for ten years.
• will be the sole judge and jury  per the OSD schools' performance and data.
• may add 20 additional schools a year.
• will control all the schools' facilities.
• repeals all laws in conflict with this amendment.
• DOES NOT guarantee the return of the schools to the public district.

Our communities elect the Boards of Education.  These are individuals we see regularly in our daily lives:  we see them at the grocery store, out to eat, at church, etc.  The OSD Superintendent chosen by the Governor may have nothing to do with the State Department of Education or the ELECTED Superintendent of Georgia.  This is a gross intrusion on the local control of our school systems!

Facts:  The OSD may:

• close the school and create another unknown market for any type of school;
• fire every employee in an OSD school without recourse;
• take over the school as a state charter school with a dual governance system; and/or
• take over the school as a state charter school and hire a for-profit management company to run it with no local board input--except to pay for the OSD schools. (This happened in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Detroit.)

More than ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SCHOOLS in Georgia are eligible for OSD.  

OSD will provide no new resources to help struggling students and schools. Nothing in this proposed amendment addresses improvements in education.  Years of "teaching to the tests" have negatively impacted teachers ability to effectively TEACH students.  Ask your friends who are teachers about their ideas for improving the education process--trust the people you elect to guide the process.  Trust those you know to be great teachers to inform the process, not an unknown quantity, appointed by the Governor (now and in the future). 

YES, some schools have been chronically failing but the path to fixing those failings is NOT to take control and resources from local BOEs.  By not addressing the socioeconomic issues that many failing school districts face, we are not getting to the root of the problem. Our state needs some new and innovate thought processes to address these issues, including the impact of poverty on kids.  What can impact a child's ability to do well in school?  Having enough food to eat, having proper medical care, having the educational resources they need to succeed (access to libraries, school supplies, Internet, etc.), and having positive role models and mentors to guide them.  

The amendment is worded in such a way that a voter who has little knowledge of the background may be misled into thinking the amendment is a positive idea.  Do not be fooled by the flowery language:  "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?"

 

Vote NO on SR287 (Opportunity School District)!! 

 

Resources: 

http://www.southerneducation.org/Publications/OSD-Eligible-Schools-Updated-05032016.aspx

http://ga.aft.org/

Does Suicide Mean Eternal Damnation?

Do you go to hell if you commit suicide? 

I’ve asked that question of many people, Christians and non-believers alike.  As you can imagine, I’ve gotten different answers.  Surprisingly, I’ve been told by more than one Christian that suicide is not an automatic “go straight to hell” stamp.  Some believe that if a depressed or otherwise mentally ill person commits suicide, the person is not condemned to hell simply because of that act.  I’ve been told that, if you have accepted Jesus into your heart as your Savior and if you believe in your salvation, that is all it takes to “get into” heaven.  I’ve heard that Jesus died for ALL our sins and that, if you interpret suicide to be a sin (thou shalt not kill) then it is forgiven if you are saved.  Of course I’ve heard that you do indeed burn for eternity if you commit suicide.  It’s a violation of the commandment and it’s contrary to taking care of your “temple.”  It’s an unforgivable sin and it’s a ticket straight to hell if you take your own life.

I’ve done a bit of research on it and I haven’t come up with a definitive answer. First and foremost, I have a lot of trouble with a loving God sending one of His children to hell to suffer eternally for simply endeavoring to END suffering (assuming depression or sickness).  I've made the comment to a few people that it seems supremely unfair to be depressed (or sick) and suffering in life and to have no "out."  It seems that if you suffer through hell on earth, you ought to get some credit for that, especially in the circumstance where you've been struggling for years. In my case, I've been mired in a sticky swamp of depression for almost all of my life.  I don't know what it's like to be "normal" or "happy."  I've had seriously suicidal moments in my life.  The one time I made a half-hearted attempt, I had a sense of peace about it.  I felt as if surely God would understand that I was suffering and that all I wanted was eternal peace.  Of course, it wasn't a successful attempt and now, after time has passed, I'm not so sure of that peace.  It seems a huge gamble to take when you just don't know.  

In my reading, this answer struck me as pretty sensical:

"Q:  Is it true that if you’re a born-again Christian and you commit suicide, you won’t go to hell because God has already given you salvation?

A:  Life is lived at three levels: the spirit, the soul, and the body. Understand that when we accept Jesus, it is our spirit that is actually born again. Jesus gives us a brand-new spirit. He doesn’t give us a brand-new soul or body. We need to change our thinking by believing the Scriptures and adapting our thinking to line up with the Bible.

The Bible talks about the renewing of your mind in Romans 12. This is where depression and suicidal thoughts enter in, through the mind and the emotions. If your spirit is born again, according to John 3 and Ezekiel 36, it is your spirit that will spend eternity with God. You cannot damage your spirit by committing sin; you cannot damage your spirit by committing suicide. Because depression and suicidal thoughts come from the soul realm, if someone does commit suicide and Jesus Christ is that person’s true Savior, then I believe he or she will go to heaven. It’s also my belief that if someone is truly saved and truly born again, that person is not going to want to commit suicide. If you are born again and you still have suicidal thoughts, then you need to go to the Bible and hope that God can change you. That’s the most important thing of all."
(http://changinglives.org/tabid/2623/Default.aspx?cat=Suicide) 

Here are a few other links with (mostly) contrary opinions. I'd be interested in hearing feedback from others, whichever you believe.  But no chastising, please.  No bullying or browbeating.  Just opinions, please. 

http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/suicide.shtml

https://bible.org/question/if-christian-commits-suicide-will-they-go-heaven

http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/christians_who_kill_themselves.html