ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Voters will get to decide this November if the state should be guaranteed the right to authorize charter schools independent institutions that get public money.
"We trust the public will vote with their conscience," said Nina Gilbert, Executive Director for Ivy Preparatory Academy.
The school battled with the Gwinnett Board of Education to stay open. Gilbert believes a friendlier state board would give schools like Ivy Prep a greater chance at survival.
"It definitely relieves us from external pressures around funding and whether not we have an authorizer that is going to be stable," Gilbert said.
Advocates of state-charter schools are working to persuade the public to vote "yes" for a constitutional amendment on charter schools.
The Georgia Supreme Court ruled last year ruled that only local boards of education have the power to authorize charter schools, not the state.
Lawmakers earlier this year approved a resolution to let voters decide if they want to amend Georgia's Constitution to grant the state the power to authorize charter schools.
The issue will be one of the more controversial items on the ballot. A "yes" vote on the November ballot would re-establish the Georgia charter school commission and give the state the same right as local school districts to grant charters.
State Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan is part of a coalition of parents and advocates trying to win voters' support this fall.
"This is about quality education," Morgan said. "I along with many parents and students will be heartbroken if this does not pass. It will limit options in the public school system."
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