The Georgia General Assembly voted for school choice during the 2012 legislative session, passing legislation to give voters a say on state-authorized public charter schools. On Thursday, April 26, at 8 a.m. at Cobb County’s Georgian Club, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Leadership Breakfast features two legislative leaders at the forefront of the bipartisan campaign for the constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot in November.
The event’s speakers are Rep. Jan Jones, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Georgia House of Representatives, and Georgia House Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, who will provide an overview of education issues addressed by the Legislature and what lies ahead.
This event is $25 to attend. Register by Tuesday, April 24, 2012, online at http://tinyurl.com/82g9hrr.
Jan Jones, first elected to office in 2003, made history when she became the first female Speaker Pro Tem in the Georgia House of Representatives, the second-highest position in the House.
Rep. Jones, who has lived in Fulton County for 25 years, is a Republican who represents North Fulton County. She is a passionate advocate for changing lives and increasing economic opportunities through improved public education and government closer to the people. Some of the school choice legislation she has authored and secured passage for include the Move On When Ready Act, which allows 11th and 12th grade students to leave their assigned high schools and attend a college or technical school to complete graduation requirements while earning college credit, and legislation creating the State Charter Schools Commission, an independent authorizing commission to approve public charter schools and assure equitable funding. The legislation has been recognized nationally as a model for improving public education. In 2007, she gave parents a greater voice in public education by making all 2,000-plus local school councils parent-majority and designating a parent as chair.
Alisha Thomas Morgan, who made history in 2002 by becoming the first African-American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for Cobb County, serves on the House Education, Children and Youth, Health and Human Services and Governmental Affairs committees.
Rep. Morgan has become a statewide leader in the movement for education reform, bringing together an alliance of civil rights activists, education advocates and faith communities to work with parents and students to bring real change to Georgia’s education system. An advocate for more parental options in education, the Austell Democrat was instrumental in passing HB 881 during the 2008 legislative session – a historic bill that created the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, offering an alternate route for groups seeking to establish charter schools.
In 2009, she launched the “Closing the Achievement Gap” Campaign, assembling stakeholders to identify, comprehensively, ways to level the playing field in public education and prepare students to compete in a global market. She also forged a bipartisan coalition and succeeded in passing the landmark education reform legislation to empower parents to access more options within the public school system. Her work in education has earned her the “Champion For Choice” Award from All Children Matter, the “Putting Kids 1st” Award from the Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, and the “Legislative Leadership Award” from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, April 24. Register online at http://tinyurl.com/82g9hrr. Media interested in attending please contact Benita Dodd at or 404-256-4050. (Difficulty registering? Contact Benita Dodd.)
Who: Georgia House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones and Georgia House Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan
What: “Choice Matters: Expanding Educational Opportunities,” a Leadership Breakfast
When: 8 a.m., Thursday, April 26, 2012
Where: The Georgian Club, 100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1700, Atlanta, GA 30339
Directions: http://tinyurl.com/4cf9yy2
About the Georgia Public Policy Foundation: Established in 1991, the Foundation is an independent, state-based think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. The Foundation’s regular events include Leadership Breakfasts and Policy Briefing Luncheons. Weekly publications are the Friday Facts and Friday Idea commentaries. Visit our Web site at georgiapolicy.org. Join The Forum at forum.georgiapolicy.org. Like the Foundation’s Facebook page at facebook.com/GeorgiaPolicy and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/gppf.
The Georgia General Assembly voted for school choice during the 2012 legislative session, passing legislation to give voters a say on state-authorized public charter schools. On Thursday, April 26, at 8 a.m. at Cobb County’s Georgian Club, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Leadership Breakfast features two legislative leaders at the forefront of the bipartisan campaign for the constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot in November.
The event’s speakers are Rep. Jan Jones, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Georgia House of Representatives, and Georgia House Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, who will provide an overview of education issues addressed by the Legislature and what lies ahead.
This event is $25 to attend. Register by Tuesday, April 24, 2012, online at http://tinyurl.com/82g9hrr.
Jan Jones, first elected to office in 2003, made history when she became the first female Speaker Pro Tem in the Georgia House of Representatives, the second-highest position in the House.
Rep. Jones, who has lived in Fulton County for 25 years, is a Republican who represents North Fulton County. She is a passionate advocate for changing lives and increasing economic opportunities through improved public education and government closer to the people. Some of the school choice legislation she has authored and secured passage for include the Move On When Ready Act, which allows 11th and 12th grade students to leave their assigned high schools and attend a college or technical school to complete graduation requirements while earning college credit, and legislation creating the State Charter Schools Commission, an independent authorizing commission to approve public charter schools and assure equitable funding. The legislation has been recognized nationally as a model for improving public education. In 2007, she gave parents a greater voice in public education by making all 2,000-plus local school councils parent-majority and designating a parent as chair.
Alisha Thomas Morgan, who made history in 2002 by becoming the first African-American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for Cobb County, serves on the House Education, Children and Youth, Health and Human Services and Governmental Affairs committees.
Rep. Morgan has become a statewide leader in the movement for education reform, bringing together an alliance of civil rights activists, education advocates and faith communities to work with parents and students to bring real change to Georgia’s education system. An advocate for more parental options in education, the Austell Democrat was instrumental in passing HB 881 during the 2008 legislative session – a historic bill that created the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, offering an alternate route for groups seeking to establish charter schools.
In 2009, she launched the “Closing the Achievement Gap” Campaign, assembling stakeholders to identify, comprehensively, ways to level the playing field in public education and prepare students to compete in a global market. She also forged a bipartisan coalition and succeeded in passing the landmark education reform legislation to empower parents to access more options within the public school system. Her work in education has earned her the “Champion For Choice” Award from All Children Matter, the “Putting Kids 1st” Award from the Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, and the “Legislative Leadership Award” from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, April 24. Register online at http://tinyurl.com/82g9hrr. Media interested in attending please contact Benita Dodd at or 404-256-4050. (Difficulty registering? Contact Benita Dodd.)
Who: Georgia House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones and Georgia House Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan
What: “Choice Matters: Expanding Educational Opportunities,” a Leadership Breakfast
When: 8 a.m., Thursday, April 26, 2012
Where: The Georgian Club, 100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1700, Atlanta, GA 30339
Directions: http://tinyurl.com/4cf9yy2
About the Georgia Public Policy Foundation: Established in 1991, the Foundation is an independent, state-based think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. The Foundation’s regular events include Leadership Breakfasts and Policy Briefing Luncheons. Weekly publications are the Friday Facts and Friday Idea commentaries. Visit our Web site at georgiapolicy.org. Join The Forum at forum.georgiapolicy.org. Like the Foundation’s Facebook page at facebook.com/GeorgiaPolicy and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/gppf.
