GA Code § 20-14-45 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 20 - Education|Chapter 14 - Education Accountability|Article 2 - Education Accountability Assessment Programs|Part 3A - Turnaround Schools|§ 20-14-45. Turnaround Eligible Schools Defined; Identification; Role of Local Boards of Education

  As used in this Code section, the term "turnaround eligible schools" means the schools that have performed in the lowest 5 percent of schools in this state identified in accordance with the state-wide accountability system established in the state plan pursuant to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.   The Chief Turnaround Officer, in conjunction with the State School Superintendent and the Office of Student Achievement, shall annually identify the lowest-performing schools that are deemed as having the greatest need for assistance based on a list of turnaround eligible schools prepared annually by the Office of Student Achievement. If the Chief Turnaround Officer, after consulting with the State School Superintendent, determines that the capacity and resources available to the Chief Turnaround Officer and to the Department of Education are insufficient to serve all schools on the turnaround eligible schools list, the Chief Turnaround Officer may select a subset of such schools based on the following factors:   Whether the school's rating has been improving or declining over the previous three years, based on the state-wide accountability system;   Whether the contract for strategic waivers school systems or the charter for charter systems adequately addresses the school's deficiencies;   Whether the school is in a local school system with a recent accreditation report showing deficiencies in system level governance, school level leadership, system and school level resource utilization, or school level achievement, including the areas of reading and mathematics proficiencies;   Whether the school is located in a local school system in which one-half or more of the schools are on the turnaround eligible schools list for the fifth or more consecutive year;   Whether the school is in close proximity to a school that will be served pursuant to paragraphs (1), (2), (3), or (4) of this subsection; and   Any other factors deemed appropriate by the Chief Turnaround Officer.     The Chief Turnaround Officer shall extend an opportunity to the local boards of education for each school identified pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section to amend the contract entered into pursuant to Code Section 20-2-83 for strategic waivers school systems or to amend the charter, for charter systems. The amendment shall be for the purposes of agreeing to receive assistance pursuant to this part for such identified school or schools. For any such local board of education that is offered the opportunity to amend its system contract or charter but that does not sign an amendment within 60 days of being offered the amendment or that declines to sign an amendment, the State Board of Education shall within 60 days either implement one or more of the interventions contained in paragraph (6) of subsection (a) of Code Section 20-14-41 for such school or terminate the system contract or charter as allowed by the terms of such contract or charter.   For any local school system that is not a charter system or a strategic waivers school system, the Chief Turnaround Officer shall extend an opportunity to the local board of education for each school identified pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section to enter into an intervention contract for the purposes of agreeing to receive assistance pursuant to Code Section 20-14-46 for such identified school or schools. For any such local board of education that is offered the opportunity to enter into an intervention contract but that declines, the State Board of Education shall immediately implement one or more of the interventions contained in paragraph (6) of subsection (a) of Code Section 20-14-41 for such school.   For any school on the turnaround eligible school list which is not selected as part of the subset of schools to be assisted by the Chief Turnaround Officer due to insufficient capacity and resources, the Department of Education's school improvement division, shall begin or continue focused supports and a pre-diagnostic review utilizing all relevant data held at the state level as it relates to the local school system and school, including financial audits, funding allotments, federal funds, state assessment data, and the most recent local school system accreditation report regarding system level governance and leadership, resource utilization, teaching and learning effectiveness, and academic achievement.     (Code 1981, §20-14-45, enacted by Ga. L. 2017, p. 75, § 2-1/HB 338; Ga. L. 2018, p. 1112, § 20/SB 365; Ga. L. 2020, p. 62, § 2-6/SB 68.)    The 2018 amendment,  effective May 8, 2018, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, revised punctuation in subsection (a) and in paragraph (b)(1); and substituted "strategic waivers school system" for "strategic waivers system" in the first sentence of subsection (d).    The 2020 amendment,  effective July 1, 2021, in subsection (b), in the first sentence, substituted "State School Superintendent" for "Department of Education" and substituted "as having the greatest need for" for "to be in the greatest need of" and deleted "Department of Education staff and" following "consulting with" in the second sentence; and substituted "Education's" for "Education, through its" in subsection (e).   Code Commission notes.   - Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2017, Code Section 20-14-45, as enacted by Ga. L. 2017, p. 93, § 1/HB 139, was redesignated as Code Section 20-14-49.10.   U.S. Code.   - The federal Every Student Succeeds Act, referred to in this Code section, is codified at 20 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq.   Law reviews.   - For article, "Positive Education Federalism: The Promise of Equality after the Every Student Succeeds Act," see 68 Mercer L. Rev. 351 (2017).