ATLANTA – State Representative Alisha Morgan (D-Austell) today received the Impact Award from the Georgia Charter School Association (GCSA), the highest award given to an individual by the organization. GCSA presented the award to Rep. Morgan at the Georgia Charter School Conference in Macon, where she was serving as a guest speaker.
“I was completely surprised and of course humbled,” said Rep. Morgan about receiving the Impact Award. “We don’t do this work for the accolades, but it sure is heartwarming to be recognized with such an esteemed award by my fellow warriors in the education reform movement.”
During her speech at the conference, Rep. Morgan discussed the need for charter schools, as well as education generally, to become more concerned with the best interests of students and urged participants not to make this vitally important issue into a partisan debate between Democrats and Republicans.
“We will begin to see more gains for kids when we refocus our conversations on raising achievement, providing parents choices and taking the politics out of education,” said Rep. Morgan.
In addition to speaking today at the Georgia Charter School Conference, Rep. Morgan also presented several workshops at the National Charter School Conference in June, 2011. Speaking at these events allowed Rep. Morgan to promote the importance of parental choice and to encourage opponents of this issue to re-evaluate their misconceptions about charter schools.
Last year Rep. Morgan introduced House Bill 251, which was signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue and went into effect on May 5, 2009. This new law allows parents to transfer their children to any public school of their choice within their public school systems. Rep. Morgan also co-sponsored HB 881 in 2008, the legislation that created the Georgia Charter School Commission to give state approval of new charter schools.
In recognition of her work for education in the General Assembly, Rep. Morgan has received numerous awards including the “Champion for Choice” award from the American Federation for Children and the “Putting Kids First” award from the Ohio Coalition. Rep. Morgan is also the national co-chair of the Parent’s Advisory Council of the National Coalition of Public School Options (NCPSO).
For more information about the Georgia Charter School Conference, please click here.
Since 2003, Alisha Thomas Morgan has represented Georgia’s 39th House District, serving Cobb County. She is the first African-American to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives from Cobb County and currently serves on the Children & Youth, Education, Governmental Affairs, and Health & Human Services committees. Rep. Morgan may be reached at 404-656-0109 or by e-mail at Alisha.Morgan@house.ga.gov.
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