The state house today passed a bill that would allow the state to intervene in local school boards if the school system is about to loose accreditation.

The bill is the result of Clayton County loosing its accreditation two years ago not because of test scores, but because members of the school board did not get along. At the time, Governor Perdue was frustrated that there was nothing he could legally do.

This year Warren County schools could loose accreditation because of school board issues. Representative Jim Cole (R - Forsyth) says the bill allows the governor to remove board members who cause trouble.

"We gotta have a firewall in place that allows the Governor of this state in cooperation with the State Board of Education to step in and eliminate a problem that has faced two of our systems."

The bill passed with overwhelming support. It could go into effect in July, but may not apply to Warren County. Clayton County did get its accreditation back after a new school board was voted in.

Tags: Georgia, legislature, lawmakers, governor, Sonny Perdue, Warren County, representative, schools, 2010 legislative session, Jim Cole, Clayton County