Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Without education, there can be no economic development within a society. It is up to each of us to make sure that every child has access to a quality education. Communities are built around education and must stand in unity to make sure that its residents receive the education they need and deserve in order to thrive now and in the future. Education is not an option, it is a requirement and cannot be diminished for political gain. As your state representative, I will be an avid advocate for protecting our educational system and challenging our leaders to hold education to its highest standards while providing teachers with the financial support they deserve.

Action Plan: We need to think about education short term and long term.

In the short-term, I will vote to restore funding to the school system so that teachers are not furloughed and schools are not closed. Over the last 10 years, Georgia has cut 25-30% of school funding resulting in an estimate 4.3 BILLION dollars of lost education funds over the last decade.

But it's not enough to simply restore funding because throwing money at any problem does not get issues solved. Instead, we must have the leadership in our schools who are able to use funds wisely for the sake of our children. I promise to hold our school leadership accountable for their actions and ask the tough questions. Furthermore, for immediate results we need to bring teachers to the decision table. They are the ones that are on the ground speaking with parents and interacting with students on a daily basis and there is no reason why they shouldn't have more input as to how the school system should be ran or ways to improve. As your state representative, I will advocate to the School Board to create a significant, influential advisory committee made up of current teachers to help the Board decide on policy issues. We cannot leave our teachers out of the decision-making process.

In the long-term, we need pass laws that treat education funds as "hands off" such as a law requiring an education reserve in tough economic times such as these or that a percentage of the state budget be mandated to be devoted specifically for education. Additionally we need to think about strategic partnerships with leaders in the community with our schools for training and support of our students. As a speaker at numerous high schools already this year and a community leader, I commit to partnering with schools and encouraging others to partner with schools to help provide resources and leadership to our schools. Additionally, public and private leaders must continue to encourage parents to get involved in their child's education. Education starts at home. My mother was actively involved in my education and I will encourage parents and show the importance of parental involvement in education. Parental involvement is VITAL to education.

Additionally we have to find a way to encourage our parents to get involved in the lives of their children because the teaching starts at home. This can be accomplished through constant communications with parents, direct contract between parents and the school leadership and the willingness to listen to parents for creative, innovative ways of getting our parents involved in their child's education. I promise to listen to parents, teachers and others about ways to get and keep parents involved and interested in the education of their children.

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