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Iris Hannah teaches third grade at Bouie theme School in DeKalb County.

It’s late thursday afternoon. Her students have left for the day. Her classroom is quiet but still alive with activity. on Mrs. Hannah’s board is a smattering of the day’s lessons: vocabulary, math, science, social studies, even a word problem about the distance between Boston and Concord. A smiling elephant shares the wall with a group of excited punctuation marks. the feet of her students’ desks are outfitted with modified tennis balls—transforming their desks into makeshift mobile learning centers. A poster hanging on her wall reads: excuses Stop Here.

While her paycheck has been cut by 3.75 percent this year due to furloughs, Iris Hannah still counts herself as one the lucky ones. A veteran teacher with 16 years of experience, she loves her school and works alongside a dedicated staff and a caring and progressive principal. the students are thriving.

Still, as good as things are in her corner of the education world, Iris Hannah knows that public schools need more than what they’re currently being allotted. More care. More funding. More commitment. More resources. More. More. More. And it’s up to her to do something about it.

“You can’t bury your head and just hope for the best,” says Iris. that’s why Iris plans on sending a message with her vote this november. She’s using her vote to support candidates who share her belief in and commitment to public schools.

like Iris tells her students, excuses stop here.

Here’s a radical notion: What if we stop talking about the problems that face public schools—as a system and a profession? Instead, we focus on the POSSIBILITIES. How do we accomplish that? We support and elect Pro Public Education Candidates. By doing so, we give public schools a chance to get what they need to do what they’re tasked with accomplishing.

That’s precisely why the Georgia Association of Educators makes it a priority to interview candidates for office and then endorse those candidates that GAE believes will support public schools, students, and professionals.

So, what does a Pro Public Education Candidate look like?A Pro Public Education Candidate shares your commitment and belief in Georgia public schools. They’re willing to partner with you, the education expert, to help build the most successful learning environments for our students. Plus, GAE believes that these candidates not only

understand our Association’s Legislative Priorities, but strive through their own work to achieve them.

Your vote. Your business.There are many things you consider when you go into the voting booth. You’re not just thinking only about public education. You think as a taxpayer, a property owner, a mother, a father, a veteran, a conservative, a liberal, you name it. All of us wear many different hats and have many different concerns. Yet, we get only one vote.

That makes it all the more vitally important that we be as well informed as possible about what’s happening in and to our profession. As a voter and a professional educator, be informed about where your candidate of choice stands before you cast your vote. In the end, it is your vote, your voice. You make the decision about what’s most important to you.

We’ve come to a fork in the road. Your vote will determine how our public schools move forward. Where we go from here is entirely up to you. Your vote means that you’re in the driver’s seat.

“We all have a role to play in deciding tomorrow,” says GAE President Calvine Rollins. “All we can do is what we’d tell our students to do…ask questions, do your homework, try to know all that you can before you make any decision.”

Friend or FoeIt’s hard sometimes to know exactly where a candidate stands. Not many candidates lead off with… “And now, I’m going to destroy public schools.” But believe it or not, there are many people—both candidates and voters—who don’t share your commitment to public schools.

Have you looked at your GAE Legislative priorities lately? Our legislative priorities function as the guiding directive for all that we, as an Association, strive to accomplish. Set by members, it’s those priorities that light the way.

The Road Before UsWhat the race for Governor will mean for public schools

Do you want smaller classes?

Safer schools?

Do you believe that our schools should be fully funded?

That your students have a right to the best learning

resources possible?

Then use your vote to support Pro Public

Education Candidates.

www.gae.org/know | 17

Where do we stand? What are we willing to fight for? It’s all there in those priorities. Clear. Simple. Bold. Our line in the sand. GAE members serving on the Fund for Public Education committee use those very priorities as a litmus test for candidates throughout the endorsement process.

“We invite each candidate to be interviewed by the members of the FPE committee,” explains Marcus Downs, GAE’s Director of Government Relations. “This whole process is driven by GAE members,” points out Downs. “Elected members participate in drafting the questions, interview the candidates, and then weigh the pros and cons of each candidate before making any recommendation to the GAE Board of Directors.”

Based on those interviews, the GAE Fund for Public Education made candidate recommendations to the GAE Board of Directors who had the final say in the endorsement process. This year, former

Georgia Governor Roy Barnes won GAE’s endorsement for governor.

“This is a critical time for our public schools and our 1.7 million children who depend on them for a quality education,” says GAE President Calvine Rollins. “This is the time for Georgia to be providing resources to our public schools rather than eliminating them.”

That’s a sentiment echoed by former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes. Like GAE, Barnes is committed to fully funding our public schools. He wants to

end teacher furloughs and keep classes small. Plus, he has a track record of putting public schools and students first. Between 1999-2002, when Roy Barnes was governor, class sizes steadily decreased and the instructional school year wasn’t shortened. He even boosted teacher pay by 16 percent, making Georgia’s teachers the highest paid in the Southeast. By creating additional incentives, he increased the number of National Board Certified teachers. And he did it all without furloughing a single teacher during his term.

The Road Before Us

Check it out: www.educationvotes.nea.org Visitors to the Campaign 2010 page can sign up as volunteers for neA and State Affiliate political activities, as well as contact their federal and state elected officials and receive e-mail and text alerts.

“Georgia’s public education system is under attack,” argues Barnes. “Our state’s current leadership does not seem to understand that we cannot expect improvement in our schools or our students when we have cut $4.3 billion from the education budget over the past eight years.” As governor, Barnes vows to end teacher furloughs and give educators the pay and recognition they deserve.

GAe Director of Government Relations Marcus Downs is pictured with former Georgia Governor (and GAe-endorsed candidate for governor) Roy Barnes, GAe President Calvine Rollins, and GAe executive Director Chris turner.

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“I truly believe,” says Rollins, “that he will make a seat at the table for educators to have a voice in what happens at our schools, to our students, and in our careers. He values our frontline experience and knowledge. In the classroom, Governor Barnes will return the focus to key essentials in the classroom—making sure our students are prepared for the workforce, not just for a standardized test.”

Barnes has laid out a plan to do all that and more: Make Education Work. (You can find Barnes’ education blueprint online at www.roy2010.com.)

What of the other candidates running for Governor: Nathan Deal and John Monds? Nathan Deal only recently released his plan for Georgia’s education future: Real Results (www.dealforgovernor.com). John Monds, on the other hand, has not released a comprehensive education plan. According to his website (www.votemonds.com), he believes in smaller government, lower taxes, and more opportunities.

GAE’s Director of Government Relations Marcus Downs was at the September 7 press conference when Nathan Deal revealed his education plan. As soon as the plan was made available, it was Downs, GAE’s chief lobbyist and political strategist, who studied, reviewed, and compared the plan to GAE’s goals.

“Frankly, I saw a number of red flags for GAE,” says Downs.

Those red flags include Deal’s plan to provide significant flexibility to local school systems that are accountable for student outcomes. According to Downs,

GA Title 20 schools can opt for this flexibility through IE Squared.

“This is legislation that was already passed in 2008,” says Downs. “It trades flexibility for accountability. GAE opposed this legislation because we believe it compromises many of the protections afforded through state law.” For example, systems that seek to become IE Squared participants may waive items such as class size, curriculum, and salary schedules.

Deal’s plan introduces the concept of allowing students to “move on when ready.” Students, evaluated by an online assessment, would be allowed to advance

immediately. After a recent conversation with several elementary school teachers, Downs is convinced that this idea is not in the best interest of most children.

For instance, Deal’s plan fails to evaluate the social readiness of a child to move ahead. There are key social skills that are developed on a daily basis in addition to mastering content.

The teachers who met with Downs to discuss this plan shook their heads in dismay. “A good teacher,” responded Maureen Merrigan, a veteran fifth-grade teacher, “is more than capable of differentiating the instruction for students in the classroom. Great teachers seek every opportunity to do just that.” When asked if any of the teachers (veterans with more than 50 years of collective experience) had ever had a student they would have recommended for promotion, they shook their heads. No was their answer.

After reviewing Deal’s plan, GAE is concerned that many of the “new” ideas that Deal is eager to bring to table have already been introduced and in some

cases already implemented (for example, IE Squared and the 65 percent rule). Deal’s track record is also a concern to GAE. Deal has gone on the record saying that additional teacher furloughs may be unavoidable. Further cutting the education budget, he’s argued, may prove necessary in the coming years. Deal would bring more of the same to public education.

“That’s not good enough for our students or for us,” says GAE President Rollins. “We say we’re tired of the road that public education has been on for the last eight years. Well, it’s time we change directions. I, for one, will not be using my vote to just blindly keep going. That’s a deal breaker for me.”

Barnes disagrees with Deal. To fund public schools and balance Georgia’s spending, Barnes is eager to generate additional cuts. He’d accomplish this by eliminating special interest tax cuts—which have cost Georgia between $400 million and $800 million each year. Instead, he’d use the revenue to restore the cuts to QBE and K-12.

Critics might try to slam the Barnes plan as being too ambitious. Right now, don’t you think public schools need a champion at the Gold Dome? GAE does.

“We have a unique opportunity before us,” urges GAE President Calvine Rollins. “We can take action to really make a difference in our public schools, the education of Georgia’s children, and the future of our state.”

The road is forking before us. We must choose which direction we will take. The future depends on the choices we make today.

It’s time to restore funding to Georgia’s public schools and make public education a priority.

barnes shares that commitment.

That’s why he earned the GAE endorsement.

Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.—Georgia Jean nathan

On Tuesday, November 2, use your vote to send a message.It’s time that we ALL put public education first in Georgia.

www.gae.org/know | 19

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Where do you stand on fully funding our public schools?

“We cannot cut $3.5 billion from the education budget over the last eight years and expect improvement. Our state’s first and most foundational responsibility is to educate our children—and I will close the Governor’s mansion, close the state Capitol, and lay off all of the staff if it means that we will have money to fully fund Georgia’s public schools. The bottom line is that the state needs to adequately fund all of the programs the state requires.”

Will there be more furloughs?

“In the past, Georgia has always made it through recessions without teacher furloughs or expanding class size and today should certainly be no exception. My top priority in the Governor’s office will be finding ways to fully fund public education. Furloughing teachers will no longer be an option.”

Do you value small classes?

“Keeping class sizes small has always been a priority of mine. When I left office as Governor we were in the third [year] of a four-year downsizing. Smaller classes help students learn, particularly those students who need extra attention, and they also help teachers with classroom management and discipline.”

Will you stand for or against vouchers?

“First, let me be clear: I am opposed to voucher programs. As Governor, I will ensure that public dollars remain within public institutions. I am a firm believer in the power of our public education system, because I am a product of it. Public education funding should go directly to where it’s needed most—our public schools.”

What are your views on high stakes testing?

“We need to soft-peddle the high-stakes impact of testing and play up the diagnostic use of testing over a long term; they should be diagnostic and not punitive for either the student or the teacher. Testing should be used in combination with teacher evaluations of students to help us assess how a student is mastering the curriculum.”

Do you support due process rights?

“I believe that all education employees should be provided with a process that ensures fairness in hiring, promotion, pay, and other personnel related events. Educators must be involved in developing the evaluation procedures by which they are to be evaluated, including any question of peer evaluations in the process.”

Why GAE Believes barnes is the Best Choice for Governor

We asked. He answered.

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What I Believe.“The state of Georgia needs a governor who fully understands that without a world-class education, we set our children and colleges in a constant state of struggle. We need a governor who is strong enough to honor his decisions knowing he must accept responsibility for their outcome. In times like this, we need Roy.”

Lynda Wolfe Smith, GAE-Retired President

What I Believe. “I’m a proud Georgia educator. For 14 years, I’ve taught 4th and 5th grades and worked as a curriculum instructor in Worth County.

Georgia’s children depend on public schools to provide the education needed to join a skilled workforce as adults. Unfortunately, for the past eight years, we’ve struggled to meet the needs of all students because of budget cuts and political decisions. Programs designed to help the

weakest students have been cut, which reduces their chances of growing up to be productive, tax-paying citizens. Courses that enhance the education of Georgia’s best and brightest have vanished in many systems. Continued cuts to public education will be devastating to Georgia’s future.

I am proud of GAE’s endorsement because I know that Roy Barnes is the only choice for Georgia’s public school system. Since announcing his candidacy, Roy has traveled our state, listening to teachers and hearing our concerns. He understands that our public schools are falling behind, and he is the only candidate that has a comprehensive plan to make education work again in Georgia.

As governor, he’s going to give classroom teachers a seat at the table because he values our first-hand knowledge. He’ll even provide incentives for teachers and schools that go above and beyond. I trust Roy when he says that he’ll end teacher furloughs, lower our class sizes, and keep students in the classroom. He’s done it before, and I know he’ll do it again.

During tough economic times, the last thing we need to do is shortchange our schools—but that’s exactly what has happened over the past eight years. Because the budget was tight, politicians under the Gold Dome slashed education. Meanwhile, they continued to give big tax breaks to special interests. It’s time that we had a governor whose special interest is in our students.

As a professional educator, trust me when I say that Georgia needs Roy.”

Best,

Lisa UnderwoodGAE Member

How you use your vote is your business. But before you vote, know where the candidates stand on the issue of public education. If you support them, will they support you?

Before you vote, get answers to these questions:

• How does the candidate plan on enhancing Georgia’s public education program?

• What’s his/her stance on vouchers?

• If elected, will the candidate work to lower class sizes?

• Will he/she work to fully fund public schools?

• Will he/she work to create safe learning/work-ing environments for students/teachers?

• Will he/she work to improve salary and benefits for all public school employees?

• Will he/she protect retirement benefits for public education employees?

• What is the candidate’s position on collective bargaining rights for education employees?

• Will the candidate partner with public school employees so that they have a greater voice in decision-making to improve public education?

• What will be the candidate’s top three policy/legislative priorities?

• In the candidate’s opinion, what are the three most critical issues facing public education in Georgia today?

• If the candidate is an incumbent, does he/she have a track record for supporting public

schools?

www.gae.org/know | 21

The GAE Guide to Voting for Pro Public Education Candidates

Clip it out. Take it with you to the voting booth. Share it with friends. Public Education needs your support NOW.

CobbSD 6 Doug Stoner (D) http://www.dougstoner.com SD 32 Judson Hill (R) www.judsonhill.com SD 33 Steve Thompson (D) SD 37 Lindsey Tippins (R) www.tippinsforsenate.com HD 32 Judy Manning (R) HD 33 David Wilkerson (D) www.wilkersonforcobb.com HD 37 Terry Johnson (D)HD 38 Pat Dooley (D)HD 40 Stacey Evans (D)HD 42 Don Parsons (R) www.donparsons.org HD 44 Sheila Jones (D) www.sheilajones.org

DeKalb & RockdaleSD 10 Emanuel Jones (D) www.emanueljones.com SD 40 Fran Millar (R) SD 41 Steve Henson (D)SD 42 Jason Carter (D) www.carterforstatesenate.com SD 43 Ronald Ramsey, Sr. (D) www.ronaldramsey.org SD 55 Gloria butler (D)

HD 58 Simone bell (D) www.simonebell.com HD 80 Sandy Murray (D) www.votesandymurray.com HD 81 Elena Parent (D) www.elenaparent.com HD 83 Mary Margaret Oliver (D) www.marymargaretoliver.org HD 84 Stacey Abrams (D) www.staceyabrams.com HD 85 Stephanie Stuckey-benfield (D) www.benfieldbeat.com HD 86 Karla Drenner (D)HD 87 Michele Henson (D)HD 88 billy Mitchell (D) www.billymitchell.org HD 89 Earnest “Coach” Williams (D) www.votecoach89.com HD 90 Howard Mosby (D) www.howardmosby.com HD 92 Pam Stephenson (D)HD 93 Dee Dawkins-Haigler (D) www.deeforgeorgia.com HD 94 Dar’shun N. Kendrick (D) www.kendrickforgeorgia.com

Fulton & Atlanta CitySD 35 Donzella James (D) SD 36 Nan Orrock (D)SD 38 Horacena Tate (D)SD 39 Vincent Fort (D) www.vincentfort.com SD 56 John Albers (R) www.votealbers.com HD 44 Sheila Jones (D) www.sheilajones.org HD 53 Elly Dobbs (D) www.ellydobbs.com HD 54 Edward Lindsey (R) HD 55 Rashad Taylor (D) www.rashadtaylor.com HD 56 Kathy Ashe (D) www.kathyashe.com HD 57 Pat Gardner (D)HD 58 Simone bell (D) www.simonebell.com HD 59 Margaret Kaiser (D) www.margaretkaiser.com HD 62 Joe Heckstall (D)HD 63 Tyrone brooks (D)HD 64 Roger bruce (D) www.rogerbruce.net HD 65 Sharon beasley-Teague (D)HD 66 Virgil Fludd (D)

GwinnettSD 5 Curt Thompson (D) www.becauseyourvoicecounts.com SD 9 Don balfour (R)SD 40 Fran Millar (R)SD 41 Steve Henson (D)SD 48 David Shafer (R)SD 55 Gloria butler (D)HD 88 billy Mitchell (D) www.billymitchell.org HD 96 Pedro Marin (D) www.marinstatehouse.com HD 97 brooks Coleman (R)HD 99 Hugh Floyd (D) www.hughfloyd.com HD 100 brian Thomas (D)HD 104 Lee Thompson (D) www.citizensforleethompson.org HD 106 Steffini bethea (D) www.steffinibethea.com

2010 GENERAL ELECTION – GAE RECOMMENDED CANDIDATES

STATEWIDE CANDIDATESUnited States Senate *Mike Thurmond (D) www.mikethurmond2010.comGovernor Roy barnes (D) www.roy2010.com lieutenant Governor Carol Porter (D) www.carolporter4ga.com Secretary of State Georganna Sinkfield (D) http://www.sinkfield2010.com Attorney General Ken Hodges (D) www.kenhodges.com School Superintendent Joe Martin (D) www.joemartin.org Commissioner of Insurance Mary Squires (D) www.marysquires.com Commissioner of labor Darryl Hicks (D) www.darrylhicks.net

METRO ATLANTA AREAUnited States CongressCD 4 Hank Johnson (D) www.hankforcongress.com CD 5 John Lewis (D) http://johnlewisforcongress.com CD 7 *Doug Heckman (D) www.dougheckman.com CD 13 David Scott (D) www.davidscottforcongress.com

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South Metro (butts, Clayton, Fayette, and Henry)United States Congress*CD 3 Frank Saunders (D) www.votefrank.net CD 13 David Scott (D) www.davidscottforcongress.com

SD 10 Emanuel Jones (D) www.emanueljones.com SD 25 Floyd Griffin (D) SD 34 Valencia Seay (D) http://www.valenciaseay.com HD 62 Joe Heckstall (D) HD 66 Virgil Fludd (D) HD 74 Roberta Abdul-Salaam (D) www.robertaforgeorgia.com HD 77 Darryl Jordan (D)HD 78 Glenn baker (D)HD 90 Howard Mosby (D) www.howardmosby.com

MACON AND MIDDLE GEORGIAUnited States CongressCD 8 Jim Marshall (D) www.friendsofjimmarshall.com

SD 25 Floyd Griffin (D)SD 26 Robert brown (D)HD 125 David Gault (D)HD 135 Lynmore James (D)HD 138 Nikki Randall (D)HD 139 David Lucas (D)HD 140 James “bubber” Epps (D)HD 141 Quentin Howell (D) www.quentinthowellforgeorgia.com HD 142 Mack Jackson (D)HD 143 Matt Hatchett (R) Acceptable www.votehatchett.com HD 143 Pablo Santamaria (D) Acceptable http://district143.comHD 146 Larry O’Neal (R)

NORTH GEORGIASD 27 Jack Murphy (R) SD 31 Tracy Gene bennett (D) http://bennett4senate.us SD 49 butch Miller (R) www.butchforsenate.com SD 50 Jim butterworth (R) www.jimbutterworth.net SD 53 Jeff Mullis (R) www.jeffmullis.com SD 54 Charlie bethel (R)HD 1 Jay Neal (R)HD 3 Tom Weldon, Jr. (R) www.electtomweldon.com HD 6 Tom Dickson (R)HD 11 barbara Massey Reece (D) www.barbarareece.com HD 13 Katie Dempsey (R) www.katiedempsey.com HD 14 Dan Ledford (D) www.larissaj1.com/danforga.html HD 15 Paul battles (R)HD 16 Rick Crawford (D)HD 17 Howard Maxwell (R)HD 19 Will Avery (D) www.AveryforGeorgia.com HD 20 Lillian burnaman (D) HD 22 bill brown (D) www.electbillbrown.comHD 26 Carl Rogers (R)HD 31 Tommy benton (R)

* neA-fCPe Approval Pending

EAST GEORGIAUnited States CongressCD 10 *Russell Edwards (D) www.russelledwardsforcongress.com CD12 *John barrow (D) www.barrowforcongress.com

SD 2 Lester Jackson (D)SD 4 Jack Hill (R) www.votejackhill.org SD 23 Jesse Stone (R) www.stoneforgeorgia.comHD 114 Keith Heard (D)HD 115 Doug McKillip (D)HD 120 Quincy Murphy (D) www.quincymurphy.com HD 121 Henry “Wayne” Howard (D) www.gadistrict121.com HD 123 Gloria Frazier (D)HD 124 Helen “Sistie” Hudson (D)HD 142 Mack Jackson (D)HD 157 Jon burns (R)HD 160 bob bryant (D)HD 161 Mickey Stephens (D)HD 162 Craig Gordon (D) www.votejcraig.com HD 165 Al Williams (D) www.alwill.org HD 177 Mark Hatfield (R)HD 178 Mark Williams (R) www.markpwilliams.com HD 179 Audrey Stewart (D)

SOUTH GEORGIAUnited States CongressCD 2 Sanford bishop (D) www.sanfordbishop.com

SD 7 Greg Goggans (R)SD 8 Tim Golden (D)SD 11 John bulloch (R)SD 12 Freddie Powell-Sims (D)SD 14 George Hooks (D)HD 148 bob Hanner (D)HD 149 Gerald Greene (D)HD 150 Winfred Dukes (D) www.representativewinfredjarrettdukes.com HD 151 Carol Fullerton (D)HD 152 Ed Rynders (R)HD 153 John Tibbetts (D) www.john4house153.com HD 171 James Timmons (D) HD 172 Gene Maddox (R)HD 173 Haley Shank (D) http://haleyshank.comHD 174 Ellis black (D)HD 175 Amy Carter (D)

WEST GEORGIASD 15 Ed Harbison (D)SD 31 Tracy Gene bennett (D) http://bennett4senate.us HD 17 Howard Maxwell (R)HD 128 Carl Von Epps (D)HD 130 Debbie buckner (D) www.debbiebucknerlistens.com HD 132 Calvin Smyre (D)HD 133 Carolyn Hugley (D)HD 134 Mike Cheokas (D)HD 135 Lynmore James (D)

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Education as a True Priority Roy has made education a key part of his campaign since Day One.  Early on, he  released a detailed plan for Georgia’s  students and teachers, and has already  visited over 90 counties to seek input from educators. 

    Education as an Afterthought Congressman Deal didn’t have an education plan until eight weeks before the election.  Former teacher and AJC reporter Maureen Downey noted, “There wasn’t much new in Deal’s vision, which was broad enough to be applicable to any state and any party.” 

Roy Barnes: A nationally recognized leader on  education  with a comprehensive plan to Make Education Work in Georgia 

Nathan Deal: A Congressman who spent 18 years in Washington and doesn’t consider edu­cation a priority in the Governor’s race 

End Teacher Furloughs Roy will eliminate special‐interest tax cuts to fully fund K‐12 education and put an end to teacher furloughs. 

Continue Teacher Furloughs Congressman Deal told the Athens Banner­Herald he thought it “unrealistic” to end teacher furloughs.   

Empower Teachers Roy will create two Teachers‐in‐Residence positions on the Governor’s staff to ensure they have a seat at the policy‐making table. 

Continue to Shut­Out Teachers? Congressman Deal says he wants to keep teachers “engaged and informed” after the election, but his plan makes no mention of how he will do this. 

Uphold our Promise to Students Roy is a product of Georgia public schools, and believes firmly in making education accessible for all our children.  He will  restore funding to public education to make sure Georgia fulfills this fundamental promise. 

Dismantle Our Education System Congressman Deal wants to abolish the  Department of Education and supports vouchers, which rob our public schools of vital resources. 

Stand Firm on the Essentials Just as he did before, Roy will increase teacher pay and reduce class sizes.   Further, he will restore the incentives for National Board Certified Teachers. 

Missing the Fundamentals In his 5½‐page plan, Congressman Deal makes no mention of increasing teacher pay, restoring NBCT incentives, or reducing class size. 

Download Roy’s full education blueprint, “Make Education Work,” at www.TeachersForRoy.com 

www.GAE.org

How Did Barnes HelpESPs?1999 3% salary increase for school lunchroom workers and

bus drivers.

2000 3% salary increase for school lunchroom workersand bus drivers.

2001 3.5% salary increase for school lunchroom workersand bus drivers.

2000 Increased PSERS retirement benefit from $10.50 to $12 peryear of service (One of the largest increases in a single year).

2001 Included public school employees with other state employeeswho are allowed to participate in deferred compensation plansoperated by the state.

2002 Increased PSERS retirement benefit from $12 per monthto $12.50 per year of service, with an increased benefitceiling of $15 (Current benefit ceiling is $16).

1999 Required health care plans to permit those insured to choosethe doctor of their choice.

2000 Added $1,500 per employee to budget in order to reduceimpact of rising health care costs.

2001 Reduced the required number of creditable years of service toeight in order to purchase health insurance if the employee isnot eligible for retirement.

1999 Legislation adopted requiring students to adhere to an age-appropriate Code of Conduct, including mandatory penaltiesfor verbally or physically assaulting other students or schoolemployees.

1999 Bullying prohibited; students violating the policy three timesare required to attend an alternative school; added razorblades as prohibited weapons within the school safety zone.

2002 Legislation to require codes of conduct on school buses,including prohibition of cell phone and pager use; students andparents must sign that they received the bus code of conductand grants discipline authority to all school employees to dealwith student misbehavior.

2002 Legislation to protect all school employees and students fromverbal or physical assault, including the consequences forsuch actions.

Salary (ESP)

Retirement

Healthcare

School Safety

www.gae.org/know | 23

Why I want to be your next State School Superintendent.

Joe MartinJoe Martin is the GAE-endorsed candidate for State School Superintendentwww.joemartin.org

The choice of a new State School Superintendent for Geor-gia is one of the most important elections on the ballot in November. The person in this office is the chief advocate for education in Georgia, guides the policies that govern the 180 local systems throughout our state, and manages an operating budget of $10 billion annually.

I am deeply concerned about the great harm that is being done to our schools. I have the commitment, experience, and ability to be effective in making the changes that are needed to provide a world-class education for all of our students.

I have always been a champion for educators, not only because I realize that our teachers and other educators are the most important element of good schools, but because I admire the people who have dedicated their lives to this noble calling. I will insist on involving teachers in decision-making at all levels and will join with all educators and their representatives in doing everything we can to enhance the teaching profession.

I will fight to end furloughs, restore the school year, and bring class sizes to a reasonable level. I will be an advocate for improved funding, more efficient allocation of the resources we have, less emphasis on standardized tests, broader measures of student progress, and more options for our students. I will work with GAE and others in estab-lishing a meaningful career path for educators.

We need to move Georgia ahead in education—for the sake of our children, our educators, and our entire state.

Why I want to be your next Lt. Governor.

Carol Porter Carol Porter is the GAE-endorsed candidate for Lt. Governorwww.carolporterforgeorgia.com

We must collectively blaze a new trail to protect Georgia’s future by protecting and strengthening public education.

Georgia’s constitution clearly states as its first priority that we provide an adequate education for our citizens. Furloughing teachers, reducing the number of school days, and enlarging class sizes, when we know these actions lead to higher dropout rates, is in direct conflict with the basic principle set forth in our constitution to provide an adequate education. If Georgia does not quickly choose to travel a different educa-tional path we will find, we are the ones perpetuating our own fiscal crisis.

Georgia has continued to use the excuse of a tight budget to make drastic across-the-board cuts to education. When ways to find the funding, to prevent teacher furloughs were presented, they have been killed in committee. For example, twenty-five percent of the businesses in Georgia do not turn in their collected sales tax. The money left on the table could amount to up to one billion dollars. Even the lowest estimates show the state could collect an additional five hundred million. Yet a bill to ensure these already paid funds were collected by the state was killed in committee. Instead, the current administration opted for teacher furloughs to balance the budget.

Furloughs and drastic across-the-board cuts will result in an even higher dropout rate. Our dropout rate is not only detrimental to Georgia’s quality of life, it is economically unsustainable. Attention to the dropout rate not only helps to cure educational woes, but it has an amazing impact across the state. In one year, if Georgia’s dropouts had graduated, the state could save $746 million in Medicaid and expenditures for the uninsured. If we increased the graduation rate and college matriculation of male stu-dents alone, Georgia could potentially see a combined savings and revenue enhance-ment of almost $276 million per year by reducing crime related costs.

The economic challenges facing Georgia are severe. Cutting educational access to our citizens is not only a path that will harm the quality of Georgia’s families it will severely cripple our economic future as well. The link between a well-educated public and economic success is undeniable. The time is NOW to follow a path to success in our educational system and our economy.

As Lieutenant Governor, I will quickly muster support to change the dire direction Georgia has taken under the current administration that dismisses our obligation to educate our citizens. We must strengthen our public school system before our economy becomes locked into a permanent downward spiral.