Saving the best for last, Gov. Sonny Perdue "sealed his legacy as one of America's foremost 'education governors' " last week.

That's the view of Lori Drummer, director of state projects for the Washington-based Alliance for School Choice, the nation's largest nonprofit promoting school vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs. "Georgia is now a national leader in a school choice movement that is gaining momentum," she said.

The reason for her exuberance? On the final day allotted to deal with legislation passed by this year's General Assembly, Perdue signed a bill authored by State Rep. David Casas (R-Lilburn) that will assist families, like those poor souls in Clayton County whose children are held hostage by a system in turmoil.

The bill Perdue signed will allow corporations and individuals to get tax credits for donations to organizations that give scholarships to parents who want to put their children in better schools.

With two other pieces of education legislation signed earlier, this session —- the squabbling notwithstanding —- will go down as one of the most productive in two important areas since the GOP took control: education and health care. The bills signed earlier —- one part of the governor's agenda and the other authored by State Rep. Jan Jones (R-Alpharetta) —- completed an education-reform trifecta.

The bill that grew out of an education commission the governor appointed gives local systems freedom from state regulations in return for promises to produce results in areas such as dropout reductions. It eliminates excuses and the tendency of local boards and superintendents to blame somebody else, usually the state, for their failure to educate.

The Jones bill promotes public school choice and establishes the important principle that the money follows the child.

The education trifecta this year had a number of heroes. There were Perdue, Jones and Casas, of course. Another is Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), whose persistence and skill produced the first breakthrough last year with a voucher program for children with special needs. This year he maneuvered another education bill through the Senate that the Alliance for School Choice praises. In the House, Rules Committee Chairman Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs), an early advocate of the scholarship tax credit idea, was masterful behind the scenes in easing passage of Casas' bill, a legacy achievement.

Less noted, but remarkable still, are the successes in the health care arena. Perdue earlier this month signed legislation that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich described as "an extraordinary new law that will make Georgia the national leader in new and innovative solutions to expand health coverage."

It's a combination of the governor's bill and one offered by State Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta). One part exempts insurers from a state premium tax for high-deductible plans with a health savings account (HSA), and allows individuals to deduct premiums from their state income tax. Insurers can reward individuals for healthy lifestyles. Another provision provides a $250 tax credit for the self-employed and for small businesses that enroll employees in an HSA plan.

The importance of this is that it puts Georgia on an alternative course to government-sponsored universal health care. In urging Republicans not to surrender on the issue, former U.S. House majority leader Dick Armey of Texas, writing in The Wall Street Journal, had this to say:

"I believe the American people will reward innovative, principled leadership on health care. A rational, conservative solution to rising health care costs gets the government and other third parties out of our health care business.

"Both our families and the GOP can win by expanding health savings accounts, by allowing people to buy insurance across state lines, by doing away with tax policies that encourage third-party payment systems, and by embracing health care price disclosure."

Congress has the larger role here. But Georgia is clearly on the right course in giving consumers choice —- and incentive to be responsible. There is a conservative difference.

> Jim Wooten is associate editorial page editor. His column appears Friday, Sunday and Tuesday.

jwooten@ajc.com