Richard Woods becomes Georgia school superintendent today, a journey that began four years ago when the former Irwin County educator first ran for the job.
Then, Woods lost in the Republican primary to John Barge, who ultimately won the seat but chose last fall to run against Gov. Nathan Deal rather than seek a second term as school chief.
This time, Woods beat back a crowded GOP primary field to defeat Democrat Valarie Wilson in November.
At an all-day forum Friday for reporters, Woods said he is eager to “get out of the back seat, take the wheel and see what the car can do.”
The car may have to navigate some hairpin turns.
The first curve in the road may be a Republican-led effort to stop electing state school superintendents. If Rep. Mike Dudgeon, a Republican from Johns Creek, has his way, Woods would be Georgia’s last elected school chief.
Vice chair of the House Education Committee, Dudgeon intends to push a constitutional amendment for the 2016 ballot asking Georgia voters to endorse an appointed state school superintendent, a policy followed by nearly 40 states.
“The position should be appointed by the governor. It is an administrative position. The person does not set policy. He runs a multi-million dollar operation,” said Dudgeon, speaking at the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education forum.
Next, Woods has to work with a state Board of Education that supports Common Core State Standards. Woods opposes Common Core as an unwanted federal intrusion.
Four years ago, Barge won election on a platform that included opposition to Georgia’s federal Race to the Top grant. Once elected, Barge adopted a more pragmatic approach, since the $400 million grant was already being spent.
Woods may also be forced to back down from his campaign rhetoric, given the widespread support for Common Core among educators tired of changing edicts.
“We want something to stick for a minute so we can become a master at it and create lessons that work,” said Georgia Teacher of the Year Amanda Miliner of Houston County, who also addressed the press at the forum.
Woods said he accepts Georgia will likely proceed with Common Core math and language arts standards, since they are already being taught, but he vowed any new science and social studies standards would be “Georgia-owned and Georgia-grown.”
As a former social studies teacher, Woods said a personal goal was to give every fifth grader in the state a pocket copy of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
Among other issues Woods addressed at the forum:
Discrete vs. integrated math: Woods acknowledged Georgia has a dilemma. Some systems want to abandon the integrated math adopted during Kathy Cox's tenure at DOE, and some want to keep it. Integrated math is a multidisciplinary method that draws on concepts taught in algebra, geometry and statistics simultaneously, as opposed to the more traditional or discrete approach, where students go in depth into one math topic. "Math is something we have done for thousands of years, but we have messed it up in a relatively short period of time," said Woods.
Testing: Saying there is an overemphasis on test scores, Woods added, "We must aggressively lessen this burden." He also wants a longer moratorium on using scores from the new Georgia Milestones k-12 tests, which roll out this year, to retain children or evaluate effective teaching. With end-of-the year testing, Woods said, "Many of our tests are autopsy reports. The information gets put on a shelf, and you never do anything with it."
The push to get more kids to college: "Not every child has the same skill set," Woods said. "If they came to us like prepackaged Twinkies, our job would be easier. But some of these kids come to us and they could build a Saturn V rocket. Some seem like they have never been out of diapers." Woods wants a wider range of diploma options so students have more options than college prep.
Appointing, rather than electing, the superintendent: "I like my job," said Woods. "As far as an appointed position, I oppose that. … The less appointed positions we have in government, the greater we are, because the people of Georgia have a voice."
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