Georgia’s Democratic candidates for governor debate school issues
Five Democrats vying to become Georgia’s next governor met to debate education issues at Morehouse College Wednesday evening.
The forum, hosted by the Center for Strong Public Schools Action Fund, invited educators to attend and question the candidates.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, small business owner and pastor Olu Brown, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, state Rep. Derrick Jackson and former Labor Commissioner and DeKalb County Schools Superintendent Michael Thurmond all took the stage to outline their vision for Georgia’s public schools. Former state senator and Atlanta school board chair Jason Esteves was unable to attend because of a prior commitment in Savannah.
The candidates were asked how they would address literacy in schools, now that the Legislature passed a sweeping bill aimed at improving reading instruction. Teachers wanted to know about candidates’ plans to recruit and retain educators and how they would help schools in high-poverty areas.
Here are their responses to some of the key issues.
Literacy
Alisha Thomas Searcy, co-founder and president of the Center for Strong Public Schools action fund, asked the panel what they would do to improve school literacy rates. She pointed to data showing just 35% of Georgia third graders performed on grade level or above on state-issued English/Language Arts tests last year and national test results that show 38% of the state’s fourth graders reading proficiently.
Bottoms cited her education plan, which would guarantee access to pre-kindergarten for all Georgia 4-year-olds.
“I will find (an) additional $300 million to fund education in this state by asking voters to vote on the referendum regarding casino gambling in this state,” Bottoms said. “In the same way that the lottery changed the Hope Scholarship and education in the state, I believe there is a pathway for us to fully fund and change it once again.”
Brown focused on issues outside of schools.
“We’ve got to increase Medicaid, we’ve got to increase Peach Care (Georgia’s health insurance program for children), and we’ve got to address maternal mortality, because it starts in the womb, and making sure our families are as healthy and as vital as possible,” he said.
Duncan, a former Republican, presented himself as a bridge builder who can work with members of both parties to support schools.
“We need a governor that shows up that has the ability to build that consensus and to do the right thing,” he said.
Jackson said he would also expand access to early education and said the $70 million lawmakers included in a sweeping literacy bill aimed at improving reading achievement isn’t sufficient.
“You have to start literacy at the cradle … let’s bring your children into school at the age of 2.”
Thurmond said the state’s 41-year-old school funding formula needs to be updated to provide funding for impoverished schools.
“Georgia is one of only six states in America that does not weight school funding based on poverty and the socioeconomic status of our students,” he said, adding he will be a “champion for public education.”
Although Esteves didn’t attend, his campaign website says if elected, he wants at least 80% of third graders reading at or above grade level by 2035. He would assess literacy gaps early and support teachers with training and high-quality curricula.
Teacher recruitment and retention
Bottoms said she wants to eliminate state income taxes for educators. She also shared a “horror story” an educator told her.
“In getting trained for a position that needed to be filled in her school system, she had to pay out of pocket $12,000 for her certification,” she said. “That is ridiculous. The state has to stand in the gap and do better.”
Brown said new teacher salaries should be more than $50,000. Currently, the state pays new teachers just under $42,000 a year.
“If we can be No. 1 in football, we can be No. 1 in teacher pay,” he said. “We’re going to eliminate your state teacher tax for veteran teachers. That gives you an immediate $3,500 to $4,000 raise.”
Duncan pledged better support for teachers and to raise their salaries.
“We’ve got to turn (teaching) from a job back into a career, so that the teacher doesn’t go through the educational process to get there and then when life gets more expensive, they’ve got to step away from that role and go do something else,” he said.
Jackson said he’d take his cues from educators themselves.
“We do not solicit your inputs under that Gold Dome,” he said. “We’re going to change that when I become governor. We’re going to listen to teachers.”
Thurmond focused on his time leading the DeKalb schools.
“I restored every single furlough day, and for the first time in six years, all of our teachers began to receive raises,” he said. “The second thing we did was about respect. People asked me, ‘So Mike, you’re not an educator, how could you go into a school district and eliminate a $27 million budget deficit, create a $90 million surplus, increase graduation rates, test scores and morale?’ I listened to my teachers.”
Esteves’ campaign website says he’ll provide bonuses for early childhood educators working in hard-to-staff areas, make sure teachers have enough planning time, minimize standardized testing and expand mental health services in schools.
Addressing poverty
Lawmakers have long debated whether to include funding for schools in high-poverty areas in the state’s K-12 school funding formula. Democrats have pushed for the measure for years, but bills addressing the issue have stalled in the Republican-led Legislature.
“The first thing that I would do would be to increase our budget, and it originates from the governor’s office, present that to the legislature,” Bottoms said. “Secondly, we’ve got to invest in wraparound services (such as food, health care and housing assistance) for our schools.”
Brown said he would identify high-poverty areas and build partnerships to address problems in the communities.
“We would reach out to the academic community like the Atlanta University Center,” he said. “We would reach out to the corporate community, we would reach out to the nonprofit community, we would reach out to the faith community, and we would let them know, ‘Here are the five things these schools need.’”
Duncan proposed taking 10% of the state’s reserve funds and creating a “jump-start fund” to help families in need.
“(The fund) is to meet the needs as quickly as we can,” he said. He proposed budgeting more money to safety net programs that help low-income families with child care and groceries. “There’s opportunities to fix this, but you’ve got to have a governor that prioritizes this, and I plan to do that.”
Jackson criticized the Legislature’s failure to update the formula this year to include funding for students living in poverty.
“It’s not the child’s fault … It’s our fault,” he said. “We’ve got to take responsibility, and … a formula that was created in 1985 will not create a 21st century school system for our students today.”
Thurmond called for eradicating various “needs improvement” lists some lawmakers have favored since the federal No Child Left Behind law implemented education accountability measures for states.
“You underfund (schools), you set them up to fail, you put it on a failing list, and then you broadcast to the world how public education is failing,” he said. “Don’t believe the hype. Don’t fall for it, people. Don’t believe that narrative.”
Esteves’ campaign website says he’ll work with the Georgia General Assembly to ensure public schools are fully funded, he’ll work with state officials to find resources for students in high-poverty schools and he’ll implement free breakfast and lunch programs in schools across the state.
The Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primary elections are May 19. The Democratic side is expected to head to a runoff. Polls show Bottoms leading the field, leaving the other candidates to slug it out for the second spot. Wednesday’s forum was a rare chance for the candidates to discuss a single topic.
University of Georgia associate professor of political science Audrey Haynes said Democrats haven’t moved to mass campaigning yet, the way Republicans have.
“At this juncture it makes sense for them to focus comparisons of their qualifications and policy goals with those ahead of them,” she said.
About the Author
Martha Dalton is a journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, writing about K-12 education. She was previously a senior education reporter at WABE, Atlanta's NPR affiliate. Before that, she was a general assignment reporter at CNN Radio. Martha has worked in media for more than 20 years. She taught elementary school in a previous life.
