In the 12th and final guest column in our legislative preview series, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones writes about the need to offer Georgia parents greater school choice.
By Burt Jones
Growing up with parents who served as a school superintendent and a teacher instilled in me the value of education and the need to constantly work to improve outcomes in our school system. From an early age, my parents fostered the importance of education in my siblings and me, and that is why I have always been a strong advocate for public education. We grew up recognizing the importance of early childhood education and involvement from not only our schools, but also our parents and the local community.
While some of Georgia’s children have access to thriving public schools and the capacity to succeed in those environments, this unfortunately is not the case for all Georgians. Georgia families need options that address the needs of their children — school choice gives them that chance.
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
The Promise Scholarship Act, sponsored by Sen. Greg Dolezal and passed by the Senate last year, enables families to use a $6,500 scholarship fund for a variety of expenses. (The legislation did not pass in the House.) The intent of this bill is to give parents a resource to ensure their children are in a school best suited for them, in addition to support for other educational needs.
The Senate and I are leading this initiative because we are committed to supporting parents and giving them the right to choose what is best for their children. This legislation is important policy because it empowers parents and children with more opportunities for a successful educational future. Along with empowering parents, it is imperative that we empower local school systems to improve the learning environment for our children by deciding how they can bolster the safety and security of our state’s schools.
Local control is the key to address school safety concerns, and that is precisely what my School Safety Initiative proposes. The proposed legislation and associated state funding would ensure that our school systems meet their specific safety and security needs.
School systems and individuals will have the option of participating — these are not mandates. These are local decisions to be made by a local school board, with input from local law enforcement, parents, and faculty. With resources provided by the state, schools will be able to protect their students in the way they best see fit, helping to ease the minds of countless Georgia parents.
I applaud Gov. Brian Kemp for implementing and funding key pieces of this initiative, which are already being implemented in some school systems throughout the state. Our goal is to ensure that every Georgia school system is best equipped to prevent, prepare, and react to modern-day school security threats. We owe it to Georgia parents to do everything we can to protect their children, the students of our state.
My priorities for K-12 are simple: Parents and local systems should have the option to make the best decision for the student. In Georgia, we have finally taken a strong stand to empower parents, local schools, and faculty. This will benefit the success of our state for generations to come.
