Teacher hunger strike becomes political

Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp responds to the state-wide teacher hunger strike by vowing to fully fund education if elected. He also takes shots at Democratic candidate Stacy Abrams who early outlined her plans for fully funding public school education. AJC file photo

Credit: staff

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Credit: staff

A day after a group of Georgia educators kicked off a hunger strike aimed at urging state administrators, legislators and political candidates to carry on Gov. Nathan Deal’s legacy of fulling funding education,

Republican gubernatorial candidate and Secretary of State Brian Kemp has used the issue to attack his opponent.

"As governor, I will build on Nathan Deal's legacy and fully fund public school education. We must invest in our future today and ensure that all students have access to a quality education - no matter their zip code.

"Sadly, we know that my opponent - who refuses to pay her taxes but loaned $50,000 to her campaign - is more concerned with funding her political career than doing the right thing. She always puts her political ambition first."

The organizers, Hungry for Education were adamant that their movement was non-partisan and hoped to unify the state under one goal -- doing what’s best for children.

“We’re not doing this to be divisive,” said Alex Robson, a Gwinnett County teacher and spokesman for the movement. “We doing this to give every child the opportunities for greatness.”

Just last week, Democratic candidate Stacy Abrams told AJC’s Greg Bluestein that she plans to fully fund

Georgia’s k-12 education formula and end “backdoor vouchers” if she’s elected governor.

She said she would adopt a “more comprehensive” version of the Quality Basic Education Act’s formula, a decades-old funding calculus that’s never been significantly updated.