Democrat Jason Carter promises to significantly boost classroom funding should he win November’s gubernatorial election. Gov. Nathan Deal vows to reward the state’s most effective teachers and redirect school money to where its most needed if he’s granted a second term.

Their proposals would cost millions of dollars, and to nobody’s surprise, neither says he would support new taxes to pay for the programs. Instead, the two are trotting out election-year standards, saying they can get better classroom results by cutting wasteful spending and making government more efficient.

The candidates' education spending plans came into sharper focus after a week of back-to-school tours that crisscrossed the state. Both pledged to make education the focus of their political agendas in hopes of boosting mediocre national rankings and encouraging more economic development.

The governor says recalculating the complicated schools funding formula will boost education spending without requiring huge new investments. He also previewed a targeted proposal that would give top teachers raises lest they leave the public school system for higher pay.

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Georgia Lt. Gov. Lester Maddox, angry about an article, burns a copy of The Atlanta Constitution in the state Senate on March 10, 1971, saying the paper did not have the "guts, integrity, manhood or decency" to report the situation accurately. (AJC file)

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Ja’Quon Stembridge, shown here in July at the Henry County Republican Party monthly meeting, recently stepped from his position with the Georgia GOP. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)

Credit: Jenni Girtman