Allen Fort, who has strongly criticized what he sees as a lack of state support for rural school districts, is joining the race for state superintendent.
Fort, superintendent of schools Quitman County in southwest Georgia, said he will run as a Republican. He promised to make the super-crowded race — Fort is at least the 13th candidate to announce — a “lively, entertaining and robust race.”
Like a few others in the field, Fort has extensive experience in public education. He has 38 years in the field as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal and district-level administrator.
Many school districts in Georgia have struggled financially as because of a recession-fueled drop in property tax revenue and limited state funding. That struggle has been particularly acute for rural districts, which do not have large property tax bases to lean on.
Fort has called on the state to come closer to providing districts with all of the money the state’s funding formula calls for them to receive.
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