Education In order for Georgia to compete in the global economy in the 21st Century, we must have a highly educated citizenry. For too long Georgia has been near the bottom in educational performance measures in the United States, despite sitting near the top in the South in pay and benefits to teachers and spending at a higher rate than the national average by investing $8,658 per student. It is not that we aren’t investing in education; empirical evidence shows that we are, with over 55% of the state budget dedicated to education. It should be obvious that spending more is not the answer. Parents should have more choices and responsibility in making educational decisions for their children. My administration will emphasize all forms of education. I will encourage more charter schools and a tax credit worth up to $4,000 to parents who choose to educate their children in a private school or at home. Although it is not a traditional voucher or scholarship system, a tax credit would allow parents more schooling options while lowering the financial burden on taxpayers. According to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, similar tax credit scholarships have been shown not to decrease the amount of spending per student that goes to public schools. I will also seek to return control of education to local communities and fight against unfunded federal mandates like No Child Left Behind.
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