Teachers groups found few sympathetic lawmakers in a General Assembly dominated by Perdue's fellow Republicans.
The 3-20-06 Macon Telegraph reports that the highlights of the education initiatives passed by the Legislature this year include new access to online classes; a new commendation for outstanding teachers; and flexibility for school systems to spend state money where they need it most, according to the Governor's office.
Critics, including GAE and PAGE -- the state's two largest teachers groups -- have seen the session differently. They cite a new delay in implementing smaller class sizes, spiraling health care costs for teachers with a pay raise too small to keep up with them, and what many -- including the Georgia PTA -- considered a backdoor effort at legalizing state vouchers for private schools.
Unlike other sessions in recent history, when education issues dominated much of the Legislature's time and effort, most school bills moved quietly this year.
Perdue [announced] before the session began that he was proposing a 2-percent pay raise for state workers, including educators.
The proposed raise comes after teachers received no pay increase last year and the equivalent of a 1 percent raise this year.
[A Perdue bill] gives systems freedom from a 2000 education act, pushed by then-Gov. Roy Barnes, that required increasingly smaller class sizes in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The Legislature has postponed the class-size reductions in grades 4 through 12 in each of Perdue's three years in office. This year, for the first time, they postponed them for two years.
"To do that at a time when the economy is improving makes us believe you never really intend to follow that law - you never really intend to bring down class sizes," said Tim Callahan, spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
Critics, including GAE and PAGE -- the state's two largest teachers groups -- have seen the session differently. They cite a new delay in implementing smaller class sizes, spiraling health care costs for teachers with a pay raise too small to keep up with them, and what many -- including the Georgia PTA -- considered a backdoor effort at legalizing state vouchers for private schools.
Unlike other sessions in recent history, when education issues dominated much of the Legislature's time and effort, most school bills moved quietly this year.
Perdue [announced] before the session began that he was proposing a 2-percent pay raise for state workers, including educators.
The proposed raise comes after teachers received no pay increase last year and the equivalent of a 1 percent raise this year.
[A Perdue bill] gives systems freedom from a 2000 education act, pushed by then-Gov. Roy Barnes, that required increasingly smaller class sizes in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The Legislature has postponed the class-size reductions in grades 4 through 12 in each of Perdue's three years in office. This year, for the first time, they postponed them for two years.
"To do that at a time when the economy is improving makes us believe you never really intend to follow that law - you never really intend to bring down class sizes," said Tim Callahan, spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 1:40 PM
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