By Sen. Valencia Seay
ATLANTA (March 26, 2010) – As the Georgia General Assembly nears the completion of another legislative session, we continue to face uphill challenges that affect all citizens in this great state. We are currently experiencing the worst economic downturn in Georgia’s history and have had to make tough decisions regarding the state budget. As a result, many state agencies have substantially reduced their operating budget to adjust to lower revenue levels. Unfortunately, some of the largest reductions have come down on the most important program within Georgia: education.
Currently, local school systems are desperately trying to find ways to continue providing crucial educational services for Georgia’s children. These times of financial hardship have required a significant reduction in education spending which is causing drastic budget cutting measures to escalate in local school systems. What started out as furlough days quickly became lay-offs and the possibility of four day school weeks. School boards across the state have already started to take drastic action by cutting teaching positions. These cuts are a direct result of the decrease in both state and local revenues, which are the main source of funding for school systems.
I am against any measure that causes educators to lose their jobs, which also hinder the education system as a whole. As your State Senator, I have a Constitutional responsibility to provide a functioning education system for all. The Georgia Constitution states that the provision of an adequate public education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia. The proposed cuts for the FY 2011 budget and the cuts already in place for the remainder of FY 2010, which ends on June 30th, put our state in jeopardy of delivering a competitive institution to educate our youth. Because education has received the brunt of these cost cutting measures, the time has come to look at other areas of funding to make up for the budget shortfalls that are plaguing the state education system.
Legislation has been proposed this year that could further impede the state’s ability to deliver a quality education system. The idea of school vouchers has been slowly gaining support and if successful work against the system that we have tried so hard to maintain. There are those who think that providing students with an allotted amount of money to attend another school will be beneficial to those within the state. Consequently, this would allow for your tax dollars to be spent at private educational institutions. In such dire times, these kinds of ideas are not what will benefit the state’s school systems. With every aspect of the budget being analyzed, it simply does not make sense to take crucial state funding away from public schools when they are already financially strapped.
Throughout my career in public service, I have been a long standing advocate of education. I have seen the benefits of an educated populous in both the counties I represent and across the entire country. It is my most sincere belief that educating the youth of this state will be critical to ensuring the future economic prosperity for all Georgians. These unprecedented times we are living in have caused us all to readjust our way of living. However, our children should not have to sacrifice the integrity of their educational career. I can assure you that as we move forward through the legislative process, I will remain steadfast in my commitment to protect the K-12 education system.
Sen. Valencia Seay represents the 34th Senate District, which includes parts of Clayton and Fayette counties. She can be reached at her office at 404.656.5095 or by email at valencia.seay@senate.ga.gov.
COLUMN
For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2010
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber, Director
Adam Sweat, Press Aide
adam.sweat@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028