With Georgia in the midst of a budget crunch, Governor Sonny Perdue says he'll let schools decide how to spend their money. But, not everyone welcomes the Governor’s message of flexibility.
Earlier this year, Governor Perdue asked for and got a two percent reduction in the state's school funding formula. Now -- in a letter to the state’s schools superintendents -- Perdue says schools systems will be given "flexibility" in how the remaining funds are spent.
However, one group called the Governor's actions little more than a band-aid to a system already weakened by an obsolete funding mechanism. Tim Callanhan is a spokesperson for the 72-thousand member Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
"This crisis was exacerbated by a lack of vision and leadership over the last several years by allowing a 20-something year old funding formula to fall into abuse and disabuse."Callahan blamed partisan politics as well.
"We've got no leadership except in a negative sense. From the Governor's side it has been cut and cut and cut in terms of funding. From the Senate side, the leader of the Senate is pushing a voucher program and from the House side, the leader of the House talking about eliminating property taxes."However, a spokesperson for Olglethorpe county schools does applaud the governor's actions, but stops short of describing the proposed flexible spending plan as a long term solution to the state's financial woes.
Perdue has also asked the State Board of Education to allow reasonable class size waivers. And, the Governor says he'll introduce legislation in 2009 to temporarily waive restrictions on some school expenditures.
