As the Georgia gubernatorial contest nears the home stretch, Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams releases a commercial showing her in a classroom with children. “I will raise teachers’ salaries,” says Abrams, “and invest in preschool education and schools.”
In a recent televised debate, Republican incumbent Brian Kemp defended a law he signed that included guidelines for teachers on how to deal with “divisive concepts.” “People are fed up with their kids being indoctrinated in the classroom,” Kemp said.
Will the Georgia campaign be a repeat of Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 victory in Virginia, where education was a key issue? Based on the Abrams debate clip and commercial, it could look like this. But the reality is more complex. The candidates are certainly talking about education. But polls suggest other issues are higher on voters’ minds. And perhaps the liveliest educational race in the entire state of Georgia isn’t for the governor, it’s for the principal.
Democratic nominee Alisha Thomas Searcy for state school board of trustees is a former state representative who has openly supported public charter schools and campaigned for tax-credit scholarships. The Georgia Association of Educators, the state affiliate of the teachers’ union of the National Education Association, has endorsed Republican incumbent Richard Woods. Searcy and Abrams, both Democrats, have clashed, with Searcy publicly complaining that she was “ostracized and excluded” from the Abrams campaign. “We’re meant to be the party of the big tent, the party that embraces diversity and the party that stands up for those who are being excluded,” Searcy said.
Some nationwide election polls didn’t even include education in a list of issues voters were asked about as possible priorities. A September Marist poll quizzed voters on inflation, abortion, health care, immigration and “support for democracy.” An October Quinnipiac poll listed eight issues — abortion, inflation, climate change, electoral laws, racial inequality, gun violence, health care and Covid-19 — but not education. A July Fox News poll on the Georgia Senate race included education as an issue. That poll found that just two percent of voters named education “most important,” well behind inflation, abortion, electoral integrity and voting rights, guns, border security or crime.
That hasn’t stopped the candidates from speaking out on the subject. Gov. Kemp’s K-12 proposals focus primarily on helping schools recover from the effects of a pandemic. His plans include recommending $25 million for a Learning Loss Opportunity Scholarship Grant, $25 million for local school systems to recruit more school counselors, and $15 million for a scholarship program designed to help paraprofessionals offset the cost of obtaining teacher certification to build the teaching community.
“We still have more work to do to address the pandemic learning loss, get more educators and counselors into our schools, and protect our students and staff,” Kemp said in September as he unveiled his K-12 proposals. “By working with our local school systems and providing targeted funding to get these children back up to grade level, I am confident we can help the students who need it most.” Kemp presented his proposals as an extension of his work as governor “urging getting our children back in the classroom,” noting that “many Georgians, including African Americans and other minorities, cannot return to work if their children are not.” are in the classroom.”
In addition, the governor has promised to propose legislation on school safety, such as These include new safety training for teachers and staff, continuing education requirements for school resource officers, and requiring districts to submit school safety plans to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
As for Abrams, she has put raising teachers’ salaries at the heart of her education agenda. Kemp has made good on a 2018 campaign promise to increase teachers’ salaries by $5,000. Abrams would go much further, raising the national base salary for teachers from $39,092 to $50,000 and the median teacher salary from $62,500 to $73,500. “Central to the educational success of our children is the support of the teachers, support staff, and support workers who help us build resilient children,” Abrams said while accepting an endorsement from the Georgia Association of Educators. “When our educators are valued and fairly rewarded for their commitment to education, our children benefit.”
Abrams’ agenda also includes creating initiatives to strengthen the teacher talent pipeline, introducing a new education funding formula for K-12 students, using Medicaid funds to increase access to mental health services in schools, and delivery universal pre-k
When asked in the recent debate how she would pass and fund her sweeping education proposals, especially given the likelihood that she would work with a Republican legislature, Abrams replied, “Georgia is sitting on a $6.6 billion surplus…I want to.” invest it in our children and in our families.”
She also promises to oppose any laws that would prevent transgender and non-binary students from achieving “a gender-affirming space in school” like a sports team and laws that “drive a wedge between parents and teachers” or “devalue the professional image of the teacher”. Judgment” and causes teachers “to live in fear of sanctions if they teach an accurate story or engage in meaningful class dialogue”.
Both points relate to a law Kemp signed into law last April that issues guidelines for teachers to address certain “divisive concepts” with their students and created an oversight committee to determine how transgender students participate in sports teams be able. In the recent debate, Abrams vowed to repeal the law if she were elected, describing it as “a teacher [being] told you to lie to a child.” Kemp has defended his signature on that bill and on another that creates a bill of rights for parents. He told a non-partisan educator’s group, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, “I have also made it clear that Georgia classrooms should be free of divisive ideologies and a place for students to learn how to think, not what to think Over the past year, we have taken steps to ensure that is the case in Georgia, and I will continue to do so as our state’s governor.”
Notably, the champion of school choice in the Georgia election is not one of the gubernatorial candidates, but rather Searcy, the Democratic candidate for Georgia’s principal. Abrams has promised to reject tax credits and private school vouchers. Kemp has largely kept a low profile on the subject.
Tracey Marin is a Senior Associate at Whiteboard Advisors.
