Governor Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission presented its final recommendations Tuesday, and apparently there were few surprises in the plan.
Some of the recommendations — which were approved by the full commission in November — would have to be voted on by legislators in the upcoming session of the Georgia General Assembly, while others can be enacted by Gov. Deal.
The 85-page proposal, as presented, would change the way more than a third of the state’s revenue is distributed to schools. Not only does it add $258 million dollars to funding in the FY 18 , but it would allow a more hands-off approach by the state, and allow educators to spend money as they choose while eliminating rules on classroom size, contact time with teachers, and teacher pay. And, as funds are available, an additional $209 million would be added to the funding formula.
The most controversial part of the recommendations seem to center around teacher’s pay– most specifically, merit pay. Gov. Deal has said he supports a switch to a merit pay plan. Under the commission’s recommendations, the current training and education pay scale would be eliminated. This plan would impact new teachers. All current teachers would have the option to remain under their existing pay scale.
The new funding formula would student-based, and would include weights that recognize varying needs of students — including additional funds for gifted, economically disadvantaged and ESOL students.
The reform commission is recommending the state offer more financial and other support to charter schools and encourage schools to set up classrooms that allow students to learn at their own pace through competency based learning. The report also recommends that Pre-k teachers be placed on a pay scale like the one for K-12 teachers, and allows for the reduction in the number of students per classroom from 22 to 20 students.
