Invest now for our future success - Kathy Cox

Georgia law requires the legislature to approve a balanced budget, which I believe is very wise. In these difficult economic times, I do not envy the task they [state legislators] have before them. But, just as we should not saddle the next generation with our debt, we also should not take away the opportunity for our children to receive an education that prepares them for their 21st Century world. We are fortunate to have some of the best teachers and school leaders in the nation (Georgia has had a National Principal of the Year for three years in a row). They have been laser-focused on their mission of improving student achievement, and I am proud to see so much progress being made.

But, I maintain that drastic and severe cuts hurt teachers and students, and negatively impact our progress. If there are further cuts to school system funding, then we can't expect things to be business as usual. While I fully recognize the severity of our revenue shortfall, I am not in favor of additional cuts to public K-12 education.