Carl Camon’s Commitment To Education

What better person to represent educators, than one who has Fifteen years experience in education? I don’t have to speculate on what happens in the classroom, because I have been in the classroom and I have first hand experience working with teachers, because I am a teacher. I have first hand experience in the process of educating students and positively contributing to their lives because I have helped to educate hundreds of students over the years. If given the opportunity to become the next Governor of Georgia, I will make a commitment to teach a lesson in a classroom in at least one school in every county in Georgia over the course of my four years in office. In order for me to keep education at the forefront of our administration, I will spend a great deal of my time where the education is taking place, and that is in Georgia’s public school’s. I will not fight against education, but I will work on behalf of educators and those receiving the education. My goal is to return authority back to our classroom teachers and allow them to be creative in their approach to increasing student achievement. The majority of the problems that we are dealing with in our state today can be linked to a lack of education. As governor, I will work to fully fund Quality Based Education (QBE). It is difficult for one to be specific in terms of what they are going to do with resources, if they don’t know what resources will be available to them by the time they take office. Regardless of what is available for use upon taking the reins of leadership of our state, there is one promise that I will make, and that to use those resources to benefit the  citizens of Georgia first. I will lead by example by pledging a total of $20,000.00 ($5,000.00 per year) of my Governor’s salary, over a period of four years, to be used toward educational scholarships for deserving high school graduates. I’ve had the opportunity to graduate from college five times, and so I feel that it is my duty to help someone else share that experience at least once.

Carl’s Plan To Reform Education in Georgia

1. Restore authority back to classroom teachers and give them the flexibility to be creative in their approach to teaching, and give students the tools they need to be successful, therefore increasing student achievement.

2. Upon the increase of sustainable student achievement in Georgia, work toward increasing pay for Georgia’s teachers to at least the national average.

3. Standardized tests are not always the best indicator of intelligence. We will ensure that tests used in Georgia have proven standards of validity and reliability. If not, we will work with the teachers to create new methods of evaluation. Our administration will focus more on teaching and learning, and remove the overwhelming stress factor from our students.

4. Focus on early intervention, by continuing the support of the Lottery Funded Georgia Pre-K Program, to include Pre-K teachers and Resource Coordinators.

5. Provide continued support, expansion, and protection for the HOPE Scholarship Program and support university/college and technical college students in their endeavors to further their education

6. Explore the possibilities and provide necessary support of more "Green Schools" (Wind, Solar Energy, Green Building Products) for greater educational savings, and use those savings to fully fund Quality Based Education.

7. Support a plan that will allow teachers, who choose to, to retire after 25 years of service, therefore saving money by reducing the number of higher paid teachers, and use those savings to fully fund Quality Based Education.

8. Support a plan that will phase out alternative schools over a period of time, and return eligible students back into the classroom with extra supports. Partner with local technical colleges and offer an alternate technical education program, for those students who will be best suited for this service, so that they may receive adequate training necessary to become gainfully employed, and use those savings to fully fund Quality Based Education.

9. Reduce the number of repeaters, therefore reducing the “Double Dip QBE Effect”, and use those savings to fully fund Quality Based Education.

10. Identify current ineffective programs and services under state control and streamline or discontinue the ones that are proven to be ineffective and use those savings to fully fund Quality Based Education.