The Georgia Department of Education will continue pursuing its strategic goals despite pending budget cuts for state agencies, Superintendent Kathy Cox said during a recent Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education symposium.

Last week, Gov. Sonny Perdue proposed cutting $2 billion in state spending through June 30th, with little increase seen for fiscal 2009-2010. While other agencies are facing heavier reductions, the cuts to education may hit $400 million.

"We are still analyzing our budget," Cox said, and her department is still evaluating the impact of the governor's latest proposals. She declined to answer questions about the budget until Wednesday, when she will make a formal presentation to the General Assembly's education committees.

Despite the tough economic times, Cox said, state educational leaders remain focused on long-term strategic goals. She defended the governor's call for a $10,000 bonus for high school principals, saying the program will encourage better educational results. She noted only 49 percent of Georgia's high schools are meeting the guidelines for adequate yearly progress. Perdue's bonus proposal aims "to change behavior in high schools," she said, adding, "Hopefully this program would be temporary."

Cox also wants more funds to pay for badly-needed math and science teachers, and supports merit pay for all teachers. Extra pay for math and science teachers for grades K-12 would run almost $10 million, she said. A merit pay plan to reward high-performing teachers would cost another $12 million through fiscal 2011. "We need to pay them for what they're doing - not just pay them for having a degree," Cox said.

One proposal to save money with minimal impact on education is a temporary waiver in class room sizes, adopted by the Georgia Board of Education earlier this month. Cox said the state expects local districts could save $200 million in reduced teacher costs through the measure. The move allows local districts to seek a waiver to allow two more the number of children in a classroom during the 2009-2010 school year. She added the waiver would be available for grades K-8, and not for grades 9-12, special education or alternative education programs.

She added, "Just because the budget is tight, that doesn't mean we can't be aggressive" in pursuing long-term goals. "We don't want to send the message that we're backing off strategic priorities because it's a tight budget year. We've got to think about moving the education system forward in Georgia."

The state school board and the Department of Education have six strategic goals for education:
•    Increase the high school graduation rate.
•    Strengthen teacher quality, recruitment and retention.
•    Improve workforce readiness skills.
•    Develop strong education leaders.
•    Improve SAT, ACT and achievement scores.
•    Ensure maximum academic and financial accountability.

Cox said improving graduation rates, lower the dropout rate and increasing the post-secondary school enrollment rate remains "the number one issue for the state." She said the graduation rate rose from 67.3 percent in 2003 to 75.4 percent in 2008, which meant more than 8,000 additional students received diplomas last year.  

A vital component for economic development is continuing to strengthen Georgia's workforce readiness through career, technical and educational programs, Cox said. That goal is one where the School Board is linking directly with the strategies of other state departments. "We've got to have Georgians ready for the jobs of the global economy in the 21st Century," she said.

Increasing college entrance scores also continues to be a priority, Cox said. Questioned about whether SAT and ACT scores are a reliable measure of high school success, Cox responded that the scores still have other purposes. "Our kids have to go to college in order to get out into the world and complete, so SAT and ACT scores are indicators of whether they can get into college," she said.

While the first five goals are continued and expanded from 2008, Cox said, the final goal is a new one: making policies that ensure academic and financial accountability. That goal includes making sure charter schools, charter systems and schools that receive vouchers are providing adequate educational opportunities, she said. Improved school board governance - an issue that gained more attention after Clayton County lost its accreditation in 2008 - would also fall under this new category. "We need to make sure all the school board decisions ensure increased accountability from all stakeholders," she said.