By LEE N. HOWELL
Politically Speaking

After weeks of public debate and backroom “horse-trading,” the members of the Georgia General Assembly strongly endorsed the package of education reforms sponsored by Gov. Roy Barnes.

A third of the Republicans in the House (including most of those who represent this region south and west of Atlanta) voted against the final bill, as did an even larger percentage of the GOP membership in the state Senate.

For the record, every member of the state legislature who represents Clayton County in the House or Senate voted for the education reform bill, as did almost every other Democrat in the state legislature — and almost every other lawmaker from the Southern Crescent counties of Coweta, Fayette, and Spalding (most of whom are Republican) — voted against it.

Now, there is really no need to name names, but two prominent exceptions to this general rule should be noted: State Rep. Lynn Smith, (R-Newnan) (who represents a Coweta County district), broke ranks with her fellow GOP lawmakers from this area and voted for the bill, while state Sen. Dan Lee, (D-LaGrange) (who represents a portion of Spalding County), was one of only two members of his party in the state Senate to oppose the bill.

State Sen. Rick Price (R-Peachtree City), voted for the bill when it originally came before the Senate, but was heavily criticized by some local folks as “not being conservative enough” and decided to vote against the final version.

Gee, he didn't have to do that: This is one political observer who has watched Sen. Price on the county commission and in the state legislature — and I can tell you he is without a doubt about as right-wing as they come. (I am still proud to call him my friend — and I won't even make him speak to me in public if he thinks it will hurt his image!)

For years, we have heard many of these same people call for the reforms that were included in the bill, like smaller classroom size and tougher accountability standards for teachers, and it was more than a little ironic to see them vote against the bill just because it was sponsored by this state's Democratic governor.

It makes one wonder just what in the bill did they not like? Smaller class sizes? Tougher accountability standards? Incentive pay for hard-to-get teaching specialties?

It seemed that the major reason for the opposition of these members of the minority party had less to do with ideological consistency and more to do with partisan politics.

Many — perhaps most — of the Republicans who voted against the most comprehensive package of educational reforms to be considered in the last 15 years did so because it was the centerpiece of this year's administration legislation backed by Gov. Barnes.

The fact that the ideas promoted in this bill were the same ones those Republicans had long been espousing made no difference when it came to deciding how to cast their vote on this issue.

I find it appalling that these nay-sayers would put politics above the best interests of our state's children. (It is worse than appalling that Georgia's State Superintendent of Education Linda Schrenko also opposed these reforms.)

Based on scattered comments printed in various newspapers and newsletters, one has to presume that many of those who opposed the legislation did so because they thought it might require higher property taxes to foot the bill for some of those reforms. Now, I don't like paying taxes any more than the next guy or girl, but I decided long ago that anything worth having was worth paying for. (Besides, as my father-in-law often says, I am just glad I earn enough money to have to pay taxes: It certainly beats the alternatives, like going on welfare or living on the streets!)

Contained in that massive education reform package were many concepts which will help improve Georgia's schools in the years ahead. Some of those reforms may prove to be bitter pills to swallow. But, nobody ever promised us that the medicine we need to cure what ails us would always taste like Cherry Coke!

[Lee N. Howell is an award-winning writer who has been observing and commenting upon politics and society in the Southern Crescent, the state, and nation for more than a quarter of a century.]

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