There is no more important issue to the parents of Fayette County than the quality of our children’s education. I believe it is important for voters to know all the facts before going to vote in the July 15 primary, particularly on issues as important as education.

When I hear public statements that I know to be patently untrue, I feel duty-bound to respond so the voting public has all the facts to make an informed decision in the coming election.

In recent weeks, Rick Williams, who is challenging Republican incumbent John Yates for state House District 73, which includes part of south Fayette County, has repeatedly made factually inaccurate statements about education funding in Georgia.

Most incredible has been his assertion that the Georgia legislature has “cut education funding” in recent years. Let me set the record straight.

Since FY 2005, overall K-12 Department of Education has increased over 30 percent. The core per-pupil funding that is allocated by way of the QBE formula has increased almost 20 percent.

Additionally, Georgia’s average teacher salaries now exceed 15 other Southeastern states. In fact, after adjusting for cost of living, our teachers’ total compensation ranks first nationally.

By making claims that the legislature has “cut” education funding in recent years, Mr. Williams either does not understand the state budget, or is being dishonest about state spending to score political points.

Either way, it seriously calls into question his ability to serve in the Legislature. Mr. Williams, it is not a “cut in education spending” to move dollars from one education program to another, despite your claims to the contrary.

There is no doubt dollars are being spent differently in the five plus years since Governor Perdue was inaugurated and Republicans took control of the state legislature after decades and decades of Democratic control.

Dollars are now being targeted more toward programs and policies that work, rather than the tired, decades’ old policies the Democrats employed of taxing and spending more and more of our money without ever looking at what worked and what did not work.

Democrats controlled every lever of state government for over 100 years, and their policies led us to the nation’s lowest average SAT scores and frighteningly low graduation rates.

In the five years since Republicans have taken control, there has been a major shift toward a more results-oriented policy. While there is much more work to be done, evidence of the success of a policy driven by results and accountability is already being borne out. Georgia’s graduation rate has increased an astonishing 10 percent in the past five years.

One example of changing the way education dollars are spent in Georgia was the passage of a state law by Republican leaders in the legislature that requires 65 percent of all education tax dollars to be spent in the classroom where learning occurs.

This law did not affect school systems like Fayette County that have been spending money in the classroom, as they should.

However, some school systems were spending half of their budgets on administrators, central office and other expenses not related to actual student achievement.

Most would say it is common sense to spend the bulk of parents’ tax dollars directly on the education of their children. Believe it or not, many of the Democrats in the legislature actually fought the passage of this legislation.

I have had the opportunity to know Rep. John Yates for several years now. I first met him in my years working for Congressman Mac Collins. Congressman Collins always spoke extremely highly of him and thought him to be a good and honorable public servant.

Over the last few months, since my election to the Legislature, I have had the opportunity to serve with John Yates and watch him in action. I can tell you that there is not a more honest, hard-working and principled member of the Georgia General Assembly than John. He is a man of integrity and represents his constituents zealously, while never veering from his conservative ideals.

Despite Mr. Williams’ repeated attempts to cast aspersions on Rep. Yates because of his age, I can tell you no one spends more time at the Capitol, or works harder on behalf of his district than he does. John Yates is also a staunch advocate on behalf of Georgia’s students.

Mr. Williams will have to do better than reciting the tired old Democratic tax and spend, no-accountability play book to convince voters in a Republican primary that he shares the values of our community.

Rep. Matt Ramsey, District 72

Peachtree City, Ga.

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