I am a Ronald Reagan Republican. I subscribe to his 11th commandment, “Thou shall not speak ill of fellow Republicans”.

Last week I was attacked for voting for Governor Perdue’s education reform bill, SB 390, by my Republican primary opponent.

The bill was carried by Senator Ronnie Chance (R-Tyrone) and received the votes of every single Republican in the General Assembly. It was passed overwhelmingly.

The bill requires that 65 percent of education funding be spent for classroom instruction and classroom teachers. Fayette County currently spends almost 70 percent of our education budget in this manner, and therefore there is no impact on our local school system.

The Governor and Republican members of the General Assembly are not controlling politicians in Atlanta. We are taking action to bring up the standard of education in Georgia to the level of Fayette County.

You should also know that representatives Flood, Abdul-Salaam and Jordan [all Democrats] voted “No” on the bill.

My Republican opponent boasted that he would not have supported or voted for the bill. In essence, he would have voted against not only SB 390, but the Republican effort to reform and improve public education in Georgia.

Rep. Dan Lakly (R-72)
Peachtree City, Ga.

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