Our education system, run at the local level with active parental involvement, is vitally important to every Georgia citizen who wants to find their path to prosperity. It has a direct impact on our economic well-being. As a former educator and a parent of two school aged boys, I know all too well the challenges we have in our classrooms.

Our Republican leadership in the State House has fully funded QBE since 2018, except for drastic measures that had to be taken in response to the COVID slowdown. Additionally, teachers have been given historic pay raises to compensate them for their valuable public service in educating our students. We've also acknowledged that parents are the final authority on their children's educational path and well-being while in our public schools.

However, we need to also acknowledge that a child's zip code or lines on a map should never determine their educational opportunities. Even the best schools on paper may not be the best fits for particular students, and we have to move away from this antiquated approach that disempowers parents and disinterests students in their own education.