The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the final column in this series.
When the Georgia General Assembly convenes next week, my team and I will work to share information with state legislators about our state’s public education system — and to answer their questions about the performance of our public schools.
I’ll be proud to share with them that — while there is certainly still work to be done to improve the opportunities we’re offering our K-12 students — we have seen many positive indicators of growth over the last year.
Georgia’s class of 2024 recorded a historic-high graduation rate of 85.4% — and beat the nation in SAT and ACT scores. The first year of assessments following the implementation of improved mathematics standards in the classroom showed students making significant leaps in math achievement. We’ve seen rising test results across grades levels and content areas as well as increased performance across all components of the College and Career Ready Performance Index. More than 39,000 educators have been trained in the science of reading through the Georgia Literacy Academy.
As I meet with legislators, I will share these accomplishments along with our suggestions to address the many challenges and opportunities that still exist.
One message I’ll be certain to share is this: safety first.
Ensuring the safety of all our students, staff, parents and individuals who step onto any school campus and event will always be priority No. 1. These measures will include, but are not limited to, funding a school resource officer and a crisis alert system at every school.
Second, we will continue to invest in our teachers. Supporting our educator workforce has been a consistent priority for Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly have made historic investments in education, providing pay raises for teachers in the 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025 fiscal years for a total of $9,500. The Georgia Teacher of the Year now serves as an ex officio member of the State Board of Education and a voice for those who play the most critical role in the instruction of our students.
I’m proud of all these efforts — but we cannot take our foot off the gas. If we want our students to succeed, we need the best and brightest teaching in our schools. I’m proposing several steps to continue treating our teachers as professionals and improving the work environment for educators.
First, I ask that state legislators expand the teacher salary-step increases beyond 21 years of service. Now, there is no guarantee that a teacher will see any increase in pay for the final third of their career.
Second, I will urge legislators to expand the Return to Work option — which allows retired educators to return to the classroom in specific, high-need subject areas (reading, math and special education) statewide without having to sit out of the classroom for an extended period of time.
Furthermore, I also ask that legislators remove the July 2026 sunset that would end the Return to Work option, which has helped school districts throughout the state place talented, experienced teachers in classrooms where they are most needed.
Third, legislators should set a minimum number of personal days for teachers and classified staff. State law does not now require any personal days for teachers or classified employees. This is out of alignment with other comparable careers — we should treat teachers and school employees as professionals and provide personal days.
There is nothing more important for the future prosperity of our state than ensuring a robust, well-rounded, excellent education for every child. The best way to provide a high-quality education is to place a high-quality educator in every classroom — and to do that, it’s essential that we continue to invest in our educators.
I look forward to advocating for that outcome during the upcoming session.
Richard Woods is Georgia’s State School Superintendent. He was a high school teacher for 14 years before serving in administrative roles at the district and state levels.
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