Turner encourages community involvement

Published 1:57 pm Tuesday, January 10, 2017

VALDOSTA — Georgia Federation of Teachers President Verdaillia Turner encouraged community involvement in local and state education during a recent visit.

“As citizens, it is incumbent on us to make sure our government is right and fair,” Turner said.

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She urged residents to hold elected officials accountable, to call their representatives and push for research-based improvements on education.

“This is our state,” she said. “If they (government) don’t deliver, put them out.”

Turner said Gov. Nathan Deal based his education policies “off failed Louisiana programs.”

She urged following international models instead.

Finland has “the best education in the world,” Turner said.

She pointed to higher levels of required training for teachers and better pay.

“If you want good teachers, pay them right, make them master teachers, according to international standards,” Turner said.

She said Deal’s policies would hand power from elected officials to governor appointments.

“Don’t ya’ll think that’s a lot of power?” she said.

Turner praised school board members who “used their own personal time and money to fight” Deal’s Opportunity School District proposal. The proposal lost in a referendum vote in November.

She said Deal is “going to do OSD by statute what they couldn’t do by constitution” and urged residents to remain active and aware.

More information on the Georgia Federation of Teachers is available at ga.aft.org.