It has been a year since Governor

Barnes' hotly contested A-plus Education Reform Act was unveiled. It eventually

passed muster and became law. Since the 2000 legislative session, educators

and parents have scrambled to understand the law and just how the new

rules may impact their local systems.

What a difference a year makes.

This year's legislative session has opened with an eye for compromise

and redress of some of last year's missteps. Now I think Barnes has not

only an eye for education reform in theory, but a better feel for how

to make that reform reality.

In his budget address to state

legislators on Thursday, Gov. Barnes has shown that he's willing to listen

to educators and parents on some key areas of concern. There are still

areas from last year's Education Reform Act that give me great pause,

such as the Office of Education Accountability, which is an unnecessary

layer of bureaucracy and spending that is not truly "accountable"

to the taxpayers at all, and only one of Gov. Barnes' power-grabbing superbabies.

But by and large I have a better

sense that our governor now knows that he has to look to the people, specifically

the teachers and parents, to really understand what Georgia students need

to improve.

Exhibit A in Gov. Barnes' transformation

is a proposed $68 million to put teacher aides, or paraprofessionals,

back in to kindergarten classrooms. Arguably, we could use them in the

first grade classrooms, too, but clearly the kindergarten classroom is

a critical need area.

Fayette students are fortunate

to have a superintendent and Board of Education who recognize that parapros

are invaluable teaching resources and have kept them in our classrooms

even without an allowance from the governor. This is a big win for our

youngest students, and a great way to enhance teaching at a relatively

low cost to taxpayers.

Another area that was reexamined

was last year's unfunded mandate to reduce class size. Just as the Fayette

County Board of Education was grappling with how to squeeze more students

into already crowded schools, the state was telling us to put even fewer

students in each classroom.

Solution? The governor has

proposed spending $468 million on school construction to address the lower

pupil-to-teacher ratio the Education Reform Act demands. This will likely

have a substantial impact for Fayette County schools, as we have a consistently

climbing student population.

One of the most egregious examples

of good intentions wrongly applied in last year's Education Reform Act

was the one that would reward teachers with bonuses for students' performance

on standardized tests.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all

for rewarding teachers for outstanding teaching. I also support better

pay for teachers and incentives for experienced teachers to remain in

their teaching jobs beyond 30 years. But the program as written last year,

to pay bonuses to teachers based on how their students perform on standardized

tests, has the potential to devastate underperforming schools whose students

need the best teachers of all.

It was easy to see that the

bonus program would have sent teachers running from underperforming schools,

a real spit in the face for equal education. While the Office of Education

Accountability hints that this aspect of the reform bill probably won't

be addressed this session, it will be addressed in the coming year.

The pay for performance program

was to be one of the last aspects of the A-plus Reform Act to come on

line. It is expected that the new bonus plan will include extra incentives

to keep teachers in underperforming schools. That's good business, and

crucial to providing the best educational environment for all students.

It remains to be seen if Gov.

Barnes' conciliatory measures will boost his approval rating among educators.

Last years' ardent debates over how best to improve education in Georgia

rang off-key for many educators who felt that the legislative action was

one big indictment on teaching. Let's hope that the climate will remain

open, and the dialogue sincere, so that real issues can be addressed in

a realistic way.

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