Barge Announces Run for Governor
Standing outside Smyrna City Hall in Cobb County, state school superintendent John Barge announced Tuesday he’s running for governor. He’ll square off against Gov. Nathan Deal in the Republican primary.
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Barge said he’s running for the state’s top office for three reasons he calls e3: education, ethics, and economic development. He said none have thrived under Gov. Deal, starting with education.
“When we look at the decreased funding of our school systems over the last several years in this state it’s embarrassing,” Barge said. “Two-thirds of our school districts in this state are not in school 180 days a year.”
180 days is the state’s minimum requirement. However, some districts have trimmed their calendars due to budget cuts.
Beyond money, Barge said the governor’s office didn’t recognize student achievement, including gains on national tests like the SAT. He said in 2012, Georgia was the only state in the U.S. whose students showed improvement on every national test.
Regarding ethics, Barge said more transparency is needed. He cited a report from the Center for Public Integrity in which Georgia ranked last for integrity of its public officials.
Barge linked economic development to education. He said improving education will help meet workforce needs.
“Why is it that the state has an unemployment rate higher than the national average?” Barge asked. “Why do we have that, when in metro Atlanta alone, you have thousands and thousands of unfilled IT jobs? Why? Because what we’re producing in our educational system does not match the need in business and industry.”
Barge says his department has addressed that through a new program called Career Pathways. The plan lets incoming high school freshmen choose a field of study.
Barge and Deal have a tense relationship, publicly sparring over educational issues. And Barge indicated Tuesday there’s another reason he wants to take on the governor.
“I really feel like the governor’s office in this state has really accumulated too much power under it,” he said. “ And I would be interested in divesting some of that power and let the state superintendent run the schools. That’s why the people of Georgia elect a state superintendent.”
Barge said if he wins the governor’s race, the state superintendent will have plenty of leeway.
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