Georgia Governor's Broad Education Plans Stir Debate

By Linda Jacobson

Gov. Roy Barnes' plan for improving the Georgia education system is being called bold and far-reaching. But some education leaders and associations are having trouble swallowing some of the details of the package.

Introduced Jan. 14, the 125-page bill would abolish tenure for new teachers, create an independent office of education accountability, and allow parents to transfer their children out of failing schools. Mr. Barnes, a Democrat who took office a year ago, also proposes that class sizes be cut to just 11 students per teacher in the early grades for low-performing schools, that teachers pass basic technology tests before they are hired or recertified, and that signing bonuses be used to attract teachers to hard-to-fill areas such as math and science, and in rural schools.

The measure is currently before...