Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) • Jan. 16
Gov. Perdue previewed a recommendation during his State of the State address that would give schools more freedom as long as they raised achievement. While he gave few details, he said he wants to offer “new options in exchange for performance.” To complement his “graduation coach” program, the governor is also recommending a new, $14.25 million “VIP recruiter” program, employing parents to work with other parents in schools with high truancy rates. The governor is also launching an online “education scoreboard” to help the public monitor student achievement. And he wants to spend $65 million to upgrade school transportation systems and technology.