(Atlanta Journal Constitution) — Georgia’s second largest teachers’ group said Wednesday it will send a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan formally opposing the state’s bid for new federal school reform grants.
The announcement by the 43,000-member Georgia Association of Educators comes on the heels of a legislative victory it shared last week with the state’s largest teacher group, the 78,000-member Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Both groups successfully fought efforts by Gov. Sonny Perdue to create a merit pay system for teachers or, at the least, to create a statewide mandate to make student performance part of teachers’ job evaluations.