Students deserve equal opportunities Kasim Reed
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, February 5, 2006

Today in Georgia, I see hardworking students held back from the state's top universities by the poverty of their local school system. A small number of school districts in the state absorb a disproportionate number of the seats in our flagship institutions. As it now stands, geography and economics dictate far too much of a child's chances of going to a top Georgia University, and that's simply not in the best interest of our state. As a product of the Georgia public school system, I understand how vital it is to send a clear message of hope and opportunity to our state's young people, wherever they are in the state. We must reward hard work, and ensure equal access throughout Georgia.

Currently, the state is clearly not doing enough to fix the disproportionate funding of individual school districts across the state. It will take years to find a solution. Why should our children suffer while we are having this debate?

Until we can fix the funding discrepancies, we must inspire our children to achieve in the schools that they are in and Georgia's Promise does that. Georgia's Promise will guarantee an opportunity for every student to have the best education that Georgia can provide, and it does so fairly, and with clarity.

With Georgia's Promise, parents anywhere in the state can tell their children, "Work hard and if you finish in the top 10 percent of your class, you can go to the state college or university." Further, my bill requires that students take college preparatory courses and they must have lived in Georgia for more than 24 months.

Texas has had its Top 10 policy since 1997. I studied the Texas policy for more than six months and feel it's important to put the facts on the table. College students in Texas have done better under the Texas Initiative signed into law by then Governor George W. Bush. College completion rates at the state's flagship institutions are comparable to what they were before the 10 percent policy.

And when the people of Texas were recently asked about it, more than eighty (80%) percent of its citizens supported the policy. The kids who place in the top 10 percent have worked hard. The kids in rural and urban Georgia often live very challenging lives, and often face extraordinary challenges due to a lack of financial resources. Their hard work should be rewarded, and Georgia's Promise does that.

No child in Georgia who works hard and succeeds academically should be shut out of Georgia's leading institutions - a fundamental premise of American dream is that hard work and merit will always have a seat at the table. Georgia's Promise is our way of making that dream a reality for every Georgia child.

Senate Bill 473, deserves and open and fair debate. While I do not believe that anyone should be guaranteed an equal outcome in life, each of our children should have an equal beginning. If given a fair hearing based upon the facts, I believe Georgians will see this bill as an important step in that direction.