I am thrilled to announce that I have been endorsed by the current Georgia State School Superintendent, Dr. John Barge. All around Georgia, people from across the political spectrum are uniting behind my vision for Georgia’s public schools. I am honored by Dr. Barge’s words:
“Valarie Wilson is the only candidate in this race for State School Superintendent who understands the real issues facing our public education system in Georgia. She knows what initiatives are working and knows where changes need to be made to allow teachers to teach.”
Thank you, Dr. Barge, for your confidence in me.
Valerie Wilson
As reported earlier, an 11Alive/SurveyUSA poll shows the school superintendent to be extremely tight, with Republican Richard Woods of Irwin County holding a 46-44 percent lead well within the margin of error.
Barge said he met with both candidates and felt Wilson was most committed to the policies he believes are improving quality and results in Georgia schools.
“I’m a Republican with a brain that I used,” he said. “To me, the blind allegiance is what’s wrong with our system.”
Woods criticized Wilson for accepting Barge’s endorsement, accusing her in a written statement of planning to carry on Barge’s policies. Woods argues that changes are needed to state testing and teacher evaluations.
“By accepting Barge’s endorsement, my opponent is endorsing four more years of pursuing many of the failed policies that we’ve seen coming out of the GaDOE,” he said.