Invest in education, the rest will follow

Should Georgia continue on the collision course of balancing the state budget with cuts to education?

Yes, if we are satisfied that only 67 percent of Georgia students will earn a high school diploma. Yes, if we don’t care about investing in a workforce that will, and can, tackle the dynamic challenges of the 21st century.

Should we balance the budget on the backs of students? Yes, if we are prepared to relegate a high percentage of Georgia youth to low-paying jobs and sporadic employment. Yes, if we prefer the startling statistic that, in Georgia, 1 of every 4 children lives in poverty, according to the 2010 census. Yes, if we are satisfied that the Georgia economic recovery will lag behind the national pace.

Research conducted by CEOS for Cities determined cities gain significant per capita income for every percent increase in the college attainment rate of its residents. There is a direct correlation between per capita income and a city’s college graduation rate. Education attainment also affects the unemployment rate. The website www.ceosforcities.org provides links to the research for dozens of cities, including Atlanta.

Former Atlanta Development Authority President Peggy Mccormick led local discussion of this topic three years ago. Her op-ed, “Education is Vital to the Region’s Economy,” can be found on ajc.com. The facts haven’t changed except to be reinforced during the prolonged economic downturn in Georgia.

It is well known that the better educated the residents of the city and the state, the more vibrant is the city and state economy. Yet Georgia leaders continue to ignore the relationship between the two and the state economy lags, the unemployment rate of Georgians remains higher than the national average month after month and the high school dropout rate remains consistently high.

Remember the famous political quote, “it’s the economy, stupid”? Well, “it’s education, stupid” works for me.

What is the point of investing in infrastructure for a growing and dynamic state — whether it is Hartsfield-jackson International Airport, the Beltline, the transportation sales tax referendum or the Port of Savannah — if we don’t invest in our children?

None, in my book.