Members of the Role of Federal Government in Education Study Committee are:
House members
- Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper)
- Rep. Buzz Brockway (R-Lawrenceville)
- Rep. Mike Glanton (D-Jonesboro)
Superintendents
- Robert Avossa (Milton), Fulton County Schools
- Charles Wilson (Statesboro), Bulloch County Schools
- Mark Scott (Bonaire), Houston County Schools
State Board of Education
- Helen Rice (LaGrange), State Board of Education chair
Teachers
- Justin Adams (Mansfield), Henderson Middle School (Butts County) math and social studies teacher
- Sarah Ballew Welch (Blue Ridge), Fannin County High School (Fannin County) English language arts teachers
- Beth Blankenship (Preston), Webster County High School (Webster County) English language arts teacher
Parents/grandparents
- Misty Skedgell (Powder Springs), parent of three in Cobb County Schools
- Hubert Parker (Ellijay), grandparent of three in Gwinnett County Schools
- Eric Johnson (Hahira), parent of two in Lowndes County Schools
A Mansfield resident was appointed to a Georgia House study committee as one of three teacher representatives across the state.
Justin Adams, a math and social studies teacher at Henderson Middle School in Butts County, was named to the Role of Federal Government in Education Study Committee by House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), according to an announcement from the speaker’s office last Friday. He is also the pastor at NEW LIFE Praise Center in Covington.
Adams said the nomination process involved being chosen by Henderson Middle’s principal and Butts County superintendent before Rep. Ralston’s selection and several phone interviews, taking two months to complete.
The committee met for the first time Wednesday, July 30 from 1:30-5 p.m. at the Coverdell Legislative Office Building in Atlanta’s Capital Square, according to an article in the Jackson Progress-Argus.
According to the Progress-Argus, the study committee was created by House Resolution 550 and will be called and scheduled by co-chairmen state Reps. Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth) and Carol Rogers (R-Gainesville).
“Education is one of the most important issues that we address as policymakers,” Ralston said in a statement quoted by the article. “Funding, mandates and other directives that come down from the federal government, as they relate to education, deserve a thorough review by leaders in our state from time to time. I plan to ask this committee to examine these issues as well as the role the federal government played in the adoption of the Common Core state standards. I am very excited that this group of leaders and educators agreed to give us their time to do just that, and I look forward to addressing the study committee (this) week.”
