NFIB/Georgia State Director Kyle Jackson sent the follow letter today to Sen. Lindsey Tippins, asking the Senate Education & Youth Committee to vote “yes” on Senate Bill 2, which would improve education for students who may be able to take college level or technical coursework before graduating from high school.
January 28, 2015
The Honorable Lindsey Tippins
Chairman, Senate Education & Youth Committee
Chairman Tippins:
I would like to take this opportunity to provide support for the passage of Senate Bill 2 (Sen. Tippins) on behalf of the National Federation of Independent Business/Georgia’s (NFIB/Georgia) and the nearly 7,500 employers we represent.
Senate Bill 2 represents a paradigm shift in the approach to educating Georgia’s children and would create new pathways and options that we believe will ultimately lead to more student achievement, more gainful employment and a more skilled and educated workforce Georgia’s small employers so desperately need.
SB 2 gives the option to local schools and communities to provide a dual-pathway for students who have completed the 9th and 10th grade, some basic core competency classes, and have been accepted and enroll in classes or coursework in an accredited postsecondary institution to earn not only a high school diploma but to also work towards and complete an associate’s degree. We feel that the students who chose this path will likely be better-prepared with skills to immediately enter the workforce with a skill or trade where there await good-paying jobs, and could better-prepare them for a four-year college or university should they chose that route. This is the first time NFIB has ventured into the education policy arena, but this bill and concept are the type of innovative approach that is good for Georgia’s students and small employers.
NFIB thanks you for your work on this issue as well as Lieutenant Governor Cagle for his efforts to move the needle on education and workforce development. I humbly request your favorable consideration and support for this important pro-small-business piece of legislation. I look forward to working with you in supporting Georgia’s entrepreneurs and small employers in the future.
Regards,
Kyle Jackson
State Director
NFIB/Georgia
CC: Members of the Senate Education and Youth Committee
