Newspaper Page Text
February 16, 2022
Page 3B
^Reporter
State superintendent Woods says
schools should focus on job skills
From left, BOE members Greg Head and Priscilla Doster, state
superintendent Richard Woods, BOE members Eva Bilderback
and Stuart Pippin and local superintendent Mike Hickman.
By Will Davis
publisher™ my mcr.net
Georgia state school
superintendent Richard
Woods told the Forsyth-
Monroe County Kiwanis
Club on Feb. 1 that the
worst mistake schools ever
made was urging every
child to go to a 4-year
university.
“You cannot overestimate
the importance of voca
tional and tech schools,”
said Woods. “There are
counties in this state where
you cant find a plumber or
a carpenter.”
Woods said the educa
tional system got off track
decades ago when voca
tional programs stopped
asking businesses and
industries what kinds of
skills they wanted for new
hires. At the same, he said
Georgia high schools made
everything about going to
a 4-year university.
“That sounds good and
wonderful,” said Woods,
“but it’s not the reality of
life.”
Woods said high schools
should focus on directing
more kids with leads into
real jobs.
Woods noted that the av
erage college student debt
is now $28,000, which will
take years to pay back.
Kiwanian Jim Huff
man told Woods when he
was growing up, his high
school offered electron
ics and other vocational
courses and asked how
public schools lost that
emphasis.
Woods agreed and said
schools had wrongly
decided to put everyone
on a pathway to a 4-year
university.
“They need a path
way to Burger King,”
replied Dr. Tom Perry
of Forsyth, to laughter.
“They’re never open!”
due to lack of workers.
Woods said schools
should also do more
to prepare students
to handle their with
money, and said
schools should encour
age moms and dads to
stay together because
that is a strong indica
tor of whether a child
will succeed.
Woods said Georgia
schools teach American
history for three years in
elementary school, and
he likes to hand out pocket
constitutions to children
so they know what a great
nation we have.
“All these people in 2020
said if Trump was elected
they would leave the coun
try,” said Woods of Amer
ica being a great place to
live. “And yet they’re still
here.”
Woods said Georgia cur
riculum doesn’t shy away
from teaching kids about
America’s flaws too, teach
ing about slavery and Jim
Crow. But he said it’s also
important to lay a patriotic
foundation where kids like
their country.
Woods, who’s running
for his third term in office
this year, said most schools
in Georgia had face to face
instruction last year after
moving on from COVID.
He said the main obstacle
to keeping some schools
open has just been finding
enough bus drivers.
Woods said he’s also
proud that the GHSA kept
sports going even as many
states are just now allow
ing athletics.
Woods said people have
been reminded in the last
two years that their most
important officials are the
local school board.
“They make a lot of
tough decisions,” said
Woods. “Education is the
perfect storm because
you’ve got kids and money.
You’re not gonna be more
passionate about anything
than that, ft’s a tough job.”
As for his re-election,
Woods said he’s a Christian
conservative Republican,
in that order.
“I was first elected official
to speak out against CRT
(Critical Race Theory),”
said Woods. “I made sure
there was nothing like that
in our standards. If we just
teach to the standards, we
will have no problem in
state of Georgia. We take
no money from those who
insist on that ideology’
Woods said if CRT
things slip through into
the classroom, “we’ve been
quick to deal with it.”
“Our focus should be on
giving those kids a good
education,” said Woods.
“If you want to have an
agenda, do that on your
own time, not when our
kids are in the classroom.”
Woods added that the
legislature is looking at
bills to curb CRT as well.
“ft’s something that’s
gonna be dealt with, to
make sure we’re transpar
ent,” said Woods. “You pay
our salaries, ft’s important
that we are cognizant of
that and work to keep your
trust. Parents have a right
to know what their kids are
exposed to. And if they feel
like you’re hiding some
thing, that’s not a good
place to be.”
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