As is customary early in each session of the Georgia General Assembly, the Senate and the House joined other dignitaries in a joint session (held in the chamber of the House of Representatives) to hear the Governor's State of the State address.  This was Governor Perdue's swan song, and after his speech, a long-time state agency official described it as "long on emotion and short on details."  This writer concurs.  Making reference to tough times in history, the Governor compared the current economic situation in our state and nation to many of those earlier challenges faced by our fellow citizens and urged his fellow Georgians to join him in making tough choices today so as to make it better for the children and grandchildren who follow.  To quote the Governor, who himself quoted Thomas Paine, "These are the times that try men's souls."

Among those things that will "try souls" most seriously in Georgia will be grappling with the hard-hit state budget, and the Governor made only a passing reference to that yet non-existent document.  [Editor's note:  The Governor did say during his speech that the budget documents would be released on Friday.]  He joked that, if the document were on legislator's desks, it would be "thin," and that may well prove to be an extremely accurate metaphor!

Governor Perdue did mention a few issues that he wished to address during his final legislative session as Governor, and in the world of education, he highlighted one:  his hope to see a merit pay play for teachers enacted into law.  This "hot topic" has been in all the newspapers since his original announcement on Tuesday, and reaction to it has ranged from unbridled enthusiasm to pure skepticism.  This much can be said for certain:  the issue will be hotly debated, and the real "meat" of the issue will be seen in the details of any proposals.  Along with other issues, an interesting legislative session is certainly in store.

Now that the legislative session has kicked off, none-too-shy legislators have begun dropping bills designed to improve, at least in their eyes, the state of public education.  GSSA is currently analyzing bills dealing with everything from bullying to recommendations for lottery funds to be designated for K-12 education, and those analyses will be available over the next few days.

Day Four of the 2009 session of the General Assembly will occur on Thursday, January 14, and it is expected to be another brief session that precedes a recess that will last until Monday, January 25.  The House Education Committee will meet at 2:00 p.m. on the fourth day to consider several bills that had been discussed in their initial meeting held on Tuesday.