Georgia
Georgia governor aims to get down to business with school voucher legislation this year – Georgia Recorder
Gov. Brian Kemp gave a full-throated shoutout to school vouchers in a major speech Thursday, boosting the odds of action on the controversial measure.
“As a small business owner for almost forty years now, I believe – like many of you – that competition and the free market drive innovation and, at the end of the day, result in a better product for the consumer,” Kemp said. “When it comes to education, the same principles hold true.”
School vouchers give what would be publicly shared money to parents to withdraw their children from public school and send them to private school or homeschool them.
Proponents say because the amount of money sent to participating parents equals the state’s portion of the cost to educate the child and the amount of local tax dollars schools receive does not change, public schools break even or benefit when a child uses such a program.
Opponents say that’s not the case, and vouchers simply funnel cash from public schools to private institutions with fewer accountability requirements. That’s because they say many education costs are fixed, such as teacher salaries, building maintenance and transportation, so having one less student to care for does not reduce these costs proportionally.
A voucher bill passed the Senate last year but faltered in the House at the last minute when a handful of Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in opposing it. Kemp’s explicit endorsement during his annual State of the State Address puts additional pressure on those GOP holdouts to get in line after years of disappointment for conservative education activists.
“This week, as we begin the second year of another biennial of the General Assembly, I believe we have run out of ‘next years,’ he said. “I firmly believe we can take an all-of-the-above approach to education… whether it’s public, private, homeschooling, charter, or otherwise.”
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has listed vouchers as a top priority, praised the governor’s words.
“I am especially thankful for the Governor’s support of school choice,” Jones said in a statement. “The Senate and I are leading this initiative because we are committed to supporting parents and giving them the right to choose what is best for their children.”
State School Superintendent Richard Woods was less effusive.
Speaking to the Recorder after the speech, Woods had kind words for most of Kemp’s planned education agenda – including raises for teachers and other state employees, $205 million in state funds to help districts with transportation, $104 million to bolster safety measures and funding for new literacy training.
When it comes to vouchers, he said he’ll reserve judgment until he sees the final proposal, but he’ll have questions for lawmakers about public school funding.
“Right now it’s just unknown,” he said. “I’ve got to have more specifics that come out of that bill. I think the old adage, ‘we’ve got to pass it to find out what’s in it,’ that’s bad government in my assertion. So I think that we’ll just have to look at that bill, but as of now, I do have concerns.”
Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators and a teacher, said the Georgia constitution requires the state to provide an adequate public education, and expanding vouchers would not serve that duty.
“It also concerned me that the governor used the business model to describe public education,” she said. “As an educator, I do not have a product. I have students that I am working for them to be the very best they can be. We do not have consumers. If he is referring to our parents in that message, parents are our partners in education, not consumers.”
The Georgia Bulldogs baseball team had a historic season in 2026. The Dawgs ended the year with an overall record of 53-14 (23-7 SEC). Georgia made the College World Series and won the SEC championship. This offseason, Georgia has reloaded in authoritative fashion through the transfer portal.
Georgia baseball currently holds the top-ranked transfer class in the nation, per 64Analytics. The Bulldogs have landed 12 total commitments over the first month of the offseason, and Georgia appears to be on track to dominate on the diamond once again in 2027. The Dawgs earned a commitment from former FSU star Hunter Carns, while WCC player of the year Mikey Bell has landed at Georgia.
Georgia most recently landed two major power hitters in Jake Hanley and Naulivou Lauaki Jr. Hanley was a star with the Indiana Hoosiers last season, while Lauaki flashed his power on numerous occasions during his time with the Oregon Ducks. Riley Goodman will look to bounce back on the mound in 2027 after transferring from South Carolina to UGA. Georgia has added an excellent mix of talent at a handful of different positions from the transfer portal.
Georgia may emerge as a top candidate for a couple more players who remain available in the transfer portal. The Bulldogs were widely regarded as the best team in college baseball throughout the majority of the 2026 season, and Georgia and manager Wes Johnson have dominated over the first month of the offseason.
College baseball transfer portal rankings
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Mississippi State
- LSU
Georgia baseball transfer portal additions as of July 4
- Naulivou Lauaki Jr. (DH, Oregon)
- Hunter Carns (C, Florida State)
- Mikey Bell (INF, Gonzaga)
- Jake Hanley (INF, Indiana)
- Casey McCoy (INF, Louisiana Tech)
- Matthew Cuccias (RHP, Wichita State)
- Luke Howe (RHP, Long Beach State)
- Cooper Walls (RHP, Florida)
- Cristofer Cespedes (RHP, Maryland)
- Mathew Farmer (INF, North Florida)
- Jet Gilliam (OF, Utah)
- Riley Goodman (RHP, South Carolina)
ATHENS — Georgia football has been churning out elite NFL players for decades, and the past 10 years have been no different under the direction of Coach Kirby Smart.
The Bulldogs have produced 84 NFL Draft picks under Smart, including an eye-popping 21 first-round selections.
Georgia was churning out NFL Draft picks before Smart took over following the 2015 season, too, with College Football Hall of Fame coach Mark Richt recruiting and developing some of the best players in the nation.
Richt’s tenure (2001-2015) is understandably more heavily represented than Smart’s in a recent Pro Football Focus (PFF) feature on each NFL franchise’s best players over the past 20 years.
Richt-coached players from Georgia have had more time to make an impact in the NFL than Smart’s, many of whom are just beginning to reach elite levels in the pro ranks.
One thing for certain, Smart’s NFL players are curreently drawing bigger paychecks than those who played for Richt, with the exception of all-time NFL earner Matthew Stafford.
Here’s a look at former Georgia players that PFF has selected from among the best with the years they played with each team:, including two former UGA stars who are regarded as the best at their position for two different teams in the past 20 years:
(players recruited by Richt in boldface type)
QB Matthew Stafford (2009-2020), Detroit
QB Matthew Stafford (2021-2025), L.A. Rams
SLB Leonard Floyd (2016-2019), Chicago
SLB Leonard Floyd (2020-2022), LA. Rams
LT Andrew Thomas (2020-2025), N.Y. Giants
DL Jalen Carter (2023-2025), Philadelphia
C David Andrews (2015-2024), New England
WR A.J. Green (2011-2020), Cincinnati
DL Gino Atkins (2010-2020), Cincinnati
RB Nick Chubb (2018-2024), Cleveland
CB Champ Bailey (2006-2013), Denver
DL Richard Seymour (2009-2012), Las Vegas
DE Justin Houston (2011-2018), Kansas City
DE Charles Johnson (2007-2017), Carolina
LB Thomas Davis Sr. (2006-2016), Carolina
There’s no doubt that in time many of Smart’s players will ascend to such heights, as their experiences and contributions in the NFL grow.
Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers, just two years into NFL play, serves as perhaps the best example of a Georgia player recruited and coached by Smart who might soon be considered the best tight end in his franchise’s history.
Jordan Davis, a former first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, is another player who could become the best at his position with the franchise.
Buffalo’s James Cook led the NFL in rushing last season, and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker are now in Las Vegas and emerging.
Indeed, the majority of Smart’s NFL draft picks have come over the past six years, with 63 Bulldogs selected:
• 2021 -9 draft picks
First round: Eric Stokes (29th)
• 2022 -15 draft picks*
First Round: Travon Walker (1st); Jordan Davis (13th); Quay Walker (22nd); Devonte Wyatt (28th); Lewis Cine (32nd)
• 2023 – 10 draft picks
First Round: Jalen Carter (9th); Broderick Jones (14th); Nolan Smith (30th)
• 2024 – 8 draft picks
First Round: Brock Bowers (13th); Amarius Mims (18th)
• 2025 -13 draft picks
First Round: Mykel Williams (11th); Jalon Walker (15th); Malaki Starks (27th)
• 2026 – 8 draft picks
First Round: Monroe Freeling (19th)
*- NFL record number of picks from one collegiate team in a draft
FBI Atlanta executes search warrants at Wellmade Industries in Bartow County on March 26, 2025 (Credit: FBI Atlanta, X)
ATLANTA – The FBI has asked field offices across the country to assign more than 200 employees to help with its investigation into the handling of the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press.
The memo directs the agency to “surge” 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to the effort, describing it as a “priority investigation.” It instructs each employee to review about 708 records by July 17.
READ ALL RELATED STORIES
While the memo does not specify the investigation, people familiar with the matter confirmed to the AP that the additional personnel are being assigned to the ongoing investigation involving Georgia’s 2020 election. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal FBI operations.
Investigation continues
The backstory:
In January, FBI agents seized hundreds of boxes containing ballots and other election-related records from Fulton County, Georgia’s most populous county and home to most of the city of Atlanta.
A spokesperson for Fulton County declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Justice Department has previously said it is investigating “irregularities that occurred during the 2020 presidential election” in Fulton County.
What they’re saying:
President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly claimed fraud affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Courts and election officials found no evidence of widespread fraud that would have changed the results.
Georgia’s presidential ballots were counted three times, including a full hand recount, with each count confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
MOST RECENT RELATED STORIES
-
Nevada2 minutes agoPrimm Valley Casino not open after recent ownership change
-
New Hampshire9 minutes agoOpinion: America is still a work in progress
-
New Jersey12 minutes agoWashington Twp. community rocked by drowning death of 3-year-old
-
New Mexico18 minutes agoSacaton Fire Update for July 4, 2026
-
North Carolina25 minutes agoHow the hot weather affects people taking SSRIs
-
North Dakota28 minutes agoBankruptcies for North Dakota and western Minnesota published July 4, 2026
-
Ohio40 minutes agoThe U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 reignited patriotism damaged by Watergate, Vietnam War
-
Oklahoma42 minutes agoFour Fireworks Oklahoma Hopes to See in 2026
