The Great Recession is reaping a bitter harvest of job losses and deep budget cuts throughout Georgia’s public education and training system. Although federal stimulus dollars are providing some temporary relief, more than $1 billion in state funding has been slashed from Georgia’s K-12 and post-secondary education budgets.

Budget shortfalls have forced educational leaders to institute furloughs and/or lay-offs. “Non-essential” classes in music and foreign languages are disappearing. Sadly, athletic and enrichment programs for students with disabilities are being reduced or eliminated. As Georgia’s budget crisis deepens, economists are making dire predictions of continuing declines in state revenues. Absent a quicker-than-expected economic rebound, additional federal stimulus or new sources of revenue, more draconian budget cuts are inevitable.

Georgia’s public education and training system is standing at the proverbial crossroads between continued progress and a return to mediocrity. Further reductions in state education budgets will cripple the development of Georgia’s 21st century workforce. Now is not the time to drastically reduce investments in our children’s future.

Ironically, this severe economic downturn presents Georgia with an unprecedented opportunity to increase our competitive advantage by improving the quality of our most valuable economic development resource — Georgia’s workforce.

A thorough and thoughtful debate must be had regarding the potential impact of additional budget cuts to Georgia’s public education and training system. The critical question must be raised: Should Georgia’s political, educational and business leaders support accessing alternative or new funding streams to protect and improve the quality of public education in our state? The result of this critical and long-delayed debate will shape and define Georgia’s economic future.

I am convinced that Georgia’s return to economic growth and prosperity will be dependent on the expansion of state education and training opportunities. Despite the economic downturn, strategic investments in cost-effective programs will assure the development of a skilled and productive Georgia workforce. I offer three examples where increased funding will pay huge dividends:

1. Expand parental involvement initiatives. Fledgling school-based parent involvement programs are critical to the long-term development of our children and educational system. Students whose parents are involved in their educational careers have higher high school and college graduation rates, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

2. Promote increased respect for school-to-work initiatives. Georgia’s high school co-enrollment programs, apprenticeships, internships, technical, career and agricultural programs are important tools in preparing students for the workforce. School-to-work initiatives, like the Georgia Department of Labor’s Jobs for Georgia Graduates (JGG) program, help reduce the drop-out rate. JGG provides “at risk” students with pre-employment and job development training. During the 2008 school year, 95 percent of JGG’s 794 participating seniors from 36 schools earned a high school diploma.

3. Strengthen Georgia’s technical and two-year colleges. For high school graduates not interested or ready to enter a four-year college, two-year and technical colleges are solid options. These institutions are academically sound, less expensive and graduates start their careers sooner than four-year college graduates. Two-year and technical colleges also provide educational opportunities for adult workers seeking a change of career or expansion of their skill sets.