Are the Republicans in Georgia “Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”

It seems the Republican “Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox is drawing fire for an upcoming appearance on a popular game show.” According to Teacher Magazine:

Cox appeared on Friday's season premiere of Fox's "Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" but her Hollywood debut isn't going unnoticed by state lawmakers and educators upset over Georgia's low test scores and planned budget cuts for schools.

"I question the judgment of such a decision and the message it sends about her priorities," said a spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Democratic State Rep. Rob Teilhet ran an ad during the episode criticizing Cox for being on television "while students are struggling here in Georgia." The Smyrna Democrat's 30-second ad calls for smaller class sizes and beefed up pre-kindergarten programs to address the state's education woes.

So Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox wanted to prove she was smarter than a fifth grader. That should be pretty easy if that fifth grader is in Georgia. The south is living up to stereotypical image. The following stats may seem hard to believe, but keep in mind, this is where Republicans want to take education.

Of the state’s 50,000 Georgia eighth-graders — nearly 40 percent — failed state-mandated math exams in the spring … 70-80 percent of sixth- and seventh-graders failed the social studies test. On top of that, scores on the SAT college-entrance exam dropped for a second straight year in Georgia, pushing the state to 47th compared to other states and Washington, D.C.

So what do you do when the state might be putting in danger a child’s future chances of succeeding in a competitive global economy? The Republicans cut funding to schools, what else.

The state is facing steep budget cuts this year as state revenues lag. Gov. Sonny Perdue has asked for a cut of 2 percent, or about $171 million, from state funding for Georgia's schools.
Georgia Republicans said Cox's critics are making a stir over nothing.

So what is there to worry about? And so we end our visit to the Bizarro World of Georgia politics.