Georgia · Governor · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Where do the candidates stand on education?
- Keisha Lance BottomsDemocrat
- Rick JacksonRepublican
Part of the full Georgia Governor comparison · Last reviewed October 19, 2026
Education
Each position is labeled by what it rests on: a campaign proposal, a public statement, a past action such as a vote or lawsuit, or an enacted policy. Where nothing is documented, the page says so.
Documented positions
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Proposes fully funding schools under a revised funding formula, eliminating state income taxes for teachers, universal pre-K, and a path to free technical and community college.
Show the evidence (2)Hide the evidence
- Campaign proposal
Proposes fully funding Georgia's schools and modernizing the state education funding formula, eliminating the state income tax for teachers, universal childcare, guaranteed pre-K, and a path to free technical and community college. 3 sourcesIssues (opens in a new tab)Keisha for Governor · CampaignKeisha Lance Bottoms: Where the candidate for Georgia governor stands on the issues (opens in a new tab)The Atlanta Journal-Constitution · April 20, 2026 · NewsBottoms at Atlanta Press Club Debate: I Will Fight on Behalf of Georgians Every Day as Governor (opens in a new tab)Keisha for Governor · April 27, 2026 · Campaign
- Public statement
Said in an April 2026 primary debate that she would ask voters to decide on casino gambling as a source of additional education revenue, and said at an Aug. 29, 2026 town hall in Macon that she wants to raise teachers' starting salaries to $60,000. 2 sourcesBottoms at Atlanta Press Club Debate: I Will Fight on Behalf of Georgians Every Day as Governor (opens in a new tab)Keisha for Governor · April 27, 2026 · CampaignBottoms Joins Hundreds of Georgians at Macon Town Hall to Discuss Expanding Medicaid (opens in a new tab)Keisha for Governor · Aug. 30, 2026 · Campaign
- Campaign proposal
Proposes fully funding Georgia's schools and modernizing the state education funding formula, eliminating the state income tax for teachers, universal childcare, guaranteed pre-K, and a path to free technical and community college. 3 sourcesIssues (opens in a new tab)Keisha for Governor · CampaignKeisha Lance Bottoms: Where the candidate for Georgia governor stands on the issues (opens in a new tab)The Atlanta Journal-Constitution · April 20, 2026 · NewsBottoms at Atlanta Press Club Debate: I Will Fight on Behalf of Georgians Every Day as Governor (opens in a new tab)Keisha for Governor · April 27, 2026 · Campaign
- Public statement
Said in an April 2026 primary debate that she would ask voters to decide on casino gambling as a source of additional education revenue, and said at an Aug. 29, 2026 town hall in Macon that she wants to raise teachers' starting salaries to $60,000. 2 sourcesBottoms at Atlanta Press Club Debate: I Will Fight on Behalf of Georgians Every Day as Governor (opens in a new tab)Keisha for Governor · April 27, 2026 · CampaignBottoms Joins Hundreds of Georgians at Macon Town Hall to Discuss Expanding Medicaid (opens in a new tab)Keisha for Governor · Aug. 30, 2026 · Campaign
Rick Jackson
Proposes making third-grade reading the central goal for elementary schools, raising teacher pay, protecting school choice, and freezing tuition, room and board at public colleges and technical schools.
Show the evidence (2)Hide the evidence
- Campaign proposalSept. 2026
His Action Plan sets the goal of every child reading on grade level by the end of third grade, with early screening, intensive help and an end to automatically advancing students who have not met basic literacy standards. It calls for working with the General Assembly to raise teacher pay, consistent classroom discipline policies, protecting parents' choice of traditional public, charter, private or home schooling, and freezing tuition, room and board at public colleges and technical schools. FOX 5 reported that he had not specified a teacher pay amount. 2 sourcesThe Jackson Action Plan: Build What Works for Every Georgia Family (opens in a new tab)Jackson for Governor · Sept. 2026 · CampaignGeorgia governor candidate profile: Rick Jackson (opens in a new tab)FOX 5 Atlanta · Oct. 12, 2026 · News
- Campaign proposal
His campaign website says he would prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in state government, public universities and classrooms, strengthen Georgia's Parents' Bill of Rights, and "ensure boys do not compete in girls’ sports or use girls’ bathrooms or locker rooms." SourceAction Plan (opens in a new tab)Jackson for Governor · Campaign
- Campaign proposalSept. 2026
His Action Plan sets the goal of every child reading on grade level by the end of third grade, with early screening, intensive help and an end to automatically advancing students who have not met basic literacy standards. It calls for working with the General Assembly to raise teacher pay, consistent classroom discipline policies, protecting parents' choice of traditional public, charter, private or home schooling, and freezing tuition, room and board at public colleges and technical schools. FOX 5 reported that he had not specified a teacher pay amount. 2 sourcesThe Jackson Action Plan: Build What Works for Every Georgia Family (opens in a new tab)Jackson for Governor · Sept. 2026 · CampaignGeorgia governor candidate profile: Rick Jackson (opens in a new tab)FOX 5 Atlanta · Oct. 12, 2026 · News
- Campaign proposal
His campaign website says he would prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in state government, public universities and classrooms, strengthen Georgia's Parents' Bill of Rights, and "ensure boys do not compete in girls’ sports or use girls’ bathrooms or locker rooms." SourceAction Plan (opens in a new tab)Jackson for Governor · Campaign
In their own words
Statements
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Teacher pay
Right now, teachers are underpaid in this state. The average starting pay is $43,000 a year. I want to raise it to $60,000. I want to eliminate state income taxes for our teachers.
Keisha Lance Bottoms · Answer to a voter's question about attracting and retaining teachers at the Atlanta News First town hall debate in Doraville · Oct. 6, 2026
SourceRead the full transcript from the town hall debate between Keisha Lance Bottoms, Rick Jackson (opens in a new tab)Atlanta News First · Oct. 6, 2026 · Transcript or video
Rick Jackson
Teacher pay and support
The way that we solve that is not only have teacher pay raises, but we need to support the teachers in the room administratively for discipline reasons and help them teach and do what they came on earth to do is to help children and remove all the administrative burden and make sure that they get support at every level.
Rick Jackson · Answer to a voter's question about attracting and retaining teachers at the Atlanta News First town hall debate in Doraville, right after saying that children learn to read until third grade and then read to learn, and that two-thirds of children "right now can’t do that" · Oct. 6, 2026
SourceRead the full transcript from the town hall debate between Keisha Lance Bottoms, Rick Jackson (opens in a new tab)Atlanta News First · Oct. 6, 2026 · Transcript or video
Something wrong or missing? Report an error