Georgia House speaker addresses education, agriculture during stop in Albany

ALBANY – Literacy and learning are going to be top issues for Georgia lawmakers in the coming months, Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns declared during a trip to Albany this week, and that effort will begin early.

“Literacy, when they leave the hospital … before they leave the hospital,” the Newington Republican said. “We want literacy to start early, early, early.”

The speaker made his remarks at a reception held at the Bread House on Tuesday afternoon before taking a tour of the Living & Learning Community, a joint project between Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and Albany Technical College to train nurses and other health professionals. He later attended an event hosted by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce.

The 2024 Georgia Milestones Assessment indicates that nearly two-thirds, 62%, of Georgia third-grade students were not reading at grade level. Studies show that students who are not proficient at reading by third grade struggle later in their academic careers and are more likely to drop out.

That indicates that students need help to hit that marker, Burns said.

“I think third grade is where it happens,” he said. “It has to be early. Less than 40% are reading on grade level. That is unacceptable. We are doing these students a disservice and holding them back in their lives.”

The speaker also spoke on an economic situation that hits close to home, both in southwest Georgia and his home in southeast Georgia: forestry.

The closing of the Cedar Springs cardboard plant was not an isolated case, he said. There have been a total of 11 closures of industries of forest products in both Georgia and South Carolina, six in Alabama and five in Florida.

“It’s a Southeastern problem,” Burns said.

In the short-term, exporting wood pellets to Europe, where they are used for heating, is a solution, the speaker said. In the long-term, he said he sees markets in selling logs to Asia and chips to Europe.

There is also a push to promote energy production through burning wood.

Another goal for legislators is to reduce the state’s income tax to below 5% before Gov. Brian Kemp leaves office and to give property owners relief on taxes, Burns said. The state also needs to work to protect its water resources, he said.

Burns was accompanied to Albany by House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration and state Reps. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert, and Bill Yearta, R-Sylvester.

“It’s a pleasure to have the speaker down here,” Yearta said. “He does a lot for the state of Georgia. He’s very approachable. He understands the issues here in rural Georgia, whether it’s agriculture, education, health care.”