It was surprising to read that Republican gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel's newly released education plan "would make changes in the classroom that Gov. Sonny Perdue couldn't get done during his eight years: establishing performance pay for teachers," among other things.

That's what the Associated Press reported. And according to the Handel plan provided by her campaign, she says, "The one-size-fits-all approach to teacher salaries must be reformed for today's 21st Century World.

"A teacher's path to expanded career opportunities and higher pay should not be tied solely to tenure or post-graduate degrees, nor should the path to higher salaries mean moving into administration."

Handel, who's locked in a runoff with former Congressman Nathan Deal, says she would "work closely with teachers and local school systems to develop a Career Ladder for our classroom teachers, so that front-line educators have opportunities to grow professionally while remaining in the classroom." She would work with "teachers and local systems to develop a fair, equitable system of measurements and goals to reward our exceptional teachers and hold under performers accountable."

It sounds a lot like the failed Perdue plan to base teacher pay on "overall effectiveness" with 50 percent being academic performance of students and the other 50 percent determined through a formula "based on one or more factors as determined by the state board of education."

Perdue said his proposal would put teachers "on the same playing field as our state's top coaches, who are rewarded for consistently winning games." Your columnist pointed out that to make the analogy work, teachers should get to choose their students, same as coaches pick their players, and that to be fair, the governor, legislators and other state and local officials should be put on pay for performance.

It should be noted that Handel's brief plan does not mention the state board of education or coaches, which might be a step in the right direction. Moreover, she favors reinstating the Master Teacher program, saying: "Teachers who take the time to become the best in their profession should be rewarded for that commitment and investment."

Deal's education plank on his website avoids such troublesome things as details. He says: "As governor, Nathan will take power away from education bureaucrats and empower local leaders to cater their plans to their local needs and resources. He will also support more options for students in our state and give parents greater choice for public education. Nathan will continue the fight to produce well rounded students in public education that are life, work and college ready."

Wow. Somehow with all the cliches and platitudes there was no mention of apple pie and motherhood, but I'm certain both of those are also fully supported by Deal.

There was a new posting on Deal's website. He said a post-primary poll by his campaign showed him and Handel "are tied at 39 and 38 percent, respectively." Is that how they do the math in Congress?

Georgia politics: nothing like it.

dmckee9613@aol.com