CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - Governors must take the lead if public education is to continue its improvement, refusing to leave the hard work to legislatures or state superintendents, according to governors who gathered last night at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. <br>
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Governor Barnes of Georgia said education should be the top priority of governors. <br>
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Barnes said, ``It's the most important thing you will do. Education and improvement in education is essential for economic prosperity. We have to have higher skills to become prosperous. We cannot have higher skills unless you have better-prepared students.'' <br>
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Barnes continued, ``You'll get fussed at for trying to improve education. If you're afraid of criticism, you don't need to be in this business, because you'll never satisfy everybody on education, or anything else.'' <br>
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Barnes was upset on November 5 in his bid for re-election, losing to Republican Sonny Perdue. <br>
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The conference continues today with discussions and a presentation by U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige on the ``No Child Left Behind'' plan signed into law by President Bush in January. <br>
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The law requires all states to have comprehensive testing programs in place by the fall of 2005, including mandatory reading and math tests for grades three through eight.
