Michael Thurmond ran for US Senate a few years ago. He lost to Johnny Isakson. Below is a speech Thurmond delivered down at the Capitol. In an effort to save Superintendent Thurmond some time and money, we have edited the speech for him. He should deliver this speech this Monday morning from the Capitol, with Governor Deal, the DeKalb Delegation, and John My Other Government Supplemented Vehicle is a Barge..
(The original text of his speech is HERE)
Comments in RED were added to replace
At its core,
There is a desperate need for fundamental change in the way the people’s business is being conducted in our nation’s 
capital schools and central office.
Middle class All DeKalb students and families are suffering from the effects of the worst educational financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression Dark Ages. As I speak,
five one hundred thousand Georgians DeKalb students and fifteen million Americans are
unemployed 699,893 DeKalb residents are suffering from a poorly managed school system. The American people of DeKalb are literally crying out for
principled, common sense leadership, but unfortunately many in Washington DeKalb have turned hyper-partisan, deaf ears to their needs and
concerns.
capital
Even more troubling, a recent Wall Street Journal
AJC poll revealed that approximately eighty percent of Americans DeKalb residents do not
trust the federal government DeKalb School System. In the U.S. Senate As your new Superintendent I will work to create a
smarter, more efficient government school system focused on solving, not creating
problems for the American DeKalb people. In order to address this crisis in
leadership we must have new vision, new leadership and a new direction.
While it is true that we should look
forward and not dwell in the past, it is also important to remember how
America DeKalb got into the mess in which it finds itself today: failed
economic policies rooted in disregard for meaningful regulation of
financial markets rules as put forth by the GA Department of Education, that allowed greedy, reckless Wall Street DeKalb fat cats
to drive our economy school system into the ground. The stark reality is that
America’s working DeKalb's students and families are paying a very high price--- losing their
homes values, their jobs chances to attend college, and their financial educational future because Wall Street some members of the school board, past superintendents, and
Washington central office employees conspired against the interests of working men and women children, parents, and taxpayers.
As the nation school system begins to recover
economically and ethically, we must take bold action to ensure such a crisis never
happens again. That means fighting to create new jobs eliminate non-classroom jobs and spur
economic educational growth. It means creating a fairer tax teacher and staff evaluation system that rewards
achievement and entrepreneurship while eliminating wasteful positions and bad teachers. It means investing in infrastructure
and in good, new private sector jobs teachers, administrators, and supporting staff. It means focusing education and
training on worker student preparation for occupations that are in demand. And
it means putting an end to fiscal irresponsibility, reducing and
eliminating the federal school system deficit and returning our country county schools to the fiscal
discipline that generated record budget surpluses sufficient funds to operate a successful district a decade ago and a rising
standard of education of living.
It will be difficult if not
impossible to make the tough decisions that must be made unless we
replace those who, today, stubbornly cling to the status quo, even when
it is clear that change is necessary for survival of the American way
of life DeKalb School System.
But we cannot build a brighter future
unless we first begin to build bridges of cooperation that will span
the red state blue state south DeKalb north DeKalb divide. We cannot continue to rely on the
old regime of Washington DeKalb insiders whose first inclination is to say
“No” to smart economic educational policies that come down on the side of Main
Street instead of Wall Street Woodrow Road.
My campaign role as superintendent for the U. S. Senate DeKalb Schools will
focus on demonstrating to Georgia voters DeKalb families that I have the
qualifications, courage and conviction to go to Washington The Palace in Stone Mountain and
represent the interests of all Georgians students and parents. If the people of Georgia DeKalb will
allow me to serve them as their senator superintendent I will stand up for families
that have been hit hard by unemployment the current regime in DeKalb and are struggling to get by. I
will stand up for families whose homes are threatened by foreclosure unaccredited schools
and small business owners teachers who are struggling because bank credit has
dried up of furlough days. I will stand up for families who simply want to provide a
good education for their children and I will support teachers their families. It’s time
to send someone to Washington DeKalb's central office who will put you and your family first.
We need, no we must have, new vision, new leadership and a new
direction.
I choose to hold this press
conference here in the rotunda of Georgia’s historic Capitol, beneath
the portrait of an elderly General James Oglethorpe, Georgia’s founding
father, to emphasize the importance of servant leadership. The motto
of the Georgia colony was “Not for ourselves, but for others.” At this
critical juncture in the history of our nation county, we need servant leaders
in Washington DeKalb who will forsake political expediency and partisan
gridlock. We need leaders who will always place the best interests of
our great state students and teachers and nation before the best interests of the Democratic or Republican parties school board members, their friends and family, and other political cronies. If the people of Georgia DeKalb will grant me the
opportunity to serve them in the U. S. Senate as superintendent they will have a leader
that will work tirelessly on their behalf.
We must create a sound foundation on
which to grow. We must restore responsibility and accountability to
our financial school system. To reach those goals, we must create eliminate wasteful jobs and
restore employers, taxpayer, student, and parent consumer and investor confidence in our markets schools. We must also
get our fiscal house in order. The days of reckless and unnecessary
spending on the taxpayers’ credit card must end. We no longer can be
beholden to the special interests.
