Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush urged Georgia state lawmakers to “be bold” on education Thursday — but said he had an ulterior motive in traveling to the state Capitol.
“I’ll be very brief — I came to see Ludacris and I’ve already done that,” he said in the state House. “I appreciate the fact that there’s a successful guy who’s giving back and you all giving him this honor is quite appropriate.”
Before Mr. Bush spoke, rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges was indeed recognized in the state House and delivered remarks. He has a foundation that focuses on helping kids in his home state of Georgia and throughout the country, and appeared with Gov. Nathan Deal at a charter school in the state in September.
Mr. Bush, speaking earlier in the state Senate, said it seems that particularly at the state level, “we ought to focus on moving towards a child-centered system, where every child has a chance to read and write and calculate math … and when they graduate from high school that they’re college and career-ready.”
Mr. Bush is a supporter of Common Core education standards that many conservatives dislike, and has defended his position on them as he explores a possible presidential run in 2016.
He told senators that he knows lawmakers do a lot of work on budget, transportation, and business issues, “but there is nothing more important than making sure that we have a system that is child-centered, that is customized to the uniqueness of every child and that we hold every child to high expectations that will allow them to be competitive in the world to come.”
“So I encourage you to be big and to be bold and I appreciate the fact that you’re on your way doing that and with your leadership here, led by a greater lieutenant governor, I know that you won’t let down the children of Georgia,” he said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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