Secretary McMahon Visits Georgia on the Returning Education to the States Tour

NEWNAN, GEORGIA - Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Georgia on her Returning Education to the States Tour.

Secretary McMahon was joined by U.S. Congressman Brian Jack and Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones for a tour of the Central Education Center, a charter school that offers a unique blend of high school academics and technical training to support career success. The Secretary visited several career and technical education labs - including the aviation, dental assistant, and audio production labs - where students demonstrated their skills with on-the-job machinery and equipment.

Following the tour, Secretary McMahon hosted a roundtable discussion with Congressman Jack, and state and local education leaders to hear how they are preparing the next generation for careers in high-demand fields.

"It was a pleasure to visit the Peach State and see how local leaders, teachers, and parents are preparing the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow through advanced technical training in high school," said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. "Seeing these technical labs in action highlights how the power of locally driven solutions can prepare students for a successful career."

"I am honored to welcome the United States Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to Georgia's 3rd Congressional District to showcase the Central Educational Center in Newnan, one of our District's greatest innovations," said Congressman Brian Jack. "In the 1990s, the Coweta County community identified a problem in need of a solution: our high school graduates did not have all of the educational skills necessary to compete in a global economy with new technology and increased automation. To solve this issue, Mark Whitlock, the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce, the Coweta County School System, West Georgia Technical College, and other leaders came together to create the Central Educational Center, a system through which high school students could seamlessly learn the arts, sciences, and technical training. As a testament to the success of this approach, the State of Georgia has invested over $200 million to replicate this across 50 counties (and counting)."