Roswell, Ga. - Kira Willis, a veteran school teacher in Roswell, entered the race for State School Superintendent of Georgia on Friday.

Wills is seeking the nomination from the Libertarian Party of Georgia -- she is sure to secure it -- and will square off against Republican incumbent Kathy Cox. A Democrat candidate is expected to emerge after the July 20 primary.

Willis says she is running on “the ABCs of education so that education can be valued once more:  Accountability, Budget, Community.”

According to Willis, “accountability” is not only for teachers but also for students, parents, educational systems and politicians. In a prepared statement, Willis said she believes that what was once a “partnership between the school and home has become a disenfranchised blame game.”

The long shot candidate maintains that, “parents have been disregarded by the schools and the state as irrelevant to their children’s education. All parents have both a right and a responsibility to their children’s schooling.”

Willis says she “can’t think of any parent who does not want his child to succeed.  As State School Superintendent, I want to help mend the bridge between the school and the home. This means having parents accountable for their children coming to school ready to learn.  It means that parents must help the school in teaching their children. If one of these groups is not held accountable for student learning, then we fail our young people”.

The new candidate proposes to “get rid of positions that have little or no student contact,” to solve the budget crisis.

“We need to give the schools back to their communities,” Willis said. “What’s best for students in Atlanta may not be best for students in Rome or Valdosta.”  According to Willis, taking away the community school was a disservice to the students and to the school community. “By recreating the community school, [I] believe that students will achieve higher levels of learning.

Cox goes into the fall election as the overwhelming favorite to win re-election. The Libertarian Party of Georgia has never got a statewide candidate elected, nor have they pierced the double-digit percent barrier.