Republican gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel wants to create more charter schools in Georgia, expand online classes for K-12 education and give teachers merit pay.

Handel released her plan for Georgia education Monday as she pushes toward her Aug. 10 runoff election with opponent Nathan Deal. The document plays up that Handel left home at 17 and never graduated from college, crediting her public education with her career successes.

The plan mimics some of what Gov. Sonny Perdue has pushed under his administration — establishing performance pay for teachers, revamping the education funding formula and recruiting more math and science teachers.

Tags: education, Karen Handel, charter schools, teacher merit pay, Gov. Sonny Perdue, online learning, runoffs