Gov. Deal used his speech to push the recommendations of his Education Reform Commission, like overhauling the state's school funding formula and looking at testing requirements.

"The method whereby we educate our children must be as modern and adaptive to the changes in the world as our cell phones, our computers, our televisions, and our automobiles. If it is not, our children will stumble and fall when they step onto the escalator of life," he said.

Deal also expressed his confidence that Georgia voters would support his Opportunity School District Plan by approving a constitutional amendment in Nov. 2016.

Opponents of the plan worry that it doesn't address out-of-classroom social issues, like poverty, but Deal said those factors aren't that important.

"It really doesn’t matter what the financial circumstances of those parents might be. If they insist that their children go to school every day and arrive on time, that they do their homework and that they not disrupt the classroom, they will be rewarded by the teachers who welcome the opportunity to work with students who do those things," he said.

The Governor also said his FY2017 budget would include a 3% pay raise for all state workers, including Georgia's teachers.

Corrections: A previous version of this post incorrectly said the 3% pay raise for all state workers would be a part of the 2016 budget. In fact, Gov. Deal said it would be part of the FY2017 budget.

Tags: State of the State; Governor Nathan Deal; education; teachers; Lawmakers