Newspaper Page Text
♦ TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2006
4A
Jinustmt SJmmral
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief Foy S. Evans
Managing Editor Editor Emeritus
Teachers make it work
In case you missed it - unlikely with
the political race going on - Gov. Sonny
Perdue announced this past week that
Georgia’s high school graduation rate had
surpassed 70 percent for the first time in
state history. In fact, he reported in a news
release, it had risen nearly eight percentage
points since 2003, an increase of 7.5 per
centage points.
The official graduation rate - with sum
mer school graduates figured in - was 70.8
percent.
"The state of Georgia has increased our
investment in education by $1 billion since
2003," Perdue said, "and simultaneously
we are seeing
a significant
increase in our
graduation
rate. I strong
ly believe
that finishing
high school,
going to col
lege or tech
nical school
and finding
that first job
are important
opportunities
that should
be available to
every young
Georgian."
We couldn’t
agree more,
and undoubt
edly neither
would anyone
else.
Perdue goes
on to list in
the release
several other steps he has taken to improve
education and no doubt they have had an
affect - big or small - but we’d like to offer
up another reason whey the graduation rate
is on the rise.
We’ll use an analogy the Air Force quite
often does. You can have the best, the most
expensive jet in the world, built by the
greatest engineers in the world. But, unless
you have the best pilot to fly it, it will sim
ply be just another airplane.
The same can be said for our education
system. It takes a teacher to get it off the
ground.
Letter to toe Editor
School safety needs voice
I would like to share a few thoughts with your read
ers, regarding sidewalks and our schools, and I would
like to own my words rather than exercising anonymity.
Some of your readers may recall learning about an acci
dent in front of Houston County High School, last spring,
when a concerned HCHS parent, Sherry, shared her fears
with the HCHS PTSA because we advocate for children’s
safety, and sidewalks along SR 96 was one aspect of our
long-term goals.
Long story short, after talking with Sherry, and learning
of the accident’s close proximity to the crosswalk, I con
tacted Frank Scott, who shared the news of the accident
with the Walk Zone committee. I would say, within 10
minutes the walk zone committee determined that par
ents who have children in the HCHS Walk Zone could call
down to the bus barn and talk to Gladys, to make arrange
ments for their children to be bussed to and from HCHS.
As of today, sidewalks and bike paths are incorporated
into the SR 96 widening project, and eventually the
promised flashing lights will be installed as well! I must
admit, I was probably the most surprised person in the
county, (other than my colleague Cheryl) to learn of a
“Walk Zone.”
To my knowledge, we have never had crosswalks
across SR 96 for our kids, or for the crossing guards
who stood in the middle of SR 96 to direct traffic in and
out of the most densely populated school in the county.
After reading several comments from other local papers,
I would like to share something with your readers. I can
relate to the level of frustration that parents and the
community are experiencing, regarding the seemingly
neglect of our children’s safety and well being.
However, I would be cautious to attribute the lack of
proactive “safety measures,” such as sidewalks, or school
bus services to one’s skin color or socioeconomic status. I
say this because our local BOE is conducting itself accord
ing to the GDOE Transportation Rules, which states
“Students riding buses shall live a minimum of
See LETTER, page fA
'The state of Georgia
has increased our
investment hi
education by $1
billion since 2003,"
Perdue said, "and
simultaneously
we are seeing a
significant increase in
our graduation rate. I
strongly believe that
finishing high school,
going to college or
technical school and
finding that first job are
important
opportunities that
should be available to
every young Georgian."
GAE proves impossible to please
Gov. Sonny Perdue probably
already knew it, but was remind
ed last weekend that no matter
what a governor does for our schools
and teachers he can’t do enough. The
Georgia Association of Educators has
endorsed Sonny’s opponent in the gov
ernor’s race, though it is difficult for
an unbiased observer to say he has not
been a good friend to them. He just
hasn’t done enough.
Governors in the past have learned
the same lesson. The GAE has a record
of jumping on the bandwagon of guber
natorial candidates who promise to out
do the incumbent. Once in office, it
is almost impossible for a governor to
please them. If you look back over the
years, you have to admit that this has
worked, because education and teach
ers are always first in line for more
money from the state. (This does not
have anything to do with whether they
deserve more, because teachers deserve
every cent they get, and more.)
Skeptics would ask if improvement
in results has been commensurate with
the ballooning cost of public educa
tion. On one hand we are told that the
results have been outstanding. On the
other hand, we are reminded time and
again that we are not doing so well, but
more money will solve the problem.
Sonny rode into office with teach
ers, who had turned against Gov. Roy
Barnes, giving him full support. Now
he faces an election, in which he is a
strong favorite, with the same group
against him.
That, as they say in Bonaire, is poli
tics.
■ ■■
Has it ever occurred to you how
“Big deaLnext to my 'Honey-Do' list,
running the state would be easy!"
Life's ebb, flow felt in farewells, greetings
Several years ago, our first grand
daughter Kelsey, then about 5,
was in our garage. She saw an
aluminum hard hat hanging on the
wall and asked my wife what it was.
“That belonged to my daddy,” JoAn
said.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“He’s dead now.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Yes.”
Kelsey walked over and comforted
JoAn.
“Well, that’s why God sent me,”
the little girl said, “so you won’t be
lonely.”
Children seem to have everything
figured out, even the give and take of
life.
We went through that eternal flow
recently in our family. My sister lost
Bill, and the next week, our daughter
gave birth to Nolan,
Bill had retired from a variety of
careers and was spending most of his
time on a lake in Alabama, fishing,
fishing, fishing.
He was a sports fan, a great cook who
brewed his own hot sauce, a former
barbecue restaurant owner and, before
that, a long-haul trucker and a proses-
OPINION
much gasoline is wasted each day in
this country busing students to schools
many miles away from their homes to
balance enrollment using racial clas
sifications? Not only is this a waste
of money, it also doesn’t make sense.
Neighborhood schools are better for
everyone.
■ ■ ■
One of the hardest things about edu
cation to understand is declaring some
schools “underperforming” and per
mitting students to transfer to another
school. If a school is underperform
ing, why not correct the problem? If
a teacher is incompetent, replace him
or her.
All schools in any district should, in
an ideal world, provide the same qual
ity education. Bring the “underper
forming” up and inspire the best to be
better. If I had my druthers, you could
move children in the same grades from
one school to another in the system
and they would not know the differ
ence.
■ ■■
What is your take on profiling? I’m
for it. It certainly makes more sense
than spending time at airports and
other places shaking down people who
sional wrestler.
He was half of a “bad-guy” team in
the days before wrestling became the
glitter business it is today. (Surfing the
Internet, I found a reference that said
Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson
once wrote promotional copy for Bill
and his fighting partner, but I still have
a lot of digging to see whether that is
accurate).
At the burial, I asked Bill’s longtime
friend, a big, genial man known as
“Tiny,” what was the worst thing that
ever happened to Bill as a wrestler.
One night, Tiny said, Bill climbed out
of the ring on the wronfe side and was
attacked by an angry fan (Bill was a
“bad guy,” after all); that was more
brutal than anything he ever encoun
tered on the mat.
Bill was a character, and like most
Foy
Evans
Columnist
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Glynn
Moore
Columnist
Morris News Service
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
obviously are not potential Islamic ter
rorists. If it turns out that I look like
one of the terrorists I’m in favor of
being profiled, too. Just don’t waste
time and money in the name of politi
cal correctness.
■ ■■
I’ve noticed something disturbing
during the present political campaign
season. Candidates are being attacked
because some time in their lives they
said something “insensitive”, which
is silly and certainly should not be one
of the criteria used to determine if a
candidate is worthy of being elected to
represent us. We ought to vote for can
didates on the basis of qualifications
and positions they take on important
issues. It looks like we are going in the
opposite direction...fast!
■ ■■
I remember when candidates for con
gress ran on what are called “bread
basket issues”, things like the economy
and other issues that affect our lives
on a daily basis. This time around it
appears that the war against terrorism
and the war in Iraq are dominating the
national debate. Everything else seems
to be placed on the back burner. In nor
mal (what is normal?) times the fact
that the economy is growing steadily
and unemployment is at a record low
would be enough for incumbents to
ride to victory.
These issues are being ignored and,
when the chips are down, winners will
be the candidates that voters believe
will do the best job protecting them in
this time of peril. Not everyone agrees
what that entails.
characters, he knew lots of people,
many of whom had their own stories
to tell. The funeral home was filled
with flowers from folks he had known
for decades: fellow truckers, fishermen
and friends.
Five days after Bill’s burial, Nolan
weighed in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
His stories are yet to be written, his
friends yet to be met and made and
kept. He’s been quiet so far, keeping
his thoughts to himself.
Unlike many babies, he has a little
man’s face, and he has plenty of hair.
Covering that hair for the trip home
from the hospital was a University of
Georgia skullcap, courtesy of his dad.
Dennis, being a first-time father, just
barely survived the birthing experi
ence, according to my wife, who was in
the delivery room with him and Kylie.
If Nolan doesn’t become a Bulldogs
fan and attend UGA, it will not be his
father’s fault.
As I write this, the family is getting
ready to converge on the house to
welcome a new life in, just as families
convened a week earlier to bid a well
known life farewell.
Reach Glynn Moore at glynn.
moore@augustachronicle.com