Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 5A
Who will help our children?
While national educational
rankings and studies continue
to spotlight Georgia in a neg
ative manner as being below
par, state officials are arguing
as to whom may
be in charge.
Never mind the
student. Let’s go
about a dueling
process for own
ership.
With that in
mind, both the
governor of Geor
gia and the state
school superin
tendent should be
embarrassed.
In case you hav
en’t been following legislative
news at the state Capitol, we
are in round two of a fight
between Gov. Nathan Deal
and state school superinten
dent Richard Woods to see
who has responsibility for the
K-12 education of our chil
dren.
In one comer, we have a
governor in his last term who
presented a plan last year that
would allow the state to take
over a failing school system.
The proposed legislative
action was soundly defeated
at that time by a statewide
vote. The governor’s plan
would have put the system
under the control of the gov
ernor’s office.
Gov. Deal seems to think
failing schools should be
managed by a person of his
choosing and not under the
direction of the state’s Board
of Education.
Last year’s defeat apparent
ly did not sit well with Deal.
This year he has asked a state
legislator to put his idea into
legislation and not put it on a
ballot for the public to decide.
Not many legislators will take
a chance on angering a sitting
governor.
In the opposite comer, we
have a state school superin
tendent, elected by the voters
of Georgia who took office
on Jan. 12. 2015, saying the
responsibility for correcting
failing schools falls under his
authority.
jimmy
terrell
Failing schools is not a
new problem in Georgia so
it seems fair to wonder why
either of the warring parties
have not made a difference.
Both have been in
office a sufficient
length of time to
have put a plan on
the table accept
able to the public
at large.
Meanwhile, the
powers that audit
and rate education
systems across the
country continue to
give Georgia a low
“C.” placing Geor
gia somewhere
below a ranking of 34 out of
the 50 states.
While the argument at the
gold dome continues, stu
dents at failing schools con
tinue to fail.
The two sides aren’t even
in agreement as to the num
ber of failing schools. The
governor’s office, according
to a story in The Atlanta Jour
nal Constitution (Ty Tagami;
March 12, 2017) reported
“... 153 schools on the Gover
nor’s chronically failing list.”
Tagami also reported that
“Only about half ...” of the
schools on the governor’s list
are on the Board of Education
list.
Yet, Tagami’s story also
quoted Woods as saying he
currently had staffers working
with . .242 low performing
schools.”
Apparently, the two differ
ent sides are using different
criteria to determine what
actually identifies a school as
failing.
Gov. Deal makes a good
point in saying that these
schools didn’t fail overnight.
Something has failed in the
system and he apparently
feels the state’s Board of Edu
cation can’t resolve the issue
but, perhaps, the governor’s
office can.
In looking at national stud
ies and reports, there are a
number of key factors that
affect a school and its perfor
mance ratings. Most require a
rather intensive plan of action
and a lot of cooperation from
a number of players.
Jossey-Bass, an organi
zation that publishes books,
periodicals, and other media
to inform those interested in
improving organizations and
communities, has conducted
research and audits that dis
cuss the reasons for school
failures.
Their reports indicate that
rarely does a school fail as a
result of a single factor, but
failures are “...more often a
perfect storm with imperfect
solutions.” Both internal and
external factors create the
problems that result in failure.
Some external factors
that result in failing schools
include; poverty, weak lead
ership, lack of strong paren
tal support at home and at
school, government impos
ing standardized models of
school intervention (especial
ly in vulnerable communities)
and financing.
Internal factors include
poor teaching, lack of paren
tal support, using teachers in
subject areas for which they
are not trained, high teacher
turnover, poor teacher quality
and low teacher morale. Sala
ries also play a part in some of
the failing systems.
There are sufficient studies
on record to tell why schools
fail and they list the potential
effects on school systems and
society. We don’t need anoth
er study.
Georgia simply needs to
decide who is in charge and
then put a plan on the table
that will result in the desired
positive improvements that
will push Georgia forward
and upward.
Meanwhile, as political
egos continue to duel on a
battlefield strewn with face
less victims, the state’s lead
ership is arming and girding
itself for battle to see who is
in charge!
Really?
Jimmy Terrell can be
reached at ejterrell@gmail.
com.
Winder Library to hold S.T.E.A.M event
The Winder Public
Library is offering free
“genius building” by cre
ating fun with S.T.E.A.M.
- Science, Technology,
Engineering. Arts and
Math - at 4 p.m. on Thurs
day, March 23.
Each month third-
through sixth-graders
are building and creating
with hands-on activities
such as coding, robotics,
science kits, circuits and
more. Kids are inspired to
try S.T.E.A.M. programs
every month to learn along
the way while exploring
these fields.
This project is made pos
sible in part by Library
Services & Technology
Act Grants to States Pro
gram and the Institute of
Museum & Library Ser
vices. The Winder Public
Library is located at 189
Bellview Street and can be
reached at 770-867-2762
or at www.prlib.org/wind-
er and Facebook/Winder
Public Library. All events
are free.
The true intent of Senate Bill 161
Last Friday, the Senate
wrapped up day 28 and
passed 32 bills over the
course of 10 hours.
Usually Crossover Day
takes place on legislative
day 30, but this
year day 28
was the last day
for Senate bills
to cross over
to the House
of Representa
tives and vice
versa.
A bill that
I sponsored.
Senate Bill
161, did not
make the dead
line to pass out
of the Senate
for House consideration. I
write this week to inform
you of how sometimes the
purpose of a bill’s intentions
gets twisted like a pretzel.
Senate Bill 161 would
address licenses for people
who are not citizens but are
legally living in the state.
Currently, most licenses are
horizontal for anyone who
applies for one, whether
they are a citizen or legal
immigrant. We current
ly issue vertical licenses
for those under the legal
drinking age of 21 and are
marked under 21. Under SB
161. licenses for non-cit
izens would be switched
to a vertical format. This
would help those who work
in election boards and as
poll workers across the state
quickly identify the differ
ence between citizens, who
have the right to vote, and
legal immigrants who are
not permitted to vote in
elections.
The idea is simple and
I timed the implementa
tion for July of 2018 so it
would go into effect at the
same time Driver Services
is updating their systems
and software to mitigate
any cost.
I sponsored SB 161 to
address a concern that I saw
first-hand in my previous
tenure as a county manager.
Several years ago, a legal
alien from Germany, living
in northeast Georgia was
misinformed that he could
vote in the local election but
not in the federal election.
He stated he was told by
a local elected official, who
was running for re-election,
that he could vote in local
elections but not federal
elections. He was mistaken
ly allowed to register to vote
where he should have been
stopped and subsequently
went to the polls at election
time.
The poll work
ers there did not
question the man
who came to vote
because his license
didn’t differenti
ate him as being
a non-citizen. The
gentleman voted in
the election and, in
doing so, uninten
tionally broke the
law. Under election
law. he committed
a felony. After we
changed to a Board of Elec
tions, oversight of elections
became my responsibilities.
My staff and I reviewed
our voter rolls and discov
ered the error that occurred
before we took over.
My staff and I report
ed the violation to the
state elections board and
finally resolved the issue.
Many people always tell
me they are worried their
vote doesn’t count. During
one election in the county,
we had two mayor’s races
decided by one vote. If
you don’t think your vote
counts, ask either of the two
candidates who lost by one
vote! We obviously need to
do all we can to make sure
we are keeping our voter’s
role safer.
SB 161 would not dis
criminate against anyone
living in the state. It would
simply change the license
orientation to differentiate
citizens and legal immi
grants. Due to miscommu-
nication and misreporting
by factions that want to
twist the truth. SB 161 and
its intent got twisted into
something it was not.
The bill didn’t move
forward because what peo
ple described it did instead
of what it would actually
do. People’s misrepresen
tation and bad intentions
dominated the discussion.
Perception versus reality
prevailed and stopped the
bill. My state representative
and friend, Alan Powell,
saw the same type of mis
information reported about
similar legislation he had
introduced in the House. It
is a sad day when good
legislation gets derailed by
misinformation. I am a pro
ponent that our country and
our state should welcome
immigrants who wish to
live here legally. I have a
lot of respect for those who
come to this country and
fight for their citizenship
and the right to vote.
For this reason. I believe
that differentiating those
who have fought to earn
their citizenship and the
rights that come with it and
those who have not is the
right thing to do. Voting in
local and federal elections is
a right granted to those who
are bom here and earned by
those who work to become
citizens of this great coun
try.
Many of you know as a
brand new freshman sena
tor seven years ago, I hired a
young lady who was a war
refugee from Bosnia. She
spoke English as a second
language and her name was
Ines Kovacevic.
The rest of that story is
that she worked to become a
citizen, she has two degrees
from UGA. and she spoke
English better than me and
my Senate colleague.
My wife and I have host
ed numerous internation
al students in Georgia for
decades. We are a great land
of opportunity and I greatly
respect those like Ines who
work hard to live the true
American Dream.
I look forward to work
ing with my colleagues and
proper stakeholders to clear
up any misconceptions
about the intention of SB
161. This legislation simply
aims to protect the sacred
right of voting for our Geor
gia citizens.
If you have any questions
or concerns about SB 161
or any legislation proposed
or passed this session,
please reach out to me. I
look forward to talking with
you!
Sen. Frank Ginn serves
as Chairman of the Natural
Resources and Environment
Committee. He represents
the 47th Senate District,
which includes Barrow and
Madison counties, and por
tions of Clarke and Jack-
son counties. He may be
reached at 404.656.4700
or by email at frankginn@
senate.ga.gov.
March 15, 2017 ~ Crossword Puzzle
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Steve Cummings
ii
10th and 12th Grade Trips -
This is class trip week at ACS,
as the 10th graders head to Vir
ginia for their American Heritage
Tour, and the 12th graders travel
to New York. These trips offer a
unique educational experience
for our students.
The 12th graders will visit a
number of sites including Ellis
Island, Wall Street, Federal Hall,
and Ground Zero. They will also
see Phantom of the Opera on
Broadway, and help serve at the
Bowery Mission.
The 10th graders will visit his
toric Jamestown and Williams
burg, and learn about Thomas Jef
ferson’s ingenuity at Monticello.
They may even sneak in a trip to
Busch Gardens on the way home.
We hope everyone has a great
time and builds some fantastic
memories.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
Across
1. Teletype (Computers)
4. Loose-fitting sleeveless
garment
7. They
8. Extinct Turkish Caucasian
language
10. Tall N Zealand timber tree
12. Piedmont city on the River
Gesso
13. Burl storyteller
14. Made up of 50 states
16. Not or
17. Given a monetary penalty
19. Unnilpentium
20. ISU town
21. Equality for everyone
25. A lyric poem with complex
stanza forms
26. Actress Farrow
27. Scottish caps
29. Gobblers
30. _ Lilly, drug company
31. Process an animal hide
32. Describe in perfect detail
39.1000 calories
41. American National Bank
(abbr.)
42. MN 55121
43. Everyone
44. Substitute
45. Rubber, marching or head
46. Dance Latin rhythm
48. Inside of
49. A way to let know
50. Morning moisture
51. Point midway between S
and SE
52. Sales messages
Down
1. Duty
2. Whatchamacallit
3. A citizen of Yemen
4. _ Dhabi, Arabian capital
5. Nickname
6. One seeded fruit (alt. sp.)
8. Fiddler crabs
9. Troughs of bricks
11. Exploiter
14. Atomic #104
15. Italian ice-cream
18. Algerian dinar
19. Consume
20. Macaws
22. Insignificantly small
23. Tooth caregiver
24. Direct toward
27. Bluish green
28. Caliph
29. Faucet
31. The bill in a restaurant
32. Capital of Tocantins, Brazil
33. Explosive
34. The most abundant of the
rare-earth group
35. Japanese sock
36. Kampala is the capital
37. Raged
38. Provides with property
39. Miniature racing vehicle
40. Signs
44. Express pleasure
47. Bridge-building degree
1
2
3
7
10
11
13
17
21
12
14 15
16
18
19
22 23
25
24
26
127 28
30
32
39 40
43
46
49
51
33
41
47
35
36
37
38
45
48
50
52
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