Newspaper Page Text
THI Wilt 010*01 AN MNOAV AUGUST 4 l*T
2
Tom Murphy
“ Education will receive 54
per cent of the total budget for
the State of Georgia for the 1979
fiscal year,” Tom Murphy,
Speaker of the Georgia House of
Representatives, said Wednes
day night at West Georgia.
Murphy, a member of the
House for 13 years and a strong
supporter of education, was on
campus to address a class for
education majors.
He concerned himself with
education in Georgia, focusing
on many trends which involve
legislation and state funding.
I’m no expert on education
but I feel I have a reasonable
amount of knowledge con
cerning the fiscal affairs of the
state," Murphy said. "The
Department of Education will
receive 38 per cent of the budget
and the Board of Regents will
be allocated 16 per cent for the
University System.”
An important aspect of
education is looking after
teachers, keeping them in the
classroom rather than losing
them to business and industry.
Salary increases have been
granted for the last three years
but according to Speaker
Murphy, there is still a long way
to go in that area.
"For 1979,13.3 million dollars
was implemented for teacher
health insurance and 4.7 million
was designated for teacher
retirement,” Murphy said. “A
SSO increase in sick leave was
granted which still should be
more.”
.. f smjm- 1
S / m
I W? ■ 1 ’
Gerald Johnson folks with Gov. Busboo about tuition
remission legislation.
Education Will Receive Over Half Of State Budget
The establishment of a state
kindergarten program created
very heated debate in the
legislature and Speaker
Murphy was opposed to the
plan.
“If we had ample funds to do
everything we need to do in
education, then I would not be
opposed. It does not make sense
to hire new teachers when we
are losing the ones we have
because they are not being paid
enough. I’d rather see us get
their salaries comparable to
other southeastern states,” said
Murphy.
“We need to complete one
program before we implement
another and this applies to
every aspect of government,”
he added.
Another important issue, in
Murphy’s opinion, is the
classroom ratio between
teachers and pupils. Teaching
children to read, write, add, and
subtract well in the first five
grades will prepare them for
everything else, according to
Murphy
“Instead of kindergarten, I
personally believe we should
reduce the classroom ratio to
one teacher for 15 students. You
can’t blame teachers if students
are not learning as they should
if the teacher is trying to in
struct 30 children.”
The value of the twelfth grade
in high school is an issue
presently under consideration
by the Georgia Educational
Improvement Council. Murphy
RE-ELECT
Gerald Johnson
Representative/ Highway 166, Carrollton,Georgia 30117
would encourage students to
enter college early and receive
high school diplomas while
earning college credit.
Vocational education plays a
vital role in Georgia’s industrial
Where Is Black Faculty?
By RICKY MEHAFFEY
Where are the black faculty members at West
Georgia?
Are there any black instructors at West
Georgia?
After psychology instructor Michelle Stewart’s
resignation this leaves the college with one black
faculty member Nancy Boxill, of the
psychology department.
“For a school that’s enrollment is over 5,000, to
have just one black instructor is totally inap
propriate,” says Ms. Boxill. “Not only are the
black students being deprived but white students
are also being shortchanged.
“I’m very disappointed in the ad
ministration.”
Vice President John Lewis said that the ad
ministration is trying its hardest in recruiting
black faculty members but the demand is simply
greater than supply. “We’re still pushing. We’ve
been talking to deans and department heads
asking them to bring in blacks.”
Lewis was asked if he feels the black students
are being Jilted.
“I’m sure they do. If I were a black student I
would feel the same way. There’s not much we
can do but make a good-faith effort.
‘Tve written to a lot of black students telling
them that we’re trying our best.”
One black student echoed his thoughts. “We
need more minorities,” said Sharon Dewberry,
mass communications and psychology major
from Griffin “I’m tired of all the black in-
OUTSTANDING, ACHIEVEMENTS THAT
* * '• N* * I
GERALD HAS MADE...
. . . Gerald received Outstanding Freshman Legislator
Award for 1977-78 General Assembly by "Geor
gians for Better Government."
- - - Johnson was ranked among the top 10% of the
state legislators as far as effectiveness and concern
for problems of the poor and consumers in a study
done by "The Southern Center for Studies in Public
Policy."
growth, according to Murphy.
“We have the best vocational
education program in the South
and this is one reason we get so
much industry We can train
skilled workers within 30 days
structors being in psychology and not in
something like English or Mathematics.
One problem in recruiting blacks is that a lot
of people would rather live in a metropolitan
area than in an isolated area like Carrollton.
But Ms. Boxill feels that “the administration
should look for someone who prefers this en
vironment.”
Ms. Boxill also said that the recruitment ef
forts here have not been successful because the
administration does not ask for advice from
departments that have brought in blacks.
She added, “No one has asked me why I came
here and why I’m staying.”
However, Ms. Boxill will take a leave of ab
sence from West Georgia to go to graduate
school. Mike Arons, chairman of the psychology
department, has found a replacement for Boxill
in another black Dr. Don Rice.
In an informal poll taken by The West
Georgian, several students were surprised to
learn that there is Just one black instructor at
West Georgia.
“I thought there would be at least five or 10,
although I’ve never had one before,” said one
student.
But another student said “It doesn’t make any
difference to me, as long as they do the Job.’
As Lewis pointed out, it comes down to supply
and demand. Any qualified black is going to have
many options in seeking employment.
to meet the specific needs of
industries,” Murphy said.
One thing Murphy would like
to see in the future is rewarding
teachers who do a little extra to
Continued on page 6