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JFe’re
Listening
The Griffin Daily News’ policy is to be fair to everyone. The editor’s opinions are confined
to this page, and its columns are open to every subscriber. Letters to the editor are
published every Wednesday.
Dear Mr. Melton: I think it is high time
for the county to stop their disagreement
about their share of the cost for the
operation of the finest Recreation
Department in the State of Georgia.
The county is obligated to the citizens of
Griffin who are also citizens of Spalding.
They voted to legalize the sale of alcohol
and gave the county commissioners a
plum of income they would not have gotten
without the city vote. The voters outside
the city voted dry.
Having been given this plum they should
be glad to share in this program on a 50-50
basis, especially when the program is in
such good hands.
The people of Spalding outside the city
limits could start a drive to petition the
county commissioners to join the city on a
basis for this worthy cause for both
young and old. Were I a city com
missioner, I would accept nothing less.
Thank you. (Signed) Jack Faulkner
Kindergartens
Dear Editor: I’m not angry today. I’m
sad. A familiar sound is echoing
throughout the State Capitol—we can’t
finance all the programs requested, so the
kindergarten program must be cut. For
ten long years the kindergarten has been
cut out of the state budget while we con
tinue to finance computers, consultants,
travel expenses, building construction,
highway repairs, parks, museums,
retirement benefits, etc.
The vote on financing the kindergarten
will separate the special-interest
politicians from the sensitive statesmen,
but, sad to say, the petty politicians could
very well win.
Some legislators report that even
teachers are advising them to vote against
the kindergarten program. I suspect this
report is a rationalization. Surely, there is
no significant number of educators who
oppose the kindergarten. In my personal
opinion, a teacher who will sell out the
education of five-year-old children for a
salary increase is a discredit to the
profession. There is no way to rank these
four items. A state smothering at the
bottom of the bog must insist on all these
items, and no reasonable educators would
be caught selling short any one of them.
It is sad to imagine that the elected
leaders of Georgia will spend two billion
tax dollars and fail to include ten million
dollars to initiate a kindergarten program.
It is sad to imagine that any legislator,
educator, or taxpayer places kindergarten
at the bottom of the priority list.
Our economic development, our crime
rate, our social structure, and our
educational competence are all related to
the early educational experience of
children. I suppose one should be angry
that all these arguments are ignored when
we decide how to spend tax dollars. But for
the moment the overwhelming mood is one
of sadness, and there rings over and over
in the mind the historic words of a master
teacher: Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they are doing. Sincerely,
(Signed) Franklin Shumake, Chairman,
Georgians for Quality Education, Stone
Mountain, Ga.
RESPONSE: You wrote it well, and I
agree.
Dear Editor: Eight thousand, two
hundred eighty-six Georgia children failed
first grade last year! The cost for these
children to repeat the first grade will be
considerable. The taxpayer, the children
and their families will pay the bill for these
failures.
Georgia needs a kindergarten program
to prepare every child to achieve in school,
to the very best of his or her ability.
Therefore, we insist that a Public Hearing
be held on the state-wide Kindergarten
Program. In this way the members of the
Georgia General Assembly will be able to.
hear first hand the wishes of Georgia’s
citizens.
Kindergarten was one of the reasons for
the organization of PT A in 1897. Though we
have become a world-wide organization
with millions of members, we still have not
achieved the goal of state-wide kin
dergartens in Georgia.
The PTA prides itself on attacking the
problems of our times and now is the time
for action. Alone we cannot reach the goals
we work toward but through cooperative
effort we can get results. If Georgia’s
more than 220 thousand PTA members and
their friends will contact members of the
Georgia Legislature—in person, by letter,
wire, or telephone call — we can make a
difference in the future of this state.
The directions in which education starts
a child will determine his future life.
Please help us to reach out to help our
children. A concerted effort now can make
the difference because Georgia’s future
‘The voice
of Griffin ’
Fairness to all
goes to school today. Sincerely, (Signed)
Mrs. Frank Britt, President Georgia PTA,
114 Baker Street, N. E. Atlanta
★ ★ ★
To the Editor: I am writing to you with a
request for support on a matter which I
consider of utmost importance to the
welfare of the State of Georgia.
My $lO million budget recommendation
.for the beginning of a statewide kin
dergarten program is looming as the
single most controversial item before the
General Assembly this year. In my
opinion, it would be tragic for this vital
program to be lost in a frenzy of misin
formation and grossly exaggerated cost
estimates.
One area of information that has been
overlooked is that kindergartens have
financial return in several areas. Last
year approximately 8,300 first graders
failed, costing taxpayers almost $7 million.
School systems with kindergartens in
Columbus, Carrollton and Atlanta have
almost half the first grade failure rates as
systems without kindergartens programs.
In North Carolina the first grade failure
rate of the kindergarten group was 1.34
percent as compared to 8.4 percent in
Georgia.
Studies show that certain problems can
be identified and dealt with more easily
and inexpensively if we discover them
during a kindergarten program. These
problems include: Learning disabilities,
retardation, behavior problems,
deprivation problems, vision problems,
hearing problems.
According to experts, it will cost more
money to deal with these problems when
they are discovered in later grades.
Learning disabilities alone are found in 10
to 15 percent of all children. The early
detection and correction of learning
disabilities is important both financially
and from a human standpoint. If you
consider that approximately 30 percent of
all juvenile offenders and prisoners have
learning disabilities and consider their
cost to society, kindergartens begin to look
like a good investment.
According to experts in the field of in
dustry and trade, quality public education
is a major consideration of businesses in
their location decisions. Currently Georgia
ranks 49th in dropout rate, and 47th in
illiteracy, etc. Other states have proven
that kindergartens can improve education
indicator figures substantially.
In the northwest, west and midwest 80
percent of the five-year olds attend kin
dergarten. Colorado, North Carolina,
California and others are now ex
perimenting with pre-kindergarten
programs. How long can we afford not to
have kindergarten?
Organizations such as the League of
Women Voters of Georgia, Georgia
Congress of Parents and Teachers,
Georgia School Boards Association,
Georgians for Quality Education and
many, many others have joined me in the
fight for a kindergarten program. Recent
polls show that two-thirds of the Georgians
sampled favor a statewide kindergarten.
The fate of the kindergarten program
rests with you. Without vocal public
support, the program will be lost amid
other concerns. I hope you will find you
can support kindergartens, and will en
courage your legislative delegation to
approve this appropriation for the children
of Georgia. Sincerely, (Signed) George
Busbee, Governor of Georgia
RESPONSE: We agree with the
Governor and hope that our legislators do
too.
THOUGHTS
“And which of you by being
anxious can add a cubit to his
span of life? If then you are not
able to do as small a thing as
that, why are you anxious about
the rest?” — Luke 12:25,26.
“The life of man is a journey;
a journey that must be travel
ed, however bad the roads or
the accommodations.” —
Oliver Goldsmith, English
novelist.
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Griffin Daily News Wednesday, February 26,1975
Page 5