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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2009
Named the best weekly editorial page in the nation for 2007, 2008
Opinions
“Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. ”
- Henry Ward Beecher ~
Mike Buffington, editor • Email: Mike@mainstreetnews.com
our views
County should
hold off on
airport hirings
S ILLY us. We thought
a recession was on,
business was down
and government finances were
screaming tight.
If that’s the case, then why is
the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners even consider
ing adding two new positions
for the county airport at a cost
of $90,000?
The apparent theory behind
the request from the county’s
airport authority is that when
the airport runway extension
project is completed this sum
mer, the county will be flooded
with corporate and business
airplanes that need new local
airport services.
In addition, airport officials
claim that “market studies”
show the sale of airplane fuel
will increase 30 percent per
year over the next five years,
more than offsetting the cost of
the two positions.
We question both conclu
sions.
There is no evidence — other
than speculation — that Jackson
County will suddenly see a jump
in corporate jets; nor is it likely
in the current economic envi
ronment, fuel sales will jump a
whopping 30 percent per year.
For some reason, too many
people in government get car
ried away with the idea of hav
ing a big airport.
Build it and they will come?
Maybe not. Build it and
they may still fly to Athens, or
Lawrenceville or Gainesville or
Winder anyway.
Here’s a novel thought for
Jackson County officials: Why
don’t you wait and see if you
really need additional help
before you hire two people for
the airport simply on specu
lation? See how many corpo
rate jets land over the next year
needing new services.
If the county really does get
slammed with corporate jets
that need services and if fuel
sales really do jump by one-
third, then take a look at dol
ing out taxpayer dollars to hire
more people.
In the meantime, hold onto
that $90,000 and keep it in the
bank. You never know when it
may come in handy.
The Jackson Herald
Founded 1875 • The Official Legal
Organ of Jackson County, Ga.
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher & Editor
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher &
Advertising Manager
News Department
Angela Gary Associate Editor
Jana Adams Mitcham Features Editor
Brandon Reed Sports Editor
Kerri Testement Reporter
Sharon Hogan Reporter
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Charter schools are not the magic formula
EVERYBODY loves charter schools.
Republicans and Democrats alike say that
charter schools are a great idea that can
solve all the problems of our public educa
tion system.
“We’re looking for innovation, we’re look
ing for creativity” said Republican Gov.
Sonny Perdue as he
signed a bill that lets
school systems apply
for charter status.
“This legislation will
allow innovative local
systems to apply the
same techniques that
charter schools have
used to generate aca
demic success.”
Republican Lt. Gov.
Casey Cagle sup
ports charter schools
so strongly that he
pushed for adoption
of the legislation that allows local school
boards to operate as charter systems.
“I believe in charter schools,” then-gov
ernor Roy Barnes said in a 2002 speech.
“Traditionally, they use innovative means to
meet high goals. They encourage children
to learn and parents to be involved.”
Another Democrat, President Barack
Obama, said during his campaign last year,
“we should be experimenting with charter
schools . . . I’ve consistently said, we need
to support charter schools.”
Charter schools are public schools that
are typically organized by parents and com
munity leaders. The schools are freed from
some of the rules and regulations that apply
to public schools in exchange for an agree
ment to produce specified results from their
students. There are now more than 100
charter schools in Georgia.
Charter schools are seen by many as
the formula for success in education. But
are they? Independent studies of charter
schools show that they may not be quite the
silver bullet people think they are.
A report just released by the Center for
Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO)
at Stanford University analyzed data from
more than 2,400 charter schools in 16 states,
including Georgia. The CREDO report found
that students in charter schools, as a whole,
are “not faring as well as students in tradi
tional public schools.”
Only one in six charter schools - 17
percent - had academic gains that were
significantly better than traditional public
schools, while 37 percent of charter schools
showed gains that were worse than their
public school counterparts. Nearly half of
the charter schools - 46 percent - showed
no significant difference between the perfor
mance of their students and public school
students.
“The problem of quality is the most press
ing issue that charter schools and their sup
porters face,” the study said.
Georgia was among the states where the
performance gains made by charter school
students were “no different than the gains
for traditional school peers,” according to
the report.
Other studies have shown similar results
for charter school performance.
An analysis of test data by the U.S.
Education Department during the admin
istration of George W. Bush showed that
charter school students generally did not
perform as well as those in regular public
schools. The federal study said charter stu
dents scored significantly lower than regular
public school students in math, while in
reading there was no statistically significant
difference.
“It must be acknowledged that charter
schools have a very mixed record,” said Tim
Callahan of the Professional Association of
Georgia Educators, one of the state’s larg
est education groups. “Some do better than
public schools, some do worse. Most do
about the same. This is hardly a transforma
tional change.”
In recent years, Georgia has been diverting
a large share of the taxpayers’ money away
from traditional public schools towards
the funding of charter schools. The state
Department of Education - under the lead
ership of Supt. Kathy Cox - doesn’t seem
to have done a very good job of monitoring
how these schools are using the money.
An audit released earlier this year by
the state auditor’s office said the depart
ment does not adequately monitor charter
schools to make sure they comply with the
terms of their charter. Auditors said the
department’s charter school division has
yet to comply with a 1998 state law requiring
an independent review of whether charter
schools are meeting required standards.
“You have to be very careful about the
accountability of charter schools - once
they get all this freedom, once they get all
this flexibility, you have to be sure there are
accountability standards,” said Jeff Hubbard,
president of the Georgia Association of
Educators.
“If it’s done well,” Hubbard added, “char
ter schools can be fantastic. But account
ability is the missing piece of the puzzle here
in Georgia.”
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol
Impact’s Georgia Report. He can be reached
at tcrawford@capitolimpact. net.
The real story
on governors
1 WAS on the Appalachian Trail last weekend when I
came across South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. He
was sitting by a stream under a half-blooming bush,
weeping. A nearby waterfall muffled the sobs, but the
slapping of his hiking stick into the water was a clear sign
something was amiss.
“Governor, is there anything I can do to help?” I
offered. “Perhaps a drink of water would help you calm
down?”
“No, no, that won’t solve
my problems,” he said as he
wiped away the tears with the
back of his hand.
I paused for a moment,
then sat down next to the
governor to let my feet soak
in the cool stream.
“Sorry about your troubles,”
I said. “Guess you’re still a
little upset about missing your
girlfriend from Argentina and
all the media frenzy.”
He was silent for a while,
then very quietly whispered,
“No, that’s not exactly it.”
“Then why are you out here in the middle of the
woods upset if not because of all that stuff?” I asked
before I really thought about the insensitivity of the ques
tion.
“It was all a lie,” he said regretfully.
“Well, that’s pretty obvious now,” I said. “You were
supposed to be up here on the trail clearing your head
and writing, not doing the Tango in South America with a
beautiful woman.”
He looked at me hard and for a moment I thought he
might be angry at my unguarded candor.
“No, you don’t understand,” he said as he looked
down. “It was ALL a lie. There was no South America, no
Tango; ah, but there was —is— a beautiful woman.”
He smiled as he remembered some special moment.
But I was confused.
“What do you mean no South America?” I asked.
“The whole world knows you were in Argentina and
not up here hiking as you said you would be. Your wife
is on CNN every other day trashing you; your fellow
Republicans are trashing you; you confessed to having a
mistress. Isn’t that the story?”
The governor kinda chuckled, then turned somber as
he spoke.
“Argentina — I made it up to throw everyone off,” he
said. “Nobody saw me there, or has copies of my airline
ticket because I really wasn’t in South America; I was in
North America, far North America. I knew I would need
a cover, so I made up the tale of a hot Latin woman
because everyone would understand it and it would be
far from the real truth.”
I couldn’t believe it; how ingenious, two fake stories to
cover for the real story, a double-deception worthy of a
spy novel.
“So what’s the problem?” I asked. “Seems like you’ve
got the real story hidden away pretty deep.”
“Well, not exactly,” he said. “I got caught with my real
soul mate in Alaska and all hell is breaking lose.”
“Alaska?” I said. “That’s a far way from Argentina. I
didn’t know Alaska had many hot women.”
The governor sat silent for a moment, then said as he
wept, “Well, this Alaska woman is hot and now she’s
messed up in her career too and had to resign today.”
A very disturbing thought entered my mind.
“You... you don’t mean Gov. Sarah Pal—,“ I began to
say when he interrupted.
“See what I mean?” he said. “All messed up!”
“But how did you and she...I mean when...” I stumbled
to comprehend what I had just heard.
“You ever been to a Republican Governors’
Convention?” he asked.
“No.”
“Hell’va a good time,” he said, almost smiling. “You’ve
heard of Republican Gov. Gibbons of Nevada and his
nasty divorce this spring? I introduced him to the Playboy
bunny he got caught hugging on.”
“What about Republican Gov. Spitzer?” I asked. “He
resigned because of a woman, too.”
“01’ Eliot Spitzer Of New York? He was a lone wolf.
I don’t think he ever hooked-up with anyone at the
Governors’ meetings. Suppose he could’ve; I was busy
elsewhere.”
I was stunned. Who knew Republican governors could
be so licentious.
“So the resignation in Alaska was because you and S—“
I began, but he finished the sentence for me.
“Got caught.”
“How did that happen?” I asked.
“Blago, that no good punk!” he said, his voice full of
anger.
“Indicted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich?” I asked, my
jaw dropping to the ground. “What happened?”
“That showoff was up in Alaska filming some darn
reality show and happened to see us canoodling down
by the salmon stream. He threatened to expose the real
story if we didn’t pay him,” he said. “She’s resigning to
get a high-paying talk show job to pay Blago off so he
won’t blow the whistle.”
“So your political careers’ are on the rocks because of
Blagojevich?” I asked.
“What do you expect,” the governor said spitting in
disgust. “He’s a damn Democrat. You can’t trust nobody
these days.”
Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson Herald. He
can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews. com.
mike
buffington