Newspaper Page Text
The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - 3
SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
Education and Training Key to
Economic Growth
By: Michael Thurmond
Georgia Commissioner
of Labor
The Great Recession is
reaping a bitter harvest of
job losses and deep budget
cuts throughout Georgia’s
public education and train
ing system.
Although federal stim
ulus dollars are providing
some temporary relief, more
than $ 1 billion in state fund
ing has been slashed from
Georgia’s K-12 and post
secondary education budg
ets.
Budget shortfalls have
forced educational leaders to
institute furloughs and/or
lay-offs.
“Non-essential” class
es in music and foreign lan
guages are disappearing.
Sadly, athletic and
enrichment programs for
students with disabilities are
being reduced or eliminated.
As Georgia’s budget crisis
deepens, economists are
making dire predictions of
continuing declines in state
revenues.
Absent a quicker-than-
expected economic rebound,
additional federal stimulus
or new sources of revenue,
more draconian budget cuts
are inevitable.
Georgia’s public edu
cation and training system is
standing at the proverbial
crossroads between contin
ued progress and a return to
mediocrity.
Further reductions in
state education budgets will
cripple the development of
Georgia’s 21st century
workforce. Now is not the
time to drastically reduce
investments in our chil
dren’s future.
Ironically, this severe
Michael Thurmond
economic downturn presents
Georgia with an unprece
dented opportunity to
increase our competitive
advantage by improving the
quality of our most valuable
economic development
resource — Georgia’s work
force.
A thorough and
thoughtful debate
must be had regarding the
potential impact of addition
al budget cuts to Georgia’s
public education and train
ing system.
The critical question
must be raised: Should
Georgia’s political, educa
tional and business leaders
support accessing alterna
tive or new funding streams
to protect and improve the
quality of public education
in our state?
Despite the economic
downturn, strategic invest
ments in cost-effective pro
grams will assure the devel
opment of a skilled and pro
ductive Georgia workforce.
I offer three examples where
increased funding will pay
huge dividends:
(1) Expand parental involve
ment initiatives. Fledgling
school-based parent
involvement programs are
critical to the long-term
development of our children
and educational system.
Students whose parents are
involved in their educational
careers have higher high
school and college gradua
tion rates, regardless of their
socioeconomic status.
(2) Promote increased
respect for school-to-work
initiatives. Georgia’s high
school co-enrollment pro
grams, apprenticeships,
internships, technical, career
and agricultural programs
are important tools in
preparing students for the
workforce.
School-to-work initia
tives, like the Georgia
Department of Labor’s Jobs
for Georgia Graduates
(JGG) program, help reduce
the drop-out rate. JGG pro
vides “at risk” students with
pre-employment and job
development training.
During the 2008 school year,
95 percent of JGG’s 794 par
ticipating seniors from 36
schools earned a high school
diploma.
(3) Strengthen Georgia’s
technical and two-year col
leges. For high school grad
uates not interested or ready
to enter a four-year college,
two-year and technical col
leges are solid options.
These institutions are aca
demically sound, less expen
sive and graduates start their
careers sooner than four-
year college graduates. Two-
year and technical colleges
also provide educational
opportunities for adult
workers seeking a change of
career or expansion of their
skill sets.
King of Pop
....continued from page
3
is the best-selling album of
all time, with an estimated
50 million copies sold
worldwide.
At the time of his death,
Jackson was rehearsing hard
for what was to be his great
est comeback: He was
scheduled for an unprece
dented 50 shows at a London
arena, with the first set for
July 13.
The public first knew
him as a boy in the late
1960s, when he was the pre
cocious, spinning lead singer
of the Jackson 5, the singing
group he formed with his
four older brothers out of
Michael Jackson
Gary, Ind. Among their No. 1
hits were "I Want You Back,"
"ABC" and "I'll Be There."
He was perhaps the most
exciting performer of his
generation, known for his
backward-gliding moon-
walk, his feverish, dance
moves and his high-pitched
singing, punctuated with
squeals and titters, as was his
ever-changing, surgically
altered appearance.
At press time, funeral
arrangements were incom
plete.
Jackson leaves an indeli
ble mark on the music world
and entertainment industry
that will continue to perme
ate for decades to come. His
death leaves a tremendous
void.
Director
....continued from page 1
Centralia, Washington, is a
seasoned professional with
over twenty years of man
agement and leadership
experience in the non-profit
sector.
He earned a Bachelor
of Science Degree in
Agricultural Economics with
an option in Management
from Washington State
University, Pullman,
Washington and a Master of
Arts Degree in Adult and
Community Education from
Alaska Pacific University,
Anchorage, Alaska.
He served as Director
of the Alaska Center for the
Blind and Visually Impaired
in Anchorage, Alaska from
2001 - 2003 and as
Rehabilitation Specialist
from 1987 - 1995.
Alaska Center for the
Blind and Visually Impaired
is a 501C (3) organization
that provides vision rehabili
tation services throughout
Alaska. As Executive
Director of the Alaska
Center for the Blind and
Visually Impaired, he man
aged and supervised all orga
nizational affairs, and was
responsible for the adminis
tration of direct fiscal, fund
development, grant activi
ties, public relations, and
provided guidance with
regard to vision rehabilita
tion to government, educa
tion, and business communi
ties, as well as developed
strategies for the long-term
vitality of the agency.
His professional expe
riences also include: Access
Technology Specialist with
the Bartimaeus Group in
Mclean, Virginia (2000) and
Computer Access Specialist
at the Maine Center for the
Blind in Portland, Maine
(1995 - 2000). A technology
specialist and consultant, Mr.
King is the owner of
JimLKing.com Consulting
Services, which provides
assistive technology evalua
tion and training, worksite
evaluation, braille literacy
and communication skills
training, and other services
to individuals, state agen
cies, businesses, schools,
and organizations.
He also develops on
line training materials, con
ducts workshops, and partic
ipates in public speaking
events.
The Board of Directors
is expecting great things
from Mr. King. Please come
and give him a big Savannah
Welcome. For additional
information, please call
(912) 236-4473.
Savannah-Chatham BOE Announces
Early Registration Dates, Summer
Reading Information
For your convenience,
the following opportunities
are offered to expedite the
registration and enrollment
process.
You are encouraged to
register prior to the first day
of school, to ensure that your
child is scheduled appropri
ately for classes.
Summer Registration
Days/Dates:
Monday through Friday, July
20 through July 31.
Location:
The Board of Education;
208 Bull Street; room 103
Time: 8:00
a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Schedule Adjustments
All currently enrolled
high school students will
receive their schedule for the
2009-2010 school year in the
mail.
The schedules will be
mailed during the first week
in August.
If a schedule is not
received in the mail, please
contact the school to schedule
an appointment to pick up
your schedule.
Schedule adjustment
dates are available for stu
dents requesting schedule
changes due to passing a
course in summer school, etc.
These schedule changes
can be made during "Enroll
Me Monday’s". Other
times to make schedule
changes will be granted by
appointment only.
Enroll Me Mondays
The "Enroll Me
Mondays" program provides
an opportunity for parents
and students to register for
school, enroll in classes, and
make preparation for a suc
cessful school year. The
applicable dates, times, and
locations are as follows:
August 3rd, 10th, 17th and
24th from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30
p.m.
Beach High School
Groves High School
Jenkins High School
Johnson High School
Previously, each school
decided its own reading list
and requirements for assign
ments.
This year, students in
Grades K-12 will be required
to read two selections from a
district Reading Program list.
In addition, a Reading Log
will be kept for both books
and an activity completed for
one book, class time.
Summer Reading infor
mation is available on the
district’s website under the
Academic Affairs section.
Savannah Arts Academy
Savannah High School
Windsor Forest High School.
Reading and completing
assignments over the summer
has been a requirement in the
Savannah- Chatham County
Public School System for
many years.
What is new this sum
mer is a unified plan for stu
dents in the district.
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