BOE needs to put more money into real education

BOE

needs to put more money into real education

I have a few

suggestions for our school board. Instead of wringing

their hands and whining about the taxpayers of this

county not responding to their demands for more money for

the "children," they need to seek solutions,

not excuses. There are so many alternatives I can't

imagine why none have been considered.

The most

important would begin with populating the schools already

built fairly and equitably. In other words, those that

aren't at capacity need to be. Stop the perk of letting

out-of-county students attend our schools because one of

their parents work for the Fayette County system. Stop

letting students go to another school because their

parents want them to go to another school and will

provide transportation. Do what the rest of us do when

money is tight; do without the luxuries. Personally, I

think a lot of students would like the idea of double

sessions. Our leaders need to stop making that sound like

it would be the end of the world because it just may be

the best thing to happen here.

We have a

problem in our society called "throwing money"

at what is perceived as a problem. We have a school

system that identified 71 percent of its students as HOPE

scholars in 1998. What you do not know is that 10-15

percent of those students were identified as needing

remedial classes upon entrance into the University System

of Georgia, including [the University of Georgia] whose

standards are very high. What that says to me is we are

providing our students with averages needed to get that

first year of college free. Once they are there, the

percentages rise on those that lose it after the first

year. You don't have to believe me - look it up on

the Internet for yourselves.

What this

means is that we need to put our dollars into education,

not buildings, stadiums, high-tech equipment, etc. If

that means double sessions or more "trailers,"

then so be it. It is a lot better than constructing

buildings we may not need in the future. The biggest

selling homes in this community now are for empty

nesters. What does that tell you?

Also, has

anyone even thought about building a school complex

devoted strictly to academics and sports merely being

intramural? Then you could give the taxpayers a choice of

either going to the school in their district or get on a

waiting list to get into a new and innovative system for

those children interested in academics and the arts. I

think you would have a waiting list to get into such a

school. The Catholic and Lutheran schools would not be

filling up so fast if parents weren't interested in

alternatives to what standard public education provides.

Peachtree

City is 40 years old this year. Originally, it was

planned for 80,000 residents, and then it was cut back to

40,000. Much of that growth has happened in the past 20

years. Our school system has never planned for total

build-out. They are always crying run-away growth,

knowing full well what the plan has been. Every time a

bond referendum has been put before us, they promise

"no more trailers." It is like the little boy

crying wolf once too often. When did everyone think this

growth was going to occur?

The county

leaders have had ample opportunity to direct what has

happened into an orderly fashion. Instead, we keep seeing

commercial growth going wild, which brings people here

who want to live here, and no one can keep up. So we have

special elections that cost you, the taxpayer, thousands

of dollars, with the promise of "no more

trailer," and I can't remember a time when we

haven't had trailers.

Those in

favor of this 1 percent tax increase were counting on a

low turnout to get it passed. They were counting on all

of us doing it "for the children." It makes it

sound like our kids are so deprived. What a pity to use

children as a weapon to defend this school board's

inability to plan for the future. How sad.

To

reiterate, the school board needs to seek solutions

rather than offer excuses and blame the people who pay

them for their inability to plan. We need to see some

belt tightening as well as innovative strategies to deal

with what we have and focus our attention on getting our

children ready for college and the real world. Once the

school board can offer reasonable solutions that do not

insult our intelligence, I think the people of this

county will work with them.

Jennifer

Plisco

Peachtree City

<!-------------