Get Schooled

By Vicki

April 26, 2006 12:10 PM | Link to this

Mary MacDonald has done a wonderful job on covering the budget cuts in Fulton Co.

As a parent directly affected by the potential cuts, I feel this is a bittersweet victory. I’m very excited to see the Instrumental Music Program has been restored. It’s been proven by a 1998 study through Fulton Co BOE that tests scores were higher in Math and Languages Arts for the kids in Instructional Music than for the kids in General Music. How can a proven program be cut?

The foreign language program will be missed but I like to think this is not over. I’m still hopeful the money can be found for this along some of these other programs.

Like they say, it’s not over till it’s over.

By meme

April 26, 2006 12:48 PM | Link to this

Sometimes I feel as if the foreign language here is English.

By MMM

April 26, 2006 01:26 PM | Link to this

The foreign language in public education is common sense.

By jim d

April 26, 2006 01:43 PM | Link to this

C’mon folks—you really didn’t believe they were going to make those cuts did you? This was merely an end run so you wouldn’t complain about the tax increase.

By EW

April 26, 2006 03:13 PM | Link to this

You are right Jim D.; I’m directly impacted as my child attends a South Fulton school. I’m happy about the music program restoration; however I’m in no way satisfied in the foreign language cuts. We need to start foreign language early on, studies show the earlier you start the more they retain and develop as a second language.

I’m okay with the tax increase if the board would use the funds for these programs and to relieve the desperate overcrowding in South Fulton County. Just to give insight to that problem, Sandtown Middle School is estimated to have 1900 + students with 24 double wide trailers, taking up all parking spaces except for 65. The teachers are being told they will have to park at the park down the street and walk, in the early am hours and in possibly inclement weather. They will also start lunch at 10:10 next year, so if the board raises my taxes - fine, however along with music, the board has a responsibility to the students to provide appropriate facilities conducive to learning. Thanks Patti and Mary, I’ve emailed you guys about our issues, thanks for covering them!

By Vicki

April 26, 2006 03:19 PM | Link to this

Foreign Language is common sense in public education. The cuts were to the elementary schools only. The 4th & 5th Grades are the only students affected by the cuts in Foreign Language. Cuts do not have an effect on middle school or high school foreign languages classes, and I am under the impression that Fulton is the only county to offer foreign language in elementary schools.

Does Gwinnett County offer foreign language in elementary school, Jim?

We (parents) asked the Board to just go a head and raise the mil rate and they told us that only fixed the problem for the next school year and we’d be back to where we are today, yes, we took the cuts seriously.

By jim d

April 26, 2006 03:37 PM | Link to this

I think Gwinnett offers foriegn language to middle school students as exploratory classes each semester. But to my knowledge not to k-5

By SET

April 26, 2006 03:50 PM | Link to this

Watch what happens when your state is overrun with colonists from Mexico & other 3rd world countries. It will be a lot more than Music programs being cut. You cannot increase taxes enough to keep services at historic levels when your state is being occupied by the foreign colonists the federal government is inviting in.

Soon you lose everything that made anyone consider using that school district in the first place. Check out Los Angeles Unified School District and it’s demographics over the last 10 years.

It is a very short step from moving into Los Angeles from South America, to moving into GA or any other US state. Just more time on the road. It will eventually be your turn to experience the diversity as we have in CA. Hope you have lots of money for your schools and your hospitals.

By terry

April 26, 2006 03:59 PM | Link to this

It’s too bad they have to cut the foreign language in elementary schools in Fulton. My daughter attended Atlanta public schools and started French in kindergarten or first grade. She will graduate this year and she is fluent in French. It’s wonderful to listen to her speak French. Of course she kept up with the language throughout her school years, while many of her classmates did not. But the music is just as important, as I was always impressed by the orchestra (mainly), band and chorus while attending the music programs for the parents in while she was in elementary school.

By Vicki

April 26, 2006 04:06 PM | Link to this

So Fulton Co. is the only system in Georgia that offers (offered) foreign languages in elementary schools. That is one of the reasons Fulton schools spends $8,406 per student and Fulton’s mil rate is the lowest in the metro area at 18.116.

Cobb spends $6,981 per student at a mil rate of 22.680,

Gwinnett spends $7,263 per student at a mil rate of 20.680,

DeKalb spends per student $7,597 at a mil rate of 22.980.

We moved from DeKalb to Fulton because of the school system offered foreign languages, band and orchestra.

South Fulton is growing at such a rate the schools don’t have an opportunity to catch up and that is the reason Sandtown Middle School is in the shape it is today. And besides, Fulton doesn’t buy property in the middle of the night or in closed session, like another county! :)

By terry

April 26, 2006 04:11 PM | Link to this

It’s too bad they have to cut the foreign language in elementary schools in Fulton. My daughter attended Atlanta public schools and started French in kindergarten or first grade. She will graduate this year and she is fluent in French. It’s wonderful to listen to her speak French. Of course she kept up with the language throughout her school years, while many of her classmates did not. But the music is just as important, as I was always impressed by the orchestra (mainly), band and chorus while attending the music programs for the parents in while she was in elementary school.

By terry

April 26, 2006 04:13 PM | Link to this

It’s too bad they have to cut the foreign language in elementary schools in Fulton. My daughter attended Atlanta public schools and started French in kindergarten or first grade. She will graduate this year and she is fluent in French. It’s wonderful to listen to her speak French. Of course she kept up with the language throughout her school years, while many of her classmates did not. But the music is just as important, as I was always impressed by the orchestra (mainly), band and chorus while attending the music programs for the parents in while she was in elementary school.

By Vicki

April 26, 2006 04:37 PM | Link to this

Terry - does APS still provide foreign language at the elementary level? I read your post and you said your daughter is about to graduate. I was under the impression that APS bailed on foreign languages several years back. I have followed these budget issues very close and our BOE has let the parents know Fulton is the last of these schools. I would like to information to our BOE. You first post posted while I was writing my so sorry if I offended you; it was not my intention at all. I’m just trying to do the best with the information I have and learn from all sources.

By Patti Ghezzi

April 26, 2006 04:46 PM | Link to this

Yes, Atlanta still has foreign language in elementary school. I’m writing about their proposed budget now (Tax increase coming!) and they want to leave the foreign lang program intact.

By Vicki

April 26, 2006 04:52 PM | Link to this

Sorry for “I would like to information to our BOE.”

I wanted to say; I would like to inform our BOE.

I’m checking homework and cooking dinner and trying to compose. So much for multi-tasking…

By Vicki

April 26, 2006 04:53 PM | Link to this

Thanks, Patti, I would like for Fulton to do the same.

By EW

April 27, 2006 10:39 AM | Link to this

Vicki,

I have to disagree with something you said “South Fulton is growing at such a rate the schools don’t have an opportunity to catch up” this is a falsehood. The Fulton County School planning committee just dropped the ball and ignored pre warning signals of tremendous growth in South Fulton county. I had an official finally admit it. Now with that being said, how long should the students in South Fulton wait for the incompetence of these people?

We had a rezoning in elementary schools this year, the construction of that new school started in LATE FEBUARAY! for a school that is being opened in August! Now the superintendent finally had to admit that the school will be half completed and the students will not have a cafeteria, and media center just to name a few things… HOWEVER he stated they will move in and will bring prepackaged lunches everyday to these students…

This is just ANOTHER example of the blatant disregard for South Fulton, you want more than this? Go visit Westlake High School and see the ceiling caving in, go visit Stonewall Tell, Liberty Point, Campbell, or Palmetto elementary schools and see the overcrowding that is at extreme magnitudes… See why the FCBOE states they have no more SPLOST II funds to build new schools in South Fulton County and we have to wait until the public approves SPLOST III. Also while you’re at it, ask them why they spent over 60 million dollars on the new mega high school in Alpharetta and will only spend around 48 million on the new high school in South Fulton..( if they get the funds). Just a couple of thoughts from a person who knows and sees the obvious disparities in facilities from North to South, maybe Fulton County should have been on Oprah!

By Just Me

April 27, 2006 01:35 PM | Link to this

I think everyone is upset that it took $60 million to complete Milton High School. To make matters worse the reason I have been given are change orders, after change orders, after change orders. The excuse was due to the building committee could not decide on the finishes, like paint colors, cabinet finishes, flooring, etc. Millions of building dollars wasted on an architect who couldn’t get answers from our government. No, it is not fair to the children and they shouldn’t have to wait.

I was under the impression that South Fulton was growing at an amazing rate. When I go to Union City, I hardly recognize the area each time I visit. I see new neighborhoods and businesses, which attract growth. But, that is only from my observations.

The government moves so slowly it‘s frustrates us all. My children are in a school that was built in 1964 and we’re busting at the seams. Yes, we have portables. The students start lunch at 10:20 am and have for the 5 years we’ve been there. We joke about it as not being lunch, but brunch.

The building committee works off of a different budget from the operating budget. The budget I have been following is the operating budget that has, thank goodness, reinstated the instrumental music program and all the Instructional Support Teachers, as well as partially restore social workers, psychologists, ESOL sheltered program, and one special education coordinator and support employee for special ed.

By EW

April 27, 2006 02:16 PM | Link to this

Yes, Just Me - South Fulton is growing at a tremendous rate however the writing has been on the wall for at least two to three years! This is not the start of South Fulton growth.

Yes, the operating and building budgets are different. I’m happy about music reinstatement, I really hope they find funds for foreign language; I would hate to lose that for the students.

My point in discussing this is that there is and still continues to be an overwhelming gap in the facilities between North and South. When the boom happened in the North, their were some temporary inconveniences, however action was swift, I just expect the same thing.

Also here’s another one, we could possibly fund some foreign language teachers if the board would aggressively try to sell the old Milton high school, which was the justification for building the new one right?

By nt

April 28, 2006 11:24 AM | Link to this

First, as a property tax payer in Fulton County, I agree that the millage rate needs to be raised. It is ludicrous to think that you can serve more students each year on less money and retain the same quality of instruction. Part of the attraction of Fulton County is that the schools are excellent overall and offer programs that other systems don’t (or that in those systems you have to live in specific high school districts to access). This improves the property values of everyone’s home, whether you have students in the school system or not.

Secondly, South Fulton is beginning to feel the pinch that North Fulton has felt as a squeeze for years. The “overwhelming gap in the facilities between North and South” was not so evident just a few years ago - did you ever visit the Old Milton facility before Alpharetta High opened? Their entire freshman class was in portables in parking lots and the school was very old and difficult to navigate.

In response to “When the boom happened in the North, their were some temporary inconveniences, however action was swift, I just expect the same thing.”:

This statement reflects complete lack of recollection and information, or very different definitions of temporary and swift…

Chattahoochee High School was on double sessions before Centennial was opened in 1997, and was left with portables after they redistricted. Centennial had to add portables the summer after they opened, and both schools have 30+ portables to this day! Is this what you consider “temporary inconveniences” and “swift action?”

My elder son is finishing the 10th grade in North Fulton and has NEVER attended all his classes in the school building since kindergarten. (BTW,during his kindergarten year the school had an enrollment of over 1300 students in a school now “at capacity” with just over 650 students. The school had over 1000 students throughout his six years there.)

The high school in he attends still has so many portable classrooms that the infrastructure (cafeteria, hallways, media center) is seriously strained and student parking is extremely limited. His younger brother’s middle school has portable classroooms with holes in the floors, affording easy access to the mice and other creatures who are frequent classroom visitors.

Maybe not the picture you had of North Fulton schools?

By EW

April 28, 2006 12:15 PM | Link to this

Well NT, if that is true I believe that some of your representatives are up for re-election. Make your disdain known at the polls.

My point is and will continue to be that Fulton County needs to implement (obviously) a new system in planning. Pulling or researching builder permits is only a start. How long will you and I continue to think that this is acceptable in educating our children?

If what you say is accurate then the planning and building committees should have learned from North Fulton in reference to South Fulton, correct? You would think that the second time around they would get it right.

By Tricia Bernhardt

May 1, 2006 09:40 AM | Link to this

As the parent of a first grade diabetic student in the Fulton County Public School system, I am appalled at the idea of the board replacing the Registered Nurses who make up the school cluster nurses and all of the clinic aides with less qualified Licensed Practical Nurses. How can they expect one less qualified person to do the work of two more experienced people? Why does the board want to change a system that works well? They will not save any money with their proposed plan and the liability on the part of the board will be tremendous! Is the well being of all of our children that unimportant to the board? I would hope not!!!