AJC.com > Blogs > Get Schooled > Archives > 2007 > August
August 2007
When Does Test Prep Go Too Far?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A test-prep scandal at the University of Georgia has led to the cancellation of a national examination for aspiring pharmacists, putting the careers of untold numbers of graduates on hold.
According to our story today, it doesn’t appear that answers were provided to UGA students or others preparing for the licensing test. Rather, it seems a pharmacy professor pulled together questions — which former test-takers had reported back to him — and provided them to future test-takers.
The problem? The questions provided — 150 in all — seemed to match nearly verbatim the questions on the actual exam. And, perhaps not so coincidentally, 150 is exactly the number of questions a student must answer correctly to earn professional certification.
Of course, test preparation is a huge industry. You need only walk into your friendly neighborhood bookstore to see that. Even the state Department of Education provides practice tests for its public school exams.
So was this a case of outright cheating or was the professor acting within acceptable test-prep bounds?
UPDATE: According to the latest story from Andrea Jones and Bill Rankin, the pharmacy professor had run into trouble for his test-prep materials before. In 1995, he agreed to “cease and desist” from transcribing, copying or disseminating any questions from the exam.
Permalink | Comments (33) | Post your comment |
Clearing Out Residency Scofflaws
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clayton County has become the latest metro Atlanta school system to crack down on students sneaking across district or county lines. This week, families of every child enrolled in a Clayton public school had to submit two utility bills or other documents as proof of residency.
Clayton spokesman Charles White told me that officials would be checking not only whether students actually live in the county, but also whether they’re attending the right school. He said administrators would begin withdrawing students whose paperwork doesn’t pass muster after Labor Day.
Fulton County Schools also has tightened its residency policies. Families there had to fill out a notarized “Affidavit of Residence” form this year certifying that they lived within the school system’s borders. A press release announcing the new form — which parents will need to complete every year — blamed outsiders who have found “creative ways” to enroll their children in the county’s public schools.
The further crackdown on residency scofflaws in the metro area follows a push last year by Fayette County to prosecute families who had lied about their home addresses to circumvent enrollment requirements. In recent years, Coweta and Henry counties also have taken steps to ensure that only certified residents attend their schools.
Officials in the systems say local tax dollars are being wasted on children who shouldn’t be in their schools. But the state Department of Education pays schools for all students who are enrolled, regardless of where they live.
So tell me: Is this about saving money or is it about saving schools’ reputations?
UPDATE: Eric Stirgus, the AJC’s Clayton County reporter, just sat down with the school system’s interim superintendent today. This is what Gloria Duncan told him about why the residency checks were needed:
“I have worked in the schools many years and one frustrating feeling is [when] a student has a seizure or falls out and you try to reach a parent and all of the telephone numbers are not working. We have to know how to reach the parents.
“Some of our parents have moved two or three times since the last time the information was in our system. If we send out a message on our communications system [and] someone says, ‘I didn’t get it,’ nine times out of 10 you didn’t get it because the numbers we have for you are wrong. And you have people calling us saying: ‘Please stop sending this message. I don’t have any children in Clayton County schools.’
“Another issue is students who don’t live in Clayton County … and [use] false addresses, and that contributes to overcrowding.”
Permalink | Comments (24) | Post your comment |
The Middle School Years
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the past week, I’ve been working on a story about how single-gender education is catching on across metro Atlanta. I’m posting late today because I just got back from visiting Atlanta Public Schools’ new boys-only and girls-only academies, which opened earlier this month.
What I find so interesting about this story is that the single-gender programs I’ve discovered all target the middle school years — generally sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
Educators I’ve been interviewing keep telling me that kids are just “different” at that age — they’re going through a lot of changes physically — and they need an entirely different approach to their education.
Over the years, I’ve talked to parents who worried about their children going into middle school and others who wondered what there was to worry about. I think it’s safe to say that middle schools generally are seen as a tough assignment for teachers.
So tell me: What is it about the middle school years that make them so challenging?
Permalink | Comments (41) | Post your comment |
We’re No. 46, Again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s average SAT scores declined this year — from a combined score of 1477 last year to 1472 this year, out of a possible 2400 — but the Peach State’s ranking nationally held steady at 46.
I’m still combing through the data the College Board released this morning, but here’s some initial information:
The state’s average score on the Critical Reading portion of the test remained at 494 points, on a scale ranging from 200 to 800 points.
The average score on the Mathematics part of the test dipped a point to 495.
Georgia’s mean score on the Writing section — credited with lifting our ranking last year — dropped four points to 483.
Although the state’s SAT scores declined on nearly every section of the college-entrance exam this year, the U.S. scores also fell across the board. But with a ranking of 46, it’s not surprising that Georgians’ scores remain lackluster when compared to the national averages of 502 in reading, 515 in math and 494 in writing.
The question of the day: How much do you care that Georgia’s SAT scores remain near the bottom?
UPDATE: I thought you would like to see what our elected luminaries have to say about the latest scores.
Gov. Sonny Perdue, in a press release from his office, said:
“While we never like to gain ground by allowing our scores to go down, Georgia was again able to close the gap with the national average, continuing a positive trend for the sixth year in a row.”
Later in the release he said: “Despite the fact that Georgia’s score did not drop at the same rate the national scores dropped, and Georgia held steady its national ranking of 46, we will not be satisfied until Georgia’s SAT scores reflect the quality of education that is being provided to students in our state every day.”
In her own press release, state Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox sounded a similar refrain: “Georgia’s high school seniors kept pace with the nation … which is good news. Of course, we won’t be satisfied until Georgia is a leader in SAT performance.”
Permalink | Comments (74) | Post your comment |
SAT Rankings: Make Your Bets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, it’s started.
The editors have gotten all twitchy, as they do every year, when the annual SAT scores are about to be released: When are they coming? When can we post something online? What’ll the story say?
About the only thing we know for sure at this point is that the College Board will release states’ average SAT scores tomorrow morning.
You may recall that last year Gov. Sonny Perdue, in the midst of a heated re-election campaign, positively glowed when he announced Georgia’s new national showing — a whopping 46th place, up from 50th the year before.
The governor called the well-timed news “fantastic.”
I don’t think there’s another state out there where elected leaders are as transfixed by SAT rankings. But I suppose that obsession comes with the last-place territory.
A couple years ago I wrote about this uniquely Georgian phenomenon. Assessment experts at the College Board and elsewhere warn repeatedly that state-to-state comparisons of average SAT scores are not scientifically valid. Yet, every year, we report where Georgia ranks against other states.
Why? Because it’s what the politicians focus on and it’s what the public wants.
So this year I’m embracing the annual SAT frenzy and betting that the Peach State’s ranking will decline.
Anyone care to bet against me?
Permalink | Comments (22) | Post your comment |
Hot Enough For Ya?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On my lunch break, I sometimes walk down toward Georgia State University, a few blocks away. There’s one shop I pass by that leaves its doors open and keeps the air conditioning on full blast.
Walk by the door and you walk through a nice little column of cold, manufactured air. Yes, in record-setting heat, air conditioning feels absolutely heaven-sent.
Unfortunately, students and teachers aren’t always so lucky when it comes to experiencing the wonders of A/C.
Air-conditioning problems in old public schools — as we’ve seen in DeKalb County this week — are common. Sometimes even new schools have difficulty getting everything in working order.
And students can’t always get relief on the school bus, either. Most, including those in Fulton County, aren’t equipped with A/C. Sure, the windows open, but only half-way.
When I took a tour of Cherokee High School earlier this month, we stopped in the old gymnasium where freshmen were told they’d be taking personal fitness class. It was stuffy and humid and the large industrial fans churning high above the wooden bleachers weren’t helping matters.
It reminded me that gyms aren’t always air-conditioned, either.
Now, with billions in taxpayer money being spent on school construction throughout metro Atlanta, you’d think someone would make air-conditioning old gyms and school buses a priority.
Wouldn’t you?
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment |
The Old Dress Code Debate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Did you hear the one about the Atlanta city councilman who wants to ban all exposed undergarments in public?
It’s no joke.
According to today’s article by my colleague David Pendered, Councilman C.T. Martin — a college recruitment consultant — is pushing an amendment to the city’s indecency laws that would make any glimpse of, say, a bra strap or the top of boxer shorts illegal.
Martin says the popular style of boys who wear oversize, baggy pants well below their waists, exposing their underwear, is an “epidemic” that has to stop.
“I don’t want young people thinking that half-dressing is the way to go,” he told David. “I want them to think about their future.”
I know educators feel his pain. Many principals have gotten around this kind of dress by requiring young men to tuck in their shirts and barring young ladies from wearing spaghetti-strap T-shirts.
Some educators say it’s a discipline issue — particularly for the students wearing those big, saggy jeans. That’s a lot of material to hide drugs or weapons.
But do campus prohibitions against trendy teen styles make kids more respectful or do they just give them a reason to be rebellious?
Permalink | Comments (130) | Post your comment |
Charter Schools Get Short Shrift In Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta, Gwinnett County and DeKalb County school systems recently denied three charter petitions by Building Excellent Schools graduates. BES, based in Boston, is the leading charter school training program in the nation.
Now BES founder Linda Brown is considering ceasing further efforts in Georgia. She thinks the prospects for new charter schools here might not be worth her group’s time, money and effort.
One local fellow, Nina Gilbert, is a former Gwinnett County Public Schools teacher and administrator. Her recent charter petition would have allowed for a public school for underserved, mostly minority, female middle and high school students.
But Gilbert’s petition was denied by the Gwinnett County Board of Education under the recommendation of Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks, who said he had legal concerns regarding Title IX, a federal law barring gender discrimination in public schools.
These concerns were made in spite of expert testimony by Rosemary C. Salomone that Gilbert’s proposal was well within legal parameters. Salomone was well-qualified to interpret Title IX. She drafted recent Title IX regulations for the U.S. Department of Education.
Wilbanks’ protests also continued in spite of assurances by officials at the Georgia Department of Education that they would not approve a charter school that was not 100 percent within the letter of the law.
If Georgia is to improve the opportunities and achievement of students in public schools, we, as a state, must embrace innovation.
To embrace innovation, education leaders must re-evaluate their chartering practices — or allow others, who will take the responsibility of authorizing charter schools seriously, to do it.
Today’s guest blogger is chief programming officer for the Georgia Charter Schools Association. He wants the state Legislature to explore new avenues for creating charter schools. To be a guest blogger here, send an entry on any education topic to bgutierrez@ajc.com.
Violence Strikes Again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The new school year is barely a few weeks old and already we’re hearing of student-on-student violence at a local campus.
This morning, AJC cops reporter Kathy Jefcoats reported that a knife-wielding student stabbed a classmate at Luella High School.
A Henry County Police spokesman told Kathy that the 16-year-old victim’s injuries were non-life threatening.
Last school year — on the very first day of classes — you may recall that a Whitewater High School student brought guns and ammunition to campus. The cache of weapons was found in the trunk of his Volvo, but senior Robin Kittrell also had been carrying a switchblade in his pants pocket as he walked the hallways.
Fortunately, no one was physically hurt in the Fayette County incident. But Kittrell, a former college-bound student, now is serving a two-year sentence in a state detention center.
UPDATE: Well, this Henry County story sure has taken a bizarre twist. Police are now saying the wounds on that Luella High School student were self-inflicted.
When Heroes Fall, What Do You Tell The Kids?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I was 3 years old, my favorite T-shirt was for Johns Hopkins University, where my father went to engineering school and — hands down — the best lacrosse team in the country reigned.
I still remember my dad taking my sisters and me to Homewood Field to see the boys practice. I’m pretty sure I wore my T-shirt.
By the time I reached high school, I was playing four sports: soccer, basketball, lacrosse and softball. Back then, the highlight of my day was sitting around the dinner table watching highlight reels of David Robinson dunking over opponents on the court at the Naval Academy.
My sister was dating a midshipman at the time, and I was lucky enough to get Robinson’s autograph.
Of course, I started thinking about all of this because of Michael Vick, the once seemingly indomitable, now remarkably disgraced Atlanta Falcons quarterback, who has admitted his guilt in a deadly, illegal dog-fighting business. I just can’t stop thinking about all of the kids heading to school today in their football jerseys.
What do you say to them when they ask why everyone has turned on their hero?
Sports are ingrained in our culture, so they’re also ingrained in our schools. Every year, professional athletes visit schoolchildren to try to motivate them to do better in class. Some teachers even deck the walls of their classrooms with pictures of famous players.
So do you take down Vick’s photograph today? Do you stop wearing your Falcons jersey, which the kids all thought was so cool? Do you teach students that sometimes heroes fail, too?
My mom tossed my JHU tee long ago. She was tired of seeing me wear it. But I still have that sheet of USNA letterhead.
There are some memories from youth that you just want to hold on to.
ACT Vs. SAT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t remember ever hearing about the ACT college entrance exam until I was well out of Liberty High School. In Maryland, the SAT was the bane and burden of every aspiring college student, including me.
I think I first heard of the ACT when I was working in San Antonio. I remember a guidance counselor at a prestigious private school there telling me that she advised her students to take both of the standardized exams.
That’s right, both.
Students who didn’t score well on the SAT, she said, often did much better on the ACT, which is more closely aligned with what students are learning in school.
I wonder if that strategy is catching on. According to the latest annual report from the test’s maker, more Georgians than ever are taking the ACT. In the graduating class of 2007, more than 29,400 kids took the ACT’s English, math, reading, science and writing tests — up about 4,400 students or 17.6 percent from the class of 2006.
Still, that group makes up only about a third of the total college test-taking population here. So, in the Peach State, at least, the SAT is still king.
Education Economics
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All this week, Steve Dolinger of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, has been talking about what he likes to call the “economics of education.”
Dolinger’s given this talk many times and he plans to present it at least nine more times in coming weeks. The point? To create a sense of urgency about the need to improve Georgia’s public schools, which continue to rank low on many education measures, including SAT and NAEP scores.
Some of the takeaways from Dolinger’s PowerPoint:
The more educated you are, the higher your earnings potential and the lesser the chances for you to be unemployed.
Low or high educational attainment is cyclical. That is, the more educated you are, the more income you have, the better chances your children will have to be successful themselves.
Communities with large numbers of uneducated citizens suffer from a drain on government services and lose out on potentially billions of dollars that could be feeding their economies.
Of course, none of this is news for those in the know. But I wonder how many people that Dolinger speaks to are hearing it for the first time.
Tough Calls On Teacher Quality
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the past few days, I’ve been mulling over an editorial on teacher quality — written by the AJC’s Maureen Downey — which appeared in the newspaper earlier this week.
Basically, Maureen suggests that parents should have access to information about how successful their child’s teacher has been.
Her argument goes something like this: If more classroom-specific data is available on the individual performance of teachers — as reflected in students’ test scores — administrators will be forced to get rid of poor performers.
I’ve visited schools that do make that information available. Gainesville Elementary School readily comes to mind. There, the principal used to post bar charts — showing students’ test scores by class — on the walls outside the main office. In fact, throughout Gainesville City Schools, parents have access to teacher performance data.
The question: Has the program pushed unsuccessful teachers out of Gainesville altogether or has it simply led to more “drill and kill”?
UPDATE: I sat down for a lengthy interview with Atlanta Superintendent Beverly L. Hall late last week and I’m transcribing the tape now. I just came across this section on teacher quality and thought I’d share it with you. “More than any other group, [teachers] know that their [own] children need good teachers. They absolutely understand that quality teaching is the single most important variable [in student achievement],” Hall said. “[So I told principals], if these teachers are not good enough for your children then why on earth are they good enough for somebody else’s? If you can’t get them to change — after you’ve worked with them and developed them — and they just cannot do it, then you need to think about what you need to do to get quality teachers into your classrooms.”
‘Alternatives’ To A College Education
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While I was in Nashville speaking at a journalism conference yesterday, Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson was announcing a new plan to enhance career education in the state’s public high schools.
As James Salzer pointed out in his article, many high schools already offer extensive menus of career-tech courses or dual-credit programs with technical colleges. Earlier this year, the Legislature also funded a new $16 million program to encourage public colleges and universities to work with school systems to create “career academies” — much like the Central Educational Center in Newnan.
But apparently Richardson wants even more career-tech options. His $20 million plan would allow students to substitute courses from Georgia’s technical colleges for regular high school classes. When those teens graduate, they’ll receive both a diploma and a “Certificate of Advanced Study,” showing they have the skills needed to start a career.
Richardson said the program should help cut down on the state’s dismal drop out rate. State Rep. Fran Millar, who’s joining the speaker in the effort, agreed. “We need to be honest with ourselves,” Millar said. “We need to engage our students by the ninth grade and educate them on alternatives to college.”
I wonder: How would parents who want their children to go to college feel about those “alternatives”?
The Greek Life
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I didn’t belong to a sorority in college. We didn’t have a Greek system at my small, 1,500-student school. But I’ve often wondered if I would have joined one if St. Mary’s College of Maryland had offered the rush of Rush Week.
As Andrea Jones reported recently, hundreds of incoming freshmen at the University of Georgia have been experiencing a “recruitment” whirlwind this week.
I was amazed to learn of the lengths some young ladies go to — getting personal recommendations, renting hotel rooms so they have a place to primp before the all-important, get-to-know-you tryouts — to help them join the perfect sorority house.
Starting college is difficult enough, but these young women seem determined to push through the pressure in the hopes of securing their social fates. I wonder: Is it worth it?
UPDATE: There’s some interesting commentary over in our Opinion section about Rush Week. The AJC’s Maureen Downey says fraternity or sorority recruitment should be deferred until either the spring semester or sophomore year, while Patty Disque of the National Panhellenic Conference says joining Greek organizations early on can help freshmen make a successful transition to college.
Back To School With Dad
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Local organizers for The Black Star Project are making their annual push today to get more fathers, particularly African-Americans, involved in their children’s schooling.
Atlanta’s second annual Million Fathers March is part of a movement that started in Chicago a few years ago. The idea is to get dads to take their sons or daughters to school on the first day of classes and get more involved in their education generally.
I was out and about at public schools this morning, observing the first few hours of the new school year in metro Atlanta. I saw a couple dads registering their children and delivering them to their classrooms, but they were definitely outnumbered by mothers.
A handful of schools in Atlanta and Fulton County were expected to participate in the march, including Fain Elementary School in Adamsville. Principal Marcus Stallworth told me he believes students do better academically when their daddies are involved in their lives.
“Dads are the determining factor to any child’s destiny,” Stallworth said. “Moms are great. But research shows when dads are involved in their child’s lives they go further.”
Would you agree?
Education Foundations: How Is Your Donation Being Spent?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Recent stories about Atlanta City Councilman H. Lamar Willis and his self-named educational foundation have really captured my interest.
Thanks to AJC reporter Cameron McWhirter’s recent articles, Willis is now being investigated by local, state and possibly federal authorities — the IRS won’t confirm or deny.
Officials are looking into a variety of issues, including whether Willis improperly used his office to promote the foundation and if he solicited donations under the false guise of a non-profit.
As Cameron reported, some of the recipients of the H. Lamar Willis Foundation were supposed to be Atlanta Public Schools students. But it’s unclear how many actually received the annual college scholarships the foundation touted.
There have been a couple of other stories lately about education foundations and how they’re using their funds. Of course, we already talked about how the University System of Georgia uses donations to pay for lobbying expenses. But did you see the article about the high school booster clubs hiring private investigators to tail student-athletes suspected of crossing district lines?
All of this news got me thinking: When you contribute to your school’s booster club, alumni association, PTA or local education foundation, do you know how your money is being spent?
UPDATE: According to the latest story on the H. Lamar Willis Foundation, some former scholarship winners say they either never received the promised financial aid or had to waits months before seeing their reward. This story just continues to amaze me.
Special Ed Advocates Don’t Give Up The Fight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some critics of the state’s new special education rules haven’t given up their battle against the sweeping changes going into effect this school year.
Special education advocate and activist Carmen Allen has petitioned the State Board of Education to rescind the rules approved in June.
Allen, vice president of Educate America! — a not-for-profit advocacy group based in Cumming — was one of the most vocal opponents of the rule changes, which state officials said were necessary to keep Georgia in line with new federal standards for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Allen and others are convinced that the guidelines — governing not only which students are eligible for special education services, but also how those services are delivered — limit the rights of the more than 184,000 children with disabilities in Georgia’s public schools.
“If Georgia expects to ‘Lead the Nation in Student Achievement,’ then we, as a state, must set high expectations of ourselves, not lower them,” Allen wrote to state Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox in late July.
Officials at the State Department of Education are recommending that the board, which meets today and tomorrow, deny Allen’s request. They say her concerns and those of others were considered before the changes were made.
Church And State And School
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some DeKalb County teachers raised such a fuss over where their back-to-school faculty meeting was being held today, Superintendent Crawford Lewis agreed late last week to let them watch the events via television.
Apparently, having to attend Bishop Eddie L. Long’s popular (not to mention extremely large) church, New Birth Missionary Baptist, made some educators uncomfortable.
Lewis told AJC education reporter Kristina Torres that the public school system simply didn’t have a venue big enough to accommodate 8,000 teachers. But there were enough complaints about the locale that he decided to provide another option.
This reminded me of a story I wrote a few years ago about a Muslim mother in Gwinnett County who protested the fact that her child’s fifth-grade graduation ceremony was going to be held in a Christian church. She said she shouldn’t be forced to attend someone else’s sacred site for a secular ceremony.
Much like Lewis, the public elementary school’s principal blamed the space issue. But it was common practice in Gwinnett, as it is in DeKalb, to use religious sites for school events.
So tell me: Is it ever appropriate to hold a public school activity at a faith-based venue?
Back-To-School Frenzy: Can You Feel It?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ll admit it: I did a little tax-free shopping this weekend. No, I didn’t have any school supplies to purchase. I just couldn’t resist saving a few bucks on some new shoes for fall.
While I was waiting to try on a cute suede pair at Nordstrom, I overheard a sales clerk saying the store wasn’t nearly as busy as he thought it would be, given the annual sales tax holiday.
Honestly, I was grateful for the lack of crowds. But I did start to wonder: Where was the back-to-school frenzy?
Surely teachers were out there somewhere buying up packs of pencils, construction paper and glue with the governor’s annual $100 gift card. Certainly, moms and dads were toting tots to Wal-Mart and Target to purchase new backpacks and underwear.
Weren’t they?
For weeks, I’ve been bombarded with e-mails from PR people pitching the latest and greatest back-to-school products. And TV commercials pushing Staples as the destination for school shopping can hardly be avoided.
Yet, even though school starts today in Cherokee, Coweta and Henry counties (and later this week in Clayton and Douglas counties, as well as Marietta and Buford), I still haven’t felt that annual back-to-school feeling — you know, the giddiness you get at seeing all the clean notebooks.
I don’t know, maybe the oppressive heat and humidity is getting to me. Does anyone else out there feel like it’s just not time for school?
Superintendents: Are More Departures On The Horizon?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week, after Clayton County Superintendent Barbara Pulliam abruptly resigned, I did a quick survey of the tenures of other schools chiefs in metro Atlanta.
Turns out that four of the leaders in the state’s five other largest school systems have contracts that are expiring next year. (Those four being Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton and Atlanta. The fifth system being DeKalb.)
A couple — J. Alvin Wilbanks in Gwinnett County (11 years) and Beverly L. Hall in Atlanta (eight years) — have enjoyed long reigns. But the others are fairly new, having served three years or less.
Some experts say school systems like Clayton suffer when there’s a revolving door in the superintendent’s office. But, at some point, isn’t there also a need for a leader with fresh perspectives and approaches?
Teacher Pay: What Is There To Complain About?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After grappling with hundreds of teaching vacancies just weeks before the start of school last summer, Cobb County officials are having a much better time finding new recruits this year.
According to Diane Stepp’s article, the state’s second-largest school system currently has fewer than 100 teaching positions to fill — less than half as many as the 250 vacancies from last year.
As Diane pointed out, part of the reason for the improvement could be the $1,800 increase in salaries for starting teachers. New educators can now earn nearly $40,000 a year if they sign on with Cobb.
Sought-after speech pathologists and special education teachers netted another $1,000 or $3,000 in signing bonuses.
Interestingly, low pay is a favorite complaint of public school teachers, who seek substantial raises — typically asking for 6 percent or more from the Legislature — every year.
But when a 20-something fresh out of college with little experience in a classroom can pull down $40,000 for nine months of work, I really want to know: Financially speaking, what is there to complain about?
Playing Politics: Schools Do It, Too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Think lobbyists for such high-powered companies as AT&T and Coca-Cola are the biggest spenders at the state Capitol? Think again.
According to today’s story by AJC government reporter James Salzer, the top-spending lobbyist during the past two years has been Tom Daniel at the University System of Georgia.
In the first month of the 2007 session, reports to the State Ethics Commission show that the university system spent more than $22,000 on meals for lawmakers alone.
Free tickets to University of Georgia football games, Georgia Tech basketball games and the Chick-fil-A college football bowl are popular handouts, too.
In recent years, Georgia’s network of public colleges and universities has spent around $139,000 to schmooze lawmakers, who oversee the system’s more than $2 billion annual budget.
If you find it curious that a taxpayer-funded education institution is using donations to provide perks for legislators, you’re not alone. Joe McCutchen, an Ellijay retiree who publishes a newsletter for fiscal conservatives, told James: “It’s ridiculous. I think it ought to be stopped.”
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
