EDUCATION
Good governance begins with checks, balances
Questions have been raised in the AJC and elsewhere about the changes in the charter for Atlanta Public Schools in 2003.
As someone who was there for 20 years, I can say unequivocally that the board cannot perform its responsibility if it does not have its own legal advice and objective financial information. The general counsel and the CFO should report to the superintendent, but they must be accountable to the board as well.
Although the board can dismiss the superintendent, this is an extreme remedy for a serious problem. The better course is to have a well-informed board, which focuses on the overall direction of the school system but is able to evaluate its performance effectively.
This conclusion is separate from who the superintendent might be, and it does not excuse the misbehavior by some board members in the past. It concerns the checks and balances which are necessary for good governance.
Joseph G. Martin Jr., Atlanta School Board member, 1978 to 1998
FEDERAL DEFICIT
No one-size-fits-all solution for the needy
Complexities of the current U.S. budget crisis are rarely revealed in sound bytes offered by politicians. I appreciate the AJC’s attempts to analyze the various positions of our lawmakers, to shed light on the numerous economic issues currently under review.
Still, I am appalled that state- and federal-level programs for those less fortunate, the disabled and the aging are under consideration for cutting as a means to balancing the budget.
Lawmakers are not discussing how little these programs cost in comparison to the defense budget. Nor do they discuss strict guidelines already governing the distribution of these funds or differences between state programs. We forget that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to aid people in need.
Perhaps it is time to consider what is working and not working with the current system, rather than blindly cutting funds for programs that are already overwhelmed.
If our federal and state lawmakers took one day to live without assets, income or health insurance, they might realize there is no room at the bottom to adapt to fewer benefits.
Barbara Adle, Decatur
FIRST AMENDMENT
Without a free press, freedom could be lost
After reading about exposure of the APS debacle, the arguments both pro and con concerning the national debt, and many more stories, I am extremely grateful for our freedom of press. Without the free press, we could easily become a conquered people by any political group without them firing a shot.
I never consistently agree with any group or writer. I hope I never do. I read columns by writers who notoriously disgust me, but I feel I have to, to gain their perspective.
It is my sincere hope that the press stays free because without a free press, our country will no longer be a country of laws based on the Constitution.
Carl Engelbert, Marietta
