From Letters to the Editor on the combined Editorial page of The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution, Dec. 25, 1990:
Privatization of public schools is education solution
Thanks for an excellent expose on the sorry state of teacher certification in Georgia.
It is sad indeed that good teachers whose talents are desperately needed are being turned away by nitpicking rules and red tape.
Unfortunately, these rules represent only one-half of the mess. Once teachers are declared qualified after spending their energies jumping through paper hoops, it is extremely difficult to fire them no matter how badly they perform in the classroom.
The entire system is a perfect example of the failure of monopolistic government bureaucracies.
The good news is that there is a simple solution: privatization. Let parents take their tax dollars with them to the schools of their choice, public or private, religious or secular, and let the market reward excellence and punish incompetence.
the bad news is that our state legislators probably don’t have the courage to take on the powerful teachers’ lobby, whose stated purpose is to protect their own.
Until this changes, our children (except those of rich parents) will be the losers.
JAMES STONE, DULUTH
From The Atlanta Journal Letters to the Editor, Dec. 25, 1965:
Appoint State School Chief
The League of Women Voters of Georgia wishes to express its support of recent suggestions that the State Constitution be amended to allow appointment rather than election of the state superintendent of schools. With the change in status quo brought about by the resignation of Dr. Purcell and with the recommendations of the Peabody Report fresh at hand, Georgia citizens now have the splendid opportunity to create a structure of school administration long advocated by educational authorities.
Able as past superintendents have been, under the existing system they have been hampered by the political nature of their position, which, it is generally agreed, should be non-policy making and solely administrative. Under a system allowing appointment there would then be the opportunity for the State Board of Education to bring in the best possible school administrators from anywhere in the country to handle the highly technical details of running a modern school system free from the necessity of also running for office.
We are most hopeful that a proposed constitutional amendment, the first step in bring about this change, will be forthcoming from the next General Assembly in time for the people to vote on it in the 1966 election.
Now would seem to be the ideal time to make it.
MRS. H.A. PFIFFNER, PRESIDENT, LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF GEORGIA
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