Readers write
Keep DeKalb’s Oak Grove Elementary open
Oak Grove Elementary School is where the magic happens. Thanks to my incredible teachers, including Ms. Kennedy and Ms. DeLange, who still work at Oak Grove, this special school is where I first dreamed of being an astronaut 20 years ago.
Three graduate degrees in STEM later, I am still pursuing that dream. When I earned my Ph.D. in astronomy in 2024, Ms. Kennedy and Ms. DeLange sent me congratulatory videos. That’s the kind of educators Oak Grove fosters — people who still show up for a student from the Class of 2006.
It came as no surprise to learn that Ms. Kennedy was promoted to principal a few years ago. Out of all the teachers I’ve ever had, she was the most influential. In fifth grade, when girls’ confidence in math can start to weaken due to societal messaging, Ms. Kennedy taught math in a fun and engaging way and reinforced the message that “Yes, girls belong in math too.”
If I ever fly to space, it will largely be due to Oak Grove first teaching me that we soar higher together.
KATE NAPIER, DENVER,
Georgians shouldn’t have pay for data center energy
The AJC article, “Data center tax breaks, energy costs emerge as targets for Georgia lawmakers,” highlights the Georgia General Assembly’s efforts to address data centers.
In December, the Public Service Commission certified Georgia Power’s plan to build new infrastructure, mostly gas-fired power plants, to meet expected demand from new data centers. However, Georgia Power’s own staff acknowledged that almost half of this data center growth may not materialize — and if or when the data centers don’t show up, Georgia residents will be left holding the bag.
The Georgia House recently passed House Bill 1063, which aims to protect residential and small-business electricity customers from bearing the costs of data centers. But this legislation only codifies existing PSC rules, omitting the most important part of the conversation: What happens if Georgia Power builds extensive new capacity for data centers, but they don’t show up?
A stronger bill in the Georgia Senate — SB 34 — offers robust consumer protections by prohibiting the shifting of costs of fuel generation and transmission for data centers onto households and small businesses. This legislation is needed to protect Georgia Power customers, and we urge lawmakers to support it.
AIDYN LEVIN, GEORGIA PIRG ASSOCIATE
