All Things Considered, Tuesday July 14, 2009

Tune into GPB Radio tonight from 4 - 6:30 PM. Find out why Georgia schools scored higher this year on federal rankings. Plus, details of Day Two of Congressional hearings with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. These stories and more tonight on All Things Considered starting at 4 PM on GPB Radio. Join us!

Job Cuts at Savannah Area Schools

The Savannah-Chatham County public school system has cut the jobs of 23 employees, and it expects to cut a total of 234 by June. School board chairman Joe Buck said Wednesday the cuts had to be made because of the economy. The 23 were certificated teachers filling administrative positions that the district does not expect to restore. The school board was legally required to notify them that their contracts will not be renewed before the state's Friday deadline. The bulk of the cuts - more than 200 teachers and non-contract employees - are expected to occur in June. Wednesday's cuts included four assistant principals.

(Associated Press)

Teacher Contract Deadlines Extended

Today Governor Sonny Perdue announced that he has signed into law a bill that gives school systems an extra month to offer teacher contracts for next school year. Many systems are facing tight financial constraints because of the economic downturn, and the extra month will provide additional time to determine the number of teachers needed for the upcoming year. School districts now have until May 15 to extend contracts and teachers have until June 1 to accept their contracts. The law also extends the sunset on the Master Teacher program, and ends the additional supplement to teachers who have leadership degrees that are not in leadership positions.

Schools Slash Employee Pay

School districts across Georgia are laying off staff and scaling back spending as they cope with millions in budget cuts to state funding. The Fayette County school board has voted to cut employees pay by 4.5 percent this fall. The board voted unanimously Thursday night to slash salaries to fill a $14.5 million budget hole. The 21,000-student district in suburban Atlanta has also cut more than 150 positions.

(Associated Press)

Old schools head to auction

Several old schools in east Georgia are going up for auction. Richmond County is finalizing details of the sale of 7 properties. Prospective buyers will be able to place bids on the school system's Web site.

(Associated Press)

County applies for looser school rules

The first school system in the state has applied for leniency in state education rules. Gwinnett County would be the first to take advantage of the Educational Excellence law. It allows school systems to opt out of some mandates in exchange for greater accountability for student achievement. The county school board wants more flexibility in teacher pay, class sizes, and using aides in place of teachers.

(Associated Press)

Schools re-open after fire

A massive tire plant fire in west Georgia will not keep local schools closed for another day. Five schools in Bowdon in Carroll County closed today because of the Carlisle Tire and Wheel company blaze. The fire started early Sunday morning and crews battled hot spots into the night. No word on what sparked the blaze. There were no injuries.

(With help from Associated Press)

Students to text police

A metro Atlanta school board has cleared the way for students to send text messages to police officers. The Marietta School Board will allow students at Marietta High School to send text messages to a school resource officer about trouble on campus. The school board says the plan will enhance the school's safety program because students sometimes hear about incidents or rumored trouble faster than school staff. Marietta High currently has two police officers and a K-9 unit assigned to it.

(Associated Press)

Georgia bucks national education trend

Georgia bucks the national trends on school performance under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, according to a new report. Unlike most states, the Center on Education Policy says fewer Georgia schools are facing the stiffest sanctions under the law. The number of Georgia schools taking last resort measures to improve fell from 51 in 2004 to 46 last year. But the report from says the drop could be because Georgia sets the bar too low for what is considered proficient.

(Associated Press)

Parents jailed for child's truancy

A crackdown on students skipping school has sent nine DeKalb County parents to jail. Court records show the parents were arrested Tuesday. Authorities said they have obtained arrest warrants for 59 people. Georgia law requires children ages 7 – 16 to attend school. Parents can be arrested on a charge of educational neglect after their children have at least 12 unexcused absences in a school year.

School district ends free school meal

Muscogee County in western Georgia is stopping a free school breakfast program, citing spiraling food costs. The Muscogee County School District started the “Breakfast for All” pilot program last summer.

The program offered a free hot breakfast to the nearly 20,000 students of the district's 34 elementary schools. Just under 10,000 of the students at those schools took part in the program.
Jimmie Barnett directs the school district's nutrition program. She estimates that rising food prices will double the cost-per-plate to $2 dollars:

“Unfortunately, with the rising cost of food, we are going to have to end the program because the revenue we projected will no longer cover the cost of the program.”

Barnett says an existing meal program will still provide free and reduced-cost meals, depending on parents' means.

She says that children who have an at-school breakfast are more alert and get better grades.

Perdue signs three bills

Today Governor Sonny Perdue signed three bills into law. One allows local school systems to gain more control over education funds by meeting stricter accountability standards. The second gives local communities access to low-interest rate loans for transportation projects. The third makes it easier to open healthcare facilities in Georgia.

Measure would give schools flexibility

The Georgia House voted today to allow school administrators to have more say over how their state funds are used. In exchange, school systems must meet more rigorous academic standards. Sponsors say it gives local school districts much needed flexibility to deal with rigid state mandates and spend education dollars as they choose. But critics worried that it could punish ambitious school districts and lead to the privatization of education.