Letter to Governor Sonny Perdue from GAE

This letter was sent to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue on Wednesday, August 18, 2010.


Dear Governor Perdue:

On behalf of the 43,000 members of the Georgia Association of Educators and their professional colleagues throughout Georgia’s schools, I ask that you help alleviate the anguish and frustration taking place--right now during this school year–-throughout our schools and communities by accepting U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s invitation for states to submit an application for their share of the $10 billion of assistance provided through the recently passed Education Jobs Fund Program.

Georgia’s share of the funding--$322 million--would help bring back many dedicated educators and/or stop their impending layoffs. It would allow our schools to provide the best possible learning environments for our children by relieving overcrowded classrooms that were created this school year due to cuts. These funds would also allow schools to bring back programs they feel are essential and valuable to the learning process of their students. Secretary Duncan himself has said that “this is stimulus money, not a savings account” and that he is willing to call any superintendents or lawmakers to emphasize that point.

Our support of these federal funds differs from our opposition to the Race to the Top funding due to the following reasons. First, the process for obtaining RT3 money had the effect of pitting Georgia communities against one another with the ultimate outcome being some Georgia children benefitting at the expense of others. We have no problem competing with other states for funding, but RT3 led to Georgia school districts competing with other Georgia school districts at a time when funding was a major concern for all of our schools. Second, RT3 will only benefit a few targeted school districts, while Ed Jobs Fund monies can be used to benefit all Georgia communities and therefore all of our children. And finally, teacher associations were not involved in the RT3 process as the application instructed.

I don’t have to tell you of the distress and outright pain being felt within our communities and the impact on our children’s learning environments due to the layoffs of valuable teachers and support professionals, increasing class sizes, and the cutbacks and elimination of programs that are valuable to the overall education of our children.
Whatever learning opportunities our children will be deprived of during the 2010-2011 school year, they will never have an opportunity to recoup. Whether that be the opportunities for more individualized instruction afforded in a normal sized classroom, being able to take those classes such as art, music, drama and others that lead to the development of the whole child, or realizing the benefit of having that one special teacher that sets them on the course to a love of learning, it is our state’s duty to take advantage of whatever may be available to make that happen.
No one has a crystal ball to predict what will happen economically for our schools in the 2011-2012 school year, but our federal government has provided assistance to help our children maintain a modicum of normalcy in their schools right now. Georgia would be remiss in not doing everything possible to ensure, at least through this school year, that every opportunity has been explored and utilized.
I offer my expertise and that of my organization if it will in any way help the process. I understand that the state has until September 9, 2010 to submit its application. For the benefit our public schools and 1.75 million children who walk their halls, I hope and pray you do so.

Sincerely,
Calvine Rollins
President
http://www.gae.org/