GAE urges Gov. Perdue to apply for and use Ed Jobs Fund monies now

"I ask that you help alleviate the anguish and frustration taking place - right now - throughout our schools and communities by accepting U. S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's invitation," said Calvine Rollins, president of the 43,000-member Georgia Association of Educators (GAE). This was an excerpt from a letter she recently penned to Gov. Sonny Perdue urging him to meet the September 9, 2010 deadline for states to apply for their share of the recent $10 billion approved for states under the Education Jobs Fund Program. Georgia's share comes to roughly $322 million.

Rollins stresses that not only is it important that we ask for the money, but that it is utilized during the 2010-11 school year as much as possible. She said, "Our schools and children are feeling the pain of budget cuts right now and wherever these monies can be utilized for relief it would be inexcusable not to do so." She points to using the funds to help bring back some of the dedicated and quality teachers and support professionals who were victims of recent cuts, help eliminate the need for furloughs, help bring relief to recent class size increases in order to make our children's learning environments less stressful, and to possibly help restore valued programs or classes that districts were forced to cut.

"Even if these restorations are only for this year, these are experiences our children would not have lost," said Rollins. "And we do not have a crystal ball to predict what's in store for next school year. We do know what we have available to us right now!"

Rollins notes that Georgia should anticipate receiving the funds within two weeks of receivng Gov. Perdue's application according to the program's guidelines. From there she says the state is to make awards to local districts on a timely basis so they can be used during this school year via either the state's funding formula or Part A of Title I of ESEA.

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Governor Creates Group to Look at Educational Abuse Policies

Will include a special look at alternative school settings, such as RESAs

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that he has accepted the recommendations of the Office of the Child Advocate and created a working group to examine policies and procedures that are followed when cases of abuse are alleged in an educational environment.

“Any accusations of abuse by school personnel against children must be addressed strongly, rapidly and appropriately,” said Governor Perdue.

The Governor’s Working Group on Abuse in the Educational Setting will convene experienced school administrators and leaders along with law enforcement personnel to develop consistent statewide policies and protocols for addressing reports of child abuse by school employees.

The Governor has charged the working group with developing specific child abuse reporting and response procedures that can be adopted by every school system in the state. The group’s recommendations will include specific processes for parents and students to report abuse as well as protocols for school system management to use when taking personnel action involving accused employees and reporting the incident to law enforcement, system leadership and the Professional Standards Commission.

A specific task of the group will include developing protocols for addressing allegations abuse in special settings, such as those involving special educational programs operated by Regional Educational Services Agencies (RESAs).

“We must strike the right balance between protecting our students from abuse while also treating school employees fairly,” Governor Perdue added said. “This working group will establish the clear lines of authority and responsibility that will ensure these cases are addressed in a timely and appropriate manner.”

Governor Perdue’s formation of the working group comes in response to recommendations from the Office of the Child Advocate. In June, following a disturbing case alleging abuse of a child by school personnel, the Governor charged the State Child Advocate with determining whether Georgia’s laws and policies adequately address issues of abuse in the educational setting.

While the Child Advocate’s report found the state’s child abuse reporting and response laws adequate, it also found that a lack of clear responsibility for addressing allegations of abuse sometimes results in an ineffective response. The Governor’s action will help ensure that those responsible for addressing these allegations must respond quickly and adequately. The report is available online at http://gachildadvocate.org/vgn/images/portal/cit_1210/62/39/145977376school%20abuse%20allegations%20070609.pdf .

The first meeting of the working group has been tentatively scheduled for late August. The members of the working group are:

o Matt Arthur, Superintendent, Rabun County Schools
o Emily Lembeck, Superintendent, Marietta City Schools
o Jeannie Edwards, Student Health Coordinator, Dawson County Schools
o Stephanie (Taylor) Williams, Ed.S., Early Intervention Program (EIP), Montgomery Elementary School, DeKalb County Schools
o Jay Fowler, Principal, Rocky Creek Elementary School, Henry County
o Pete Skandalakis, Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney
o Rachael Barron, Parent Representative, Atlanta
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