Recent editorials from Georgia newspapers:
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Nov. 12
The Augusta Chronicle on Richmond County schools showing signs of improvement:
It’s not the kind of thing you like to hear.
It’s not news that Richmond County schools have struggled. But Augustans couldn’t help but wince a bit when Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal gave such public voice to that fact in February, when he visited the city to celebrate the news of the Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, now taking shape on Reynolds Street.
“They have too many chronically failing schools,” Deal said about the school system. “And in order to have the pipeline for workers and students who will be able to take advantage of this” - meaning the cyber center - “if you want those to be local students, they have to have an underlying good education.”
At the time he said, that, Richmond County had about 20 “chronically failing” schools, according to the state’s College and Career Performance Readiness Index, CCRPI.
What Deal might not have known at the time is how the school system was in its second year of teaching classes offering cybersecurity career pathways to Richmond County students.
If the schools keep failing by the state’s measurement, they would fall under the influence of the state’s First Priority Act, which would give the state control over the schools under the direction of a chief turnaround officer.
But here’s the kind of thing we do like to hear: Earlier this month the latest released CCRPI scores revealed that 48 of Richmond County’s 60 schools have shown signs of improvement.
“I think we are really beginning to see the results of the things we have put in place to see student achievement,” said Richmond County Schools Superintendent Dr. Angela Pringle. “Everyone has a sense of urgency on student achievement and realize that we’ve been given a charge to improve student achievement.”
Dr. Eric Thomas is scheduled to assume his new role as the state’s first chief turnaround officer Nov. 16. It will be his job to decide which of Georgia’s bottom 5 percent of schools will be overseen by “turnaround coaches.”
Naturally we’d like to see the schools keep improving on their own, but if the state determines it has helpful input to grow that small momentum of success, the school system should keep an open mind and heed the best advice.
Online: http://chronicle.augusta.com/
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Nov. 13
Savannah Morning News on stopped trains that frequently block traffic:
The best way to fix the problem of traffic jams caused by stopped trains in Garden City is through creativity and cooperation, not confrontation and certainly not through the passage of punitive laws that likely would be a waste of time and probably not do much to change the situation.
That said, it’s understandable that many residents of Garden City and other areas of west Chatham County have reached their boiling points over stopped trains that frequently block traffic in and around Garden City and near Savannah’s booming port.
According to some residents, these trains have caused people to be late to work, to school, to funerals and to important appointments. They also are hurting westside businesses who literally are on the wrong side of the tracks as stopped trains are blocking customer access.
The public safety concerns are obvious as well. Stopped or snarled traffic prevents police, fire trucks and ambulances from quickly responding to emergencies.
It’s not that the railroad that operates many of these trains, the Jacksonville-based CSX Corp., isn’t sympathetic. Instead, the problem seems to be one of limited options.
To a large degree, the train problem is an unwanted byproduct of the success of the state-run port.
As more of the containers that flow into and out of the port are moved by rail instead of by truck, the pressure is on the Georgia Ports Authority to move these containers more efficiently and with less disruption to the public.
GPA’s New Mega Rail Terminal should help
Toward that end, the GPA on Monday approved $42.27 million toward the construction of the port’s $128 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal that will double the port’s on-dock rail capacity to a whopping 1 million containers per year. So far, $90.7 million has been allocated toward the rail terminal, which is designed to reduce truck congestion on area roads and to eliminate or significantly reduce rail crossings in and around the port. Unfortunately, the project isn’t scheduled for completion until the end of 2020, which means several more years of stalled traffic and businesses and neighborhoods that must endure being cut off by trains.
CSX representatives say they are working to improve operations in the area.
Still, some residents who say they “feel like prisoners in their own homes” have taken matters into their own hands, driving around their neighborhoods looking for alternative ways to cross over the railroad tracks. That is a dangerous option that should be discouraged, as these unofficial and unmarked crossings could contribute to a serious accident.
However, if local road planners can safely design and build new roads to prevent residents of westside neighborhoods from being held hostage by a stopped train, then they should proceed.
The option of building more flyovers also exists but that is an expensive choice and public transportation money is scarce. Complicating matters are the feelings of local voters who don’t have any stomach to pay for traffic relief. For example, in 2012, Chatham County voters overwhelmingly rejected (57-percent “no”) a proposal to hike local sales taxes to help pay for a railroad overpass east of Savannah at a crossing on East President Street, a common bottleneck.
The city imposes fines of up to $500 on railroads whose trains block traffic for up to 10 minutes during rush hour periods. But to most railroads, such a fine is simply the cost of doing business and doesn’t serve as much of a deterrent, especially in cases where the rail yard is compact and there is limited space to switch cars. Hence, the only way the trains can roll is to inconvenience motorists.
Thus, the problem of snarled traffic is largely a product of flawed design. Fortunately, the GPA is playing catch-up with the construction of its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, which can’t come soon enough.
Building costly railroad overpasses may not be feasible at this point, but constructing additional roads to relieve some neighborhoods might by an option. And there may be other alternatives. That’s why it’s important to keep the lines of communication open and to stay respectful.
Toward that end, Garden City Mayor Don Bethune has requested a meeting with representatives of CSX to discuss what can be done. Let’s hope that meeting bears fruit as everyone should strive to be good neighbors and look for solutions instead of confrontations. Talk about going to the Georgia Legislature to impose a statewide fix for a local problem should be sidetracked for now.
“It is important for everyone to understand that the two large railroads that operate in Garden City have been in existence for over 100 years,” the mayor said. That’s an important point.
If someone chooses to live in a house or operate a business that could be cut off by a stopped train, then the railroads can’t be faulted for those personal decisions.
However, the railroads and the port should know that stopped trains are bad for their business, too. Time is money in the shipping business.
Hence, it’s in everyone’s interest to keep the trains and the traffic rolling. Local officials along with railroad and ports officials should work to craft solutions that allow the growing port, an important driver for Georgia’s economy, to operate as efficiently as possible while reducing headaches for motorists and public safety concerns.
Online: http://savannahnow.com/
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Nov. 13
The Brunswick News on the challenges poverty presents to education:
The annual College and Career Ready Index scores for Glynn County Schools were mostly positive when viewed from overhead.
Overall, the county’s score jumped by nearly a point to 77.7 out of 100. Last year’s county-wide score was a 76.9.
That was good enough to be higher than the state average of 75, but there is still plenty of work to be done to improve, especially at the crucial elementary school level.
Out of 16 schools receiving individual scores, nine improved and seven dropped.
Some of the declines were negligible and not of any concern. St. Simons Elementary, for example, may have declined, but still earned a stellar 92.1, putting it among the top 10 among elementary schools in the First District Regional Education Service Agency, or RESA, which includes Coastal Georgia.
Schools with higher populations of low-income families did not fare as well, a sign of the challenges to education presented by poverty.
Burroughs-Molette Elementary - where more than 95 percent of the enrollment is on the free and reduced price lunch program, a gauge for the level of poverty in a school - scored a 46.9 this year, down from a 58.3 in 2016.
Goodyear Elementary, another school with more than 95 percent of its enrollment in the free lunch program, dropped from a 62.7 to 46.9.
Glyndale Elementary, a school with 82 percent of its enrollment on the free lunch program, scored a 69.5, which put it under the 70 mark that is considered passing.
The roadblocks to education presented by poverty are well documented. Working single parents, of which mothers make up the majority, often must work odd hours and multiple jobs to pay the bills, preventing them from being involved in their children’s education how they would want. Low-income parents move more often, uprooting children from one school to another and keeping them from the stability that is so important to youngsters who are learning.
Then there is generational poverty, in which parents may not have learned the tools as children and young adults they need to help their own children succeed. This often stems from the challenges listed earlier.
Although the school system has services to address those issues at places like Burroughs-Molette and Goodyear elementaries, and teachers who work tirelessly to help their students succeed, the community as a whole must take a role in the root causes of poverty to make a real difference.
The economy is moving in the right direction after nearly a decade of tough years. Job opportunities are growing statewide and options are becoming more plentiful here in the Golden Isles.
To take advantage of them, we need more and more job training programs so there is a skilled workforce ready to take on the jobs new industries and businesses can bring to our community. Some are already available through places like Coastal Pines Technical College and College of Coastal Georgia and nonprofits like the Star Foundation.
But more can be done. We as a community must make job and skills training a priority. In doing so, economic developers have one more bargaining chip to use when trying to attract employers.
Landing a steady job with decent pay can be life changing for parents and their children. The more job opportunities well-trained adults have, the more likely it is their children will have a stable home life and succeed in school.
Online: http://thebrunswicknews.com/
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