By State Representative Mesha Mainor (D-Atlanta)
(723 words)
Continue reading “Masking U.S. History in Schools Only Fails Students”Guest Editorial: A Thoughtful Critique on House Bill 888
By State Representative Mesha Mainor (D-Atlanta) (1,151 words)
When I first read House Bill 888, I thought to myself, people must remember there are Black children with their own histories who are enrolled in Georgia schools, too. How do I know this? I have two Black daughters in the Atlanta Public School System. I was willing to move from great schools in Sandy Springs to a failing school in Atlanta because my youngest child needed a more diverse environment.
Continue reading “Guest Editorial: A Thoughtful Critique on House Bill 888”Guest Editorial: It’s Your Turn Now!
As a state representative, it is not unusual for constituents to tell me about a state law or regulation that is hurting their business, either directly or through the ridiculous paperwork required to comply. While no one likes dealing with bureaucratic red tape, many of these Cherokee County residents are even more frustrated because the regulation is outdated or unnecessary. In the past I have always made sure to take down the information, bring it back to the Capitol, and try to work with my colleagues to change the situation. Unfortunately that’s not an easy thing to do when a small handful of representatives are trying to reform bureaucratic systems. Well things have changed!
House Speaker David Ralston has heard enough of these types of concerns from us that he decided to challenge the House Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation to undertake serious regulation reform in order to help spur our state economy and create jobs for Georgians. The initiative, called “Red Tape Watch,” charges the House Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation to spend the current legislative session reviewing and evaluating Georgia’s current regulatory environment. To do this, the special committee will meet throughout the 2012 legislative session to hear directly from small business owners about burdensome or onerous state regulations that unnecessarily hinder economic development, business growth, and job creation in Georgia.
Over the past three weeks the special committee has hosted three of these meetings, which are already allowing us to identify opportunities cut the red tape that is restricting small business growth in our communities. For example, business owners from several different industries have complained about delays in working with state agencies to obtain inspections and licenses. Also, many owners of day care centers complained of a new requirement that employees must have a technical or college degree. Some of these centers say they may have to lay off workers who have been working with them for 20 years. We need to look at policies like these and determine if this is the right step to take.
While the feedback from the first three meetings has provided us with some insight into possible areas for improvement that we have already begun to work on, the special committee plans to continue to hold hearings. Small businesses across the state are sharing the challenges caused by unnecessary government regulations, and Cherokee County must join them before it is too late.
If you are aware of any oppressive or outdated state regulations that should be brought before the special committee, please visit www.house.ga.gov/redtapewatch and let your voice be heard. Once on the Red Tape Watch website, you can choose to either come down to a hearing to state your concerns publicly or simply submit a comment for the special committee to review. Either way, YOU will be heard and your opinion will be duly considered.
With your help, we can make it easier for small businesses in our community to grow and thrive. This is your opportunity to let us know about those onerous rules and regulation that waste your time and money. This is your opportunity to get action.
As your representative, I will always make myself available to hear your concerns, but now is the time to make something happen.
Representative Calvin Hill represents the citizens of District 21, which includes portions of Cherokee County. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2002, and is a Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the Secretary Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee. He also serves on the Banks & Banking, Special Rules, and State Institutions & Property committees.
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Guest Editorial: Child Abuse Reporting Statutes: Time for Review
The Penn State institutional failure to report and address child sexual abuse on its campus is heartbreaking for both the victims and their families, as well as for those many individuals who have advocated for decades for improved systems to protect children from intentional injuries inflicted by adults. Closer to home, in Georgia in recent weeks, a four-year old Downs Syndrome child was stabbed to death by her psychotic mother, and afterword neighbors told news reporters that there was something “not right” about the mother’s behavior.
Are the child abuse reporting statutes too weak in either Pennsylvania or Georgia? If every person were required to report child abuse, instead of only certain professionals “mandated’ to reporter, would it make a difference for so many children who suffer daily from abuse?
Child abuse reporting statutes have been enacted in all 50 states over the last 50 years, following the medical recognition of the “battered child syndrome” in 1963. Mandated reporters in all states include professionals who presumably have the expertise to recognize abuse in children. This list of professionals includes teachers, doctors, and nurses. From currently collected data, 29 percent of investigated child abuse reports come from non-mandated reporters; 57 percent of the mandated reports were substantiated, and 45 percent were substantiated after investigation from non-mandated reporters. Is this difference in rate of substantiation great enough to prove that the assumed expertise of mandated reporters is better than that of the untrained neighbor who sees and hears a daily family struggle? If many substantiated reported cases are now made from non-mandated reporters can we assume that more reports of real child abuse would be made if everyone were required to report? Would children be safer?
I have introduced House Bill 948 this week in the General Assembly to fill what I believe are current gaps in Georgia’s child abuse reporting statute. This proposed legislation adds “Clergy” as a mandated child abuse reporter and provides a narrow exception for clergy-parishioner confidences. Twenty-six other states include clergy as mandated reporters. Additionally, “Coach” is added as a mandated reporter under the definition of child service organization personnel who are required to report abuse. Some argue that coaches are already mandated reporters under “school administrator” or “child serving organization,” but the clarifying language in HB 948 makes in indisputable that Georgia’s statute includes non-school based coaches and colleges where thousands of children participate in summer and special athletic programs.
Eighteen states do require everyone to report child abuse, and not just mandated professionals, and I am open to a discussion about this possible addition to the child abuse reporting statute. More importantly, however, and separate from government and politics, we should re-examine our own personal and moral duties to protect the children in our families, schools, little league ball clubs, and neighborhoods from abuse. Let us continue the debate of child abuse prevention regardless of what improvements the Georgia General Assembly may make to our child abuse reporting statutes.
Representative Mary Margaret Oliver represents the citizens of District 83, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2002, plus five years previous service. She currently serves on the Appropriations, Governmental Affairs, Judiciary, and Science and Technology committees.
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Guest Editorial: Constitutional Amendment Gives Parents Education Control
Most people agree local school boards play a critical role in Georgia public education. Most people also agree, however, that local school boards should not have exclusive control over public education.
Businesses considering relocating to Georgia place a top priority on an overall educated workforce. Clearly, we have a state education brand to foster and protect in attracting jobs.
Our ability to do so was jeopardized in a controversial 4-3 Georgia Supreme Court decision last May striking down a 2008 state law.
The problem with the state supreme court’s decision is that it explicitly stated that school boards have exclusive control over general K-12 public education. The decision calls into question whether state government has any meaningful role, except, perhaps, for putting a check in the mail.
The broad court decision deviated sharply from the state’s historically significant role in public education, including funding half its costs, establishing graduation standards and providing a teacher pay scale.
Thanks primarily to these state policies, when adjusted for cost of living, Georgia ranks first nationally in teacher salary and benefits.
With that in mind, House Resolution 1162 would re-assert the state’s partnership role in public education through a constitutional amendment. The legislation says, “the General Assembly may…provide for the establishment of education policies for such public education.”
HR 1162 would clarify the Constitution in the way most people thought existed prior to the Court’s action.
The headline-grabbing issue, though, is that the Court decision also invalidated the state’s general ability to authorize public charter schools, a practice exercised prudently for over 10 years. Since 2008, only 12 state charter schools opened.
The legislation would allow existing charter schools approved and fully funded by the state to continue teaching students.
The state could also approve additional charter schools as do other states. Georgia would have another tool to give students learning opportunities, which sometimes cannot be offered within attendance lines.
For example, a technical college covering several counties, as is typically the case in rural Georgia, could partner with a charter school to offer vocational certification while students are still in high school.
Charter schools, in some instances, could place added focus on science and math, vocational or International Baccalaureate certification, or the arts. They could even offer a longer day and extra tutoring.
Parents, though, would choose whether their children attend optional public charter schools. If HR 1162 passes, the voters of the state can decide to put “local control” where it counts the most – with parents.
History has shown that charter schools are better performing and more apt to grow if school districts are not the sole authorizer allowed by law.
To find a middle ground, the Education Committee omitted from the resolution a narrow reference to charter school funding as lobbyists for school boards and superintendents requested. This allows the legislature to reconsider a better method to fund charter schools.
HR 1162 recognizes public education policy has been and should be a shared effort by the state and school boards to deliver the best educational opportunities to students.
Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones represents the citizens of District 46. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2003, and currently serves on the Appropriations, Education, Ethics, and Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment committees. Speaker Pro-Temp Jones also serves as a member of the Special Joint Committee on Georgia Revenue Structure and as an ex-officio member on the Rules Committee.
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