25 JUN 08: PRE-K HALFWAY
The Georgia Lottery held a celebration in downtown Atlanta Tuesday, to mark its 15th anniversary. So why didn't it give the gamblers a gift - and have the number 15 come out during Mega Millions?
For those who may not know, the Georgia Lottery was the idea of Zell Miller. He ran for Governor on the promise of a lottery - and not only was he elected, the lottery was approved in a referendum. This is one of the few issues where Miller has NOT publicly changed his mind in this decade.
Zell Miller promised money from the state lottery would be set aside for education - and Georgia lawmakers have not tampered with that promise. The lottery web site boasts about $9.9 billion has been collected for pre-Kindergarten programs and HOPE college scholarships. And you've noticed the two national sports titles Georgia has won so far this spring, right?
Yet all that boasting made another news item from Atlanta Tuesday quite surprising. The Southern Education Foundation reported pre-Kindergarten programs are NOT available for about 45 percent of Georgia's four-year-olds. But don't feel sorry for those poor youngsters - they're giving "GPB Kids" an audience during the day.
How can this be - that 45 percent of Georgia's four-year-olds are NOT enrolled? Why, this seems to show pre-K is not O-K....
The report indicates 63,000 Georgia youngsters have no access to pre-Kindergarten, and funding for the program has not increased much in recent years. I guess this means more money is going to HOPE scholarships. At least, I hope it's for HOPE - and not for staff salaries.
Muscogee County's pre-K enrollment apparently is lacking as well. Spokesperson Valerie Fuller told WXTX "News at Ten" the school district hopes to add extra classes soon at three grade schools. Maybe it's in a bidding war for teachers, who also want to be Phenix City swimming pool lifeguards.
I checked the Muscogee County School District web site Tuesday night, and found several grade schools have no pre-Kindergarten classes at all. Britt David doesn't. Edgewood doesn't. And amazingly, Martin Luther King School doesn't - although the old 30th Avenue Elementary is listed with three. So which part of that school kept the old name?
The development of pre-Kindergarten classes may have put some Georgia parents in an ethical dilemma. If you oppose a lottery for religious reasons, do you enroll your child in pre-K for the promised educational benefits? Or do you decide things already are hopeless, and start home-schooling at age three?
I know one church-going Muscogee County mom who had no qualms about enrolling her children in pre-K. She said something to the effect that other people provided the money for it. I'm not sure that logic would work if gang leaders provided the money....
But don't look at me - I haven't provided one dollar in 15 years for the Georgia Lottery. It's my longstanding policy NOT to gamble. Welllll -- except when the casino cancels the poker tournament, and you feel like you wasted gasoline for two trips.
In fact, I made it a point in the mid-nineties to avoid any gas stations with lottery games. That approach became almost impossible - but hold on. Come to think of it, there's still one station in Columbus which doesn't sell those tickets. The Dolly Madison thrift store is loaded with Twinkies instead.
As it happened, summer exams ended Tuesday for some Muscogee County students. They had to take remedial courses and a second round of tests, after scoring poorly on them in the spring. Which means those students were in-CRCT....
Many Georgia students still struggle with test scores, and the high school dropout rate remains among the highest in the country. So can we really say the "education lottery" has succeeded after 15 years? Many parents probably would answer yes - because they're now off the hook for their children's college tuition.
>> Our poker adventures now have a blog of their own. Visit the all-new "On the Flop!" <<
BLOG UPDATE: The Muscogee County Election Board tells us no one filed campaign qualifying papers Tuesday. We were not told which staff member succeeded in "Plan B," and won the office card game.
But there was action in Atlanta, as Columbus attorney Gil McBride filed papers to run for the Superior Court Judge position Kenneth Followill is vacating. That means McBride will face Alonza Whitaker in November - and it appears this race is too close to call. That's because neither attorney has a big ad in the Yellow Pages.
Now let's talk about other Tuesday topics....
+ The Russell County School Board approved four-day work weeks for all employees during July. If we aren't careful, this trend is going to become habit-forming - and we'll need to come up with about 40 new national holidays to mark on Mondays.
+ A comparison on the evening news found Piggly Wiggly had the lowest average grocery prices in Columbus, with Wal-Mart second. Piggly Wiggly is probably the most entertaining place to shop as well - because Bear O'Brien makes customers sound silly when he gives away prizes over the store radio.
(This comparison confirmed what I'd already concluded from years of grocery shopping. But my secret spot for even better "store-brand" prices is Target. If PetSmart would kindly move to Midland, so we can have a full-fledged supermarket....)
+ The longstanding sign for WPNX radio on Wynnton Road finally came down, replaced by one for WBOJ-FM "103.7 the Truth." Clear Channel moved away from that location several years ago, and dropped those call letters for 1460 AM years ago as well. It must be easier to change music formats than large signs.
+ Alabama Governor Bob Riley showed off the state's new postage stamp. He declared the flag on the stamp the "most beautiful flag" of any state, because it symbolizes what many Alabamians stand for. Sure it does - a big red X against lotteries, Northerners, and in some places honest elections.
(Oh wait - Governor Riley called it a "Saint Andrew's cross" on that flag. And Saint Andrew supposedly was killed by crucifixion. Boy, I hope the Alabama Ku Klux Klan doesn't hear about this....)
+ University of Alabama linebacker Jimmy Johns was arrested in Tuscaloosa on charges of selling cocaine. He's been suspended from the school, kicked off the football team - and I'm not sure even Erin Andrews of ESPN will want to interview him about it.
+ Fresno State pulled even with Georgia in the College World Series, winning 19-10. This was a bit embarrassing - since Fresno State scored nine more points than Hawaii did in the Sugar Bowl.
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