Quick Poll

Did you agree with President Obama's decision on Thursday to waive the No Child Left Behind requirements in 10 states, including Georgia?

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Thursday, March 04, 2010 in Opinion

More belt-tightening ahead for educators

Editorial

The budget battle continues to rage at the state capitol, and no group is watching the Georgia General Assembly more closely than our local educators.

As state revenues declined in recent years, state funding for local schools dropped, too, forcing school districts to face difficult and often painful budget choices.

This year, the funding situation will not be any better. In fact, it could be worse. Coweta County school officials know bad news is coming and they are preparing to tackle whatever financial challenges come their way, but they won't know how to proceed until the budget news is officially delivered by elected leaders at the Gold Dome.

None of the options will be pleasant. Teachers are expecting more furlough days and some systems may cut the annual number of paid teacher days from 190 to 180, leaving teachers with less money in their pockets and less time to plan and prepare for their daily duties.

Although local tax revenues have fallen sharpy, Coweta schools are in better financial shape than many other systems, due largely to prudent long-term financial planning.

We are confident that will continue and our school board members and administrators will deal with any coming shortfall in a way that does the most for students with the least amount of money.

No matter what budgets cuts are made this year, not everyone will be happy. But our school officials can't produce money when none is available. As long as they continue to place students first and remain dedicated to the goal of providing a quality education for all Coweta students, they deserve not just our support but our thanks.