news & opinion
Hear & Now by robin wright Gunn | rgunnsav@bellsouth.net
On a recent Monday morning, the future Savannah City Council donned tall red and white striped hats and breakfasted on green eggs. I’m not talking about Tony, Edna, Van, or Jeff. I’m talking about whoever gets elected to lead our community in 2039 and beyond. Monday was Dr. Seuss’s 105th birthday, and many of our public elementary schools planned parties to commemorate the day––“Green Eggs and Ham” breakfasts, dress–up days representing Dr. Seuss book characters, and “read–ins” with parents, grandparents, and community leaders. At least half of Savannah’s City Council members are graduates or former students of Savannah’s public schools. If this trend continues for the next 30 years, as it has for the past 30 or more, then it’s likely that a second grader who spent Monday dressed as Horton will be voting on your neighborhood rezoning petition a few decades from now. Which means that what happens in 2009 in the local school system will resonate through our community well into my retirement years and beyond. That’s why the quality of the education system in Savannah is an urgent matter to me even though I’ll never be anyone’s parent or grandparent. I care about what’s going on in the schools, not just because it’s what I’m supposed to do as a citizen, but also because I’m selfish. So, what’s an aspiring little old lady to do about the schools when she doesn’t have any kids? How can non–parents transform that warm fuzziness caused by saying “Schools are important” into active caring? 1. Take a pop quiz. Without looking up the responses online, answer the following. A) Name the president of the school board. B) Name your school district representative. C) Name ANY school district representative. D) Name either the elementary, middle or high school that is designated as your neighborhood school. I was able to get A through C right, although the only reason I knew the name of my school board representative is because he used to be Savannah’s mayor. When I thought hard I was able
to pull one more board member’s name out of the back of my brain. This from a person who prides herself on following local government news. As for knowing my neighborhood schools, that was the hardest. I’m on first name basis with eleven neighborhood children K-8. Nine of them attend five different public schools, and I can tell you who goes to which one. Yet it turns out that none of those five is one of our neighborhood schools. One 7–year–old friend went to the neighborhood school last year, but moved this year as a result of the persistence and skill of his parents in navigating the strange and mysterious school lottery–sign up system. Two other children live in my midtown neighborhood but are registered as living at a relative’s house in the suburbs. Knowing who my school elected officials are, and knowing where my neighborhood schools are, gives me a concrete point of reference when I read about what’s happening in the school system. It’s not just “the high schools,” it’s Savannah High School. It’s not just “the school board,” it’s Dr. Joseph Buck, the school board president whom I ought to call or write when I have a concern. So far I haven’t followed through. And that leads to the next idea. 2. Get busy. Any little action as a non–parent is better than no action at all. A sampling of what can be done: Study. A great place to learn about our school district is on its website: www.sccpss.com. Research. To balance what the school system says about itself online, read what the print media says and pay attention to the TV coverage about the school system–the awards, the special events, the board meetings, and even the sports coverage. Recycle. In March, divert your paper recyclables from your home bins to the containers at most schools. The PTA’s and Keep Savannah Beautiful are expanding the old Phone Book Recycling Drive to include newspapers, magazines, catalogs, books and white office paper as well as phone books. Proceeds will benefit each school’s PTA, and will pay dividends that I’ll be collecting as a little old lady a few decades from now. cs
17 MAR 11 - MAR 17, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM
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