DEAR EDITOR:

The article "Marietta votes to furlough teachers, staff" in the Feb. 2 MDJ could have been more appropriately entitled "Another Educational Enterprise Bites the Dust."

Why is it that whenever available funds at any governing level become scarce, the first solution that seems to come into the minds of its leaders is to cut teachers and educational staff, to increase student/teacher ratios and to demand furlough days from the teachers who remain?

It has been well documented and proven that the success of students later in life, is directly related to the number of hours they spend in an educational environment with a qualified teacher. In his Opinion article in Sunday's MDJ, state Sen. Chip Rogers wrote: "The very future of Georgia and our nation depends on education." So, why is it that when state funds run short, the Georgia General Assembly slashes its funding for education and leaves the students hanging out there to twist slowly in the wind?

Why is it, when local governing school boards find that state funds have been slashed, the first things they do are reduce counseling and teaching staff, increase the number of students in a classroom and demand furlough days from teachers who remain, which, in turn, reduces student learning hours in the classrooms? Reserve funds are sacrosanct, because one never knows when school district leaders will need those funds to give an administrator, an athletic coach or a legal counselor a raise, fund a retreat or to send a group of administrators on a trip to a convention somewhere for a much needed rest.

The citizens out here already live in an environment where a significant percentage of students each year never graduate from high school and cannot read, write or manage a checking account. The only means by which they can obtain money is by stealing, selling drugs or their bodies from a government dole, or all of the above. As a result of the current teacher cuts, teaching staff cuts and furlough days demanded, the number of students who do not graduate from high school will likely increase and the number of non-graduates running amok in our society will likely increase as well.

When are those who rule in our local governing authorities at all levels going to understand that our very way of life demands that funding for education is to be held sacred and shall never be cut until funds for all other government agencies at all pay levels have been cut to the bone and all reserve funds for all purposes, shall have been depleted?

James E. Stoll
Kennesaw