Mr. Jenson,
If you think our Kindergarten and 1st grades have only 12-13 students then you are living in a dream world. You should check your facts first. Point number two... 40 points on the SAT is not all that stands between community college and Ivy League. Point number three... both of my children were born after I turned 34!

Sir, it's fine to make your case for shifting priorities in the school system to improve SAT results (although your logic in this case is obtuse to say the least).

But there's really no call to publicly demean a group of low-paid, direct-contact school workers as beneficiaries of a "jobs program." On the front page, no less. That'll really have them motivated tomorrow morning.

Golden rule, dude.

Hey Bob where did you get your numbers as Neil posted some as well.

Our current seniors scored second in the recent SAT results (they were tied with Cherokee County). But when you consider over 79 percent of our kids took the test versus 69 percent in Fulton, 61 percent in Cherokee and 47 percent in Coweta (based on the number of SAT takers over the FY 2007 Grade 11 population), you get a sense of how much our kids really achieved.

The information about class sizes is extremely inaccurate, especially concerning kindergarten. I have 21 students in my kindergarten class this year which is one over the state mandate. However, mandates are flexible. At best, I have had 17 to 18 students but I have NEVER had 12-13 students in a class ever during my teaching career. I have friends who teach kindergarten in other schools and they too are used to averaging 17-18 students......never 12-13. Parapros are extremely essential in kindergarten because of the immaturity level and the fact that we do small group instruction. The parapro is rotating out with the teacher teaching small groups. You spend a day in a kindergarten class ALONE with 21 five and six year old children and then tell me you think our parapros are not needed.

Fulton County has it right? You've only touched on one aspect of college entry the SAT. Colleges are interest in more than just SAT's these days. What about students GPA's, community involvement, sports, clubs and other activities. To point out only SAT’s to put down a group of individuals that do a job for the reward of helping a student because it can’t be the pay! Have you checked on what a parapro makes per year? What source are you quoting when stating Fayette County students aren’t getting into colleges and universities? How can you even attempt to know how many students get into an Ivy League school based on SAT scores alone.

"Fulton County has it exactly right: focus on the student’s success. Period. Here in Fayette County, our once-proud education system has morphed into little more than a county jobs program."

These positions are directly “focused on the student’s success” at a young age so they don’t fall behind and are able to succeed in middle school and high school. I also agree with g8trgrl, who said PTC is built out? I say THANK YOU to all of the parapros that have worked in my kids classrooms.

If PTC is built out, could you send a memo to John Weiland & tell him there is no room for his 344 houses to overcrowd the schools?

Could you also site some specific schools in Fayette County with these low classroom numbers? My school does not have such low numbers, maybe you could talk to the principal too & ask her to not accept so many first graders to keep our #'s down!

You have clearly not been in an elementary school in a while.

Mr. Jensen,
In my children's school, the kindergarten and first grade class size is always around 20. Last year, the first grade classes had 21 and 22 students each. I don't know where you think there are classes with 12 or 13 students. If that were the case, the class would be dissolved and those 12-13 students would be redistributed to the other teachers on the grade.
The time to really intervene and give students a lot of support and attention is the early years when you are laying the foundation and teaching them the basics of reading, writing, and math. You hear complaints all the time about children being promoted without having a strong foundation. Well, if you take the parapros out of the lower grades, the students don't get as much individual attention and that is what many students really need in the early years.
The Saturday prep school sounds like a good idea and why can't that be a private program/decision for families?...Frankly, I am concerned about the well-being of all students including those who aren't college bound as well as the younger students who need support on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday???
Another overlooked fact is that the parapros do much more than support students in the classroom. They cover classrooms for meetings, staff development, and contribute to the safety of the students by supervising during arrival, lunch, and dismissal. The principals would have to "hire" substitutes if there were no parapros to handle all of these duties.
Shame on you Mr. Jensen for downgrading the hard-working, underpaid, and underappreciated paraprofessionals of the Fayette County School System. They are actually one of the biggest bargains in our budget!
Thank you parapros for your dedication and sacrifice!!!