Come on Mr. Ingram, Let's Do The Twist

I have decided to let you decide who is twisting facts. Here is my letter and below that is Mr. Ingrams letter. Be sure to take the poll at the bottom of the sidebar to the left.

From the T&G:
Camden County best of best or just average?
Published: Friday, March 13, 2009 9:50 AM EDT

Dear Editor,
For the last two weeks I have heard school officials tell us that Camden is one of the best schools in the state. According to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, Camden County High School is ranked 115 out of 380 schools. Maybe our officials need to go back to school, because in schools up north 115 out of 380 is just average.

We are the best in the state in football. We are also the best in the state in football fields. That includes the Georgia Dome field as well. Yes, our field is better than the one the Atlanta Falcons play on. Another item we are they best in is our weight room. A state-of-the-art weight room that is better than that of the Falcons. We are also No. 1 in paying our athletic director. He is making $106,000 to coach football. I know they claim he is head of all athletics at the school, but that is not so. If he was, wouldn't he congratulate other sports for a great season, like when he writes letters to this paper congratulating the football team on a great season? Where are the letters for the wrestling team, soccer team, volleyball team and the baseball team? Have you ever seen one?

They call the ESPLOST (Everyone Should Pay Lousy Outrageous Sales Tax) just a penny tax; maybe someone should tell our education leaders the difference between a penny and 1 percent. They say everyone pays this tax, not just those who pay property taxes. They assume that those who rent don't pay taxes, but if you ask any landlord they will tell you that taxes are included in the rent. Surely you don't think they only charge for the cost of their mortgage.

Now after spending millions over the last six years on these things, the school board comes to us asking for more. I proposed a deal to Dr. (Will) Hardin and the top 20 employees of the BOE who make over $100,000 a year. I asked them to donate half their salary for the next 10 years, and Hardin said he didn't think this was a good idea. Amazing how they can ask us for money time and time again and when I ask them for money, it's not a good idea. Mr. [Gary] Blount used the population boom as an excuse for this tax, the same boom that has almost bankrupted St. Marys. The same boom we have heard for the last 10 years. St. Marys finally admitted no such boom ever took place and the forecasters of this boom were wrong.

The BOE has said if the so-called "penny tax" fails they will have to resort to finding funding elsewhere. May I suggest you contact the U.S. Department of Education and ask about Obama's $141 billion set aside in the stimulus for education? That is where you should have started. In the future maybe you should look for alternative funding first, and raise taxes as a last resort.
Rick Rogers
St. Marys

From The T&G:
Previous letters twisted facts on ESPLOST
Published: Wednesday, April 8, 2009 9:39 AM EDT
Dear Editor,
Two recent writers against ESPLOST (Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) tried to tie in the football and sports to show how school funds were being wasted as an argument against approving the tax. So-called facts aren't.

Does Mr. (Rick) Rogers ("Is Camden best of best or just average?" March 13), the Chubby Checker of facts twisting, really believe our stadium is better than the Georgia Dome? Wow! Doesn't he know there isn't one penny of school funds in the stadium or field? It is paid for by SPLOST money for recreation, which the voters overwhelmingly approved. The reasoning is that students that are proud of their school do better and have a higher graduation rate. Quality education and sports go hand in hand here. The revenue from football pays most of the expenses for other sports, such as tennis. Lastly, our athletic director/head football coach is not the highest paid in the state.

The 1 percent increase for a year on my job is about $250, yet Rogers and (Kathie) Wilson ("Buildings do not equate to top-notch education," March 18) want the school officials to return half their salaries or $50,000 or more. Great logic. By the way, test scores for math, reading and writing for the high school went from 1451 in 2007 to 1483 in 2008 with the state average being 1455.

School officials do need to rethink the rezoning. I feel they are doing a great job overall but if they have a problem at a school, fix it, not move it around. If I have an engine problem on my car, I don't change the transmission. No logic in that a child that lives in my neighborhood, 1.1 miles from MLC (Mary Lee Clark) can't go there and a child from 4.4 miles away can. Officials say they haven't heard any reasonable alternatives. It isn't my job to supply them; it is theirs. All I do is voice my opinion. Shouldn't we show the students that the voice of the logic and reason should be heard?
Thank you,
Johnny Ingram
St. Marys

TRSP Review: Mr. Ingram's words are in " ".

Let's start with "Does he really believe our stadium is better than the Georgia Dome." Never said they stadium was better, I said the field was better.

And then there was "Doesn't he know there isn't one penny of school funds in the stadium or field?"
For those who follow my blog and saw the article posted about the football field and emailed me asking why I was posting that, this is why!!!!!!! The article clearly stated that the PSA paid for the field, but we know us the taxpayer paid for it, and now we are short on cash county wide. If that money was properly invested and a cheaper field at the stadium we might be in better shape county wide. Does it really matter what agency wrote the check, because the taxpayer paid for it. Oh and by the way the field cost $750,000.

And "The revenue from football pays most of the expenses for other sports, such as tennis. Lastly, our athletic director/head football coach is not the highest paid in the state."

Really, Mr Ingram, I talked to a parent the other night at the BOE meeting, and she said her daughter plays softball for SMMS. She said they had to provide transportation to games and even the trophies at the end of the season. I guess football can't do it all!!!
You are right on the coach not being the highest paid! But if the school can say 115 is the best, I can say #8 is the best as well. Here are the top paid athletic directors:
1. OWENS-ASHFORD,BILLETTE D $122,997.84 CITY OF ATLANTA 2008 2. TEAGUE,RAYVAN E $118,950.84 CITY OF CARROLLTON 2008
3. BRANNON,ROBERT $115,939.20 CLAYTON COUNTY 2008
4. SEBREE,RONALD N $112,601.37 DEKALB COUNTY 2008
5. WOOD,WILLIAM D $109,263.00 CITY OF BUFORD 2008
6. SHIELDS,DAVID $109,133.66 WARE COUNTY 2008
7. TOMBERLIN,RICK M $106,324.20 CITY OF VALDOSTA 2008
8. HERRON,JEFF S $106,099.03 CAMDEN COUNTY 2008

Also, "The 1 percent increase for a year on my job is about $250, yet Rogers and (Kathie) Wilson ("Buildings do not equate to top-notch education," March 18) want the school officials to return half their salaries or $50,000 or more."

He says "Great Logic"
I thought it was, after all they did not do one thing to promote the vote. Sorry I am wrong, they did hold pep rallies. Yes they did at the schools after hours. They encouraged the teachers to vote. Did they go to the Dept. of Labor and ask one of the unemployed people if they would go vote for a tax increase? Did they go by the soup kitchens and ask the people there if they would support a tax increase? No they didn't instead they stood in front of the teachers and told them to vote for it, because it would give them job security!!!!! Yes they did! No they didn't threaten their jobs, but building more schools means more teachers will be needed, JOB SECURITY. So, if you think it's bad that I asked some of the richest people in the county to take a pay cut for the children, Then call me bad.

Lastly, "By the way, test scores for math, reading and writing for the high school went from 1451 in 2007 to 1483 in 2008 with the state average being 1455."

1483 is still below national average, and well below other states, and Georgia once again is at the bottom in the nation. Georgia used to be dead last in throwing money at education also. Today the are in the top 5, yet still at the bottom in grades. So if being the best of the worst is good enough for you, then get out of the way of those of us you want better.

Mr. Ingram, It's been a pleasure to do the twist with you!!!!!