Public Schools And Obesity

Obesity is a major problem affecting children in America today and ironically it is one of the simplest problems to solve. Unfortunately, simplest does not always mean easiest. The solution is quite simple – better nutrition. While many people may disagree on what constitutes better nutrition, no one can argue that better nutrition could solve the problem.

Throughout this blog I will refer to this as a problem and not as an epidemic or disease or any other term because most people associate problems as something that can and should be solved. A problem by nature requires a solution and this is a problem that our society can and should solve. This blog will focus on the public school system and its need for better nutrition in order for society to solve this problem.

Obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States and there are 12.5 million who are considered obese (1). A child's eating habits are formed very early in life and once the foundation of a bad diet has been created, it is very hard to change. A large part of the problem begins with the parents. Many parents simply lack the proper nutritional education for their own diet and pass these bad eating habits down to their children. Many other parents are just not willing to put forth the effort to properly oversee their child's nutrition. While society may not be able to educate the parents, it is society's job to educate the children that attend public schools.

In far too many cases public schools are making their dietary choices based upon cost and not upon nutrition needs of the children (2). While cost will always play a role in the decision making of public schools, the nutritional needs of the child should come first and then cost should be second. According to the International Food Information Council people choose food based upon these factors:

• Biological determinants such as hunger, appetite, and taste
• Economic determinants such as cost, income, availability
• Physical determinants such as access, education, skills (e.g. cooking) and time
• Social determinants such as culture, family, peers and meal patterns
• Psychological determinants such as mood, stress and guilt
• Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about food

It is society's job to properly educate children attending public schools on how to make better nutritional choices. I believe the schools have an obligation to educate themselves first and then use this knowledge to offer better food in the schools. How many schools have a nutritionist who plans their menu? How many schools know the caloric content and nutritional content of their menu? We as a society have an obligation to our children to make their nutritional needs a priority.

REFERENCES:

(1) Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: Childhood | DNPAO | CDC

(2) http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/29/school.food.investigation/index.html

Merging the Shelby County Two School Systems (Melba Wynn)

The Shelby County school system has operated as two separate entities for several years, one being the Memphis City school system and the other being the Shelby County school system. The city school system operates in the rural parts of the city whereas the county school system operates in the suburban part of the city. School board leaders have fought over this debate for quite some time about whether or not to merge the two school systems to improve student test scores and the overall school experience for all students that reside Shelby County Tennessee. Just recently, the decision was made to merge the two school systems with a fourteen member board the citizens were able to apply for these positions. Before the decision was made to merge the school system, there was a lot of drama that evolved with both school board members, the superintendents and citizens alike. The suburban community was against this merger because of the reputation that the city schools have. The city schools have made a grade of an F on the statewide report card for several years and test scores have been extremely low. The county schools on the other hand, have made a grade of an A statewide for years. The biggest problem is that if the merging of these two school systems have caused citizens to feel overlooked because they have fought for better education and better trained teachers will are willing to take that extra step with their children to push them to their highest potential, all of which the state report card shows for the Shelby County school system. Sad to say, but some of the suburban citizens have looked into hiring a consultant who could give them on the path of opening up a city limit school district for cities such as Bartlett, Germantown and Collierville. The fact of the matter is that the public administrators have made a decision and that decision being to merge the two school systems in the very near future. This merge has been the talk of the city and other surrounding areas. The question is now that the decision is final, what next. To be honest, I am not a supporter of the school merge, but I do know that the merger is going to happen and all I can do is be prepared for it. I have pondered on some pros and cons of my own. The teachers who will teach in the merged school system will be the same teachers that teach or have taught in the city and county school systems, whether these are good teachers or bad teachers, they will still be a vital part of the child's educational curriculum. The administrators, whether good or bad, new or old, they will still be in the position to make the decisions that affect the children either positively or negatively. I hope that administrators make they feel will benefit the children and not for any personal gains. The administration that is overseeing these amendments have a serious and meaningful task to contemplate on. I also think that everyone, the citizens of these counties and the administrators should want the best for the children of Shelby County anyway because they represent our future. To me, the only big change is the entire Shelby County school system will be under one entity. The zoning and transfer rules will probably stay the same. Which guarantees that the students will attend the school school their neighborhood is zoned and if parents want to transfer students to optional schools they will still have to go through the procedures for requesting a transfer. I hope that all the schools will offer an optional program and even if they do not all schools should be held up to the highest standard to achieve their goals. In the end, I think the school merge differences will be ironed out and set aside and the administrators will put their focus more on cleaning each school up and making sure the required educational standards are met and if not there should be repercussions that are taken seriously. Everyone needs to put their personal feeling aside and work on improving the schools with low grades and low test scores to prove that the children of Shelby County are able to conquer any challenge as a whole. We are a team and there is no I in team. And when I say team that does not only mean that the administrators are fulfilling their job requirements, but the parents are as well. Parents are their children first teacher and with that being said, a parent must remain focused and determined to help their child succeed. As adults we have to realize that we cannot always get what we want, hence the attitude of some of our children, but we have to adhere to change and do our part as leaders of our children. The more parents become involved in the education of their children, then the more improvement we will see in our children and the teachers and administrators who make the important decisions. Let's make a change, a change to make the best out of a bad situation.

School Uniform Policy (Lauren Carter)

The school uniform policy is one that has been debated over for quite a while. Although many students will tell you they prefer no uniforms, they are becoming more and more common in schools throughout the United States and across the world. The typical uniform consists of a pant or short, polo or button up, and possibly a dress and/ or skirt for the females. These may be dark or light in color depending in the specific school’s preference. Many schools implement these policies to prevent gang related occurrences and clothing at school. It also helps to reveal clearly and quickly who is not a student on the campus, and if there may or may not be an intruder and/ or a dangerous system at hand. Numerous researchers say that they believe that the potential benefits overwhelmingly outweigh the “loss of freedoms.” This issue became magnified and publicized following Bill Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union address. During the speech he stated, “If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms.” Clinton’s desire was to implement mandatory uniforms across the United States, but this attempt was unsuccessful. He sent out a manual to help assist the schools in this doing. It included steps to implement the uniform policies and provides success stories. In his speech, he included thank you’s to those schools who participated in this act and stuck to the uniform policies. The whole idea of school uniforms is to promote the improvement of academic performance and the attitudes of the students. The efficiency of this is often debated. A study done by researchers from the University of Alabama and University of Notre Dame states, “The findings indicate that student uniforms have no direct effect on substance use, behavioral problems, or attendance. A negative effect of uniforms on student academic achievement was found.” As often as this debate has gone on throughout the years, many people still reveal that they believe in embracing the differences in the students rather than making everyone look the same. Personalities are expressed through clothes, and it helps display a side of that person you may not see otherwise. Whether or not school is that place to show that side is always the topic of debate. A study on Kenyan children has shown that when provided with school uniforms, the rate of absenteeism was reduced by forty-four percent for the average student and sixty-two percent for students who did not own uniforms already. The test scores were raised by twenty-five percent during the course of this study. The laws for these school uniforms vary from state to state as well as from country to country. For example, one of the states in Australia declared in 1998 that schools may not require uniforms for their students. In 2006 in this same state, a new Education Act was passed giving school staff within the public school system the power to punish any school not in agreement with the school uniform dress code. According to this Act, students may not be expelled or suspended for their non-compliance with the school uniform. Instead, there are three possible choices of punishments for these students instead of the before mentioned. The defying student may be put into detention, excluded from any activity that is not necessarily part of the school education program, or excluded from any or all activities where the student would be representing the school. In the United States, regulations have been declared in a few states that public schools must allow students to drop out of uniform policies. Section 83 of the Massachusetts Legislature prohibits dress codes in public schools by declaring that schools may not “abridge the rights of students as to personal dress and appearance.” Section 86 proceeds to say that “The provisions of sections eighty-three to eighty-five, inclusive, shall apply only to cities and towns which accept the same.” Other sections of this same law allow schools to enforce dress codes. Many public schools in the state of Massachusetts, mostly in the Boston area, have mandatory school uniforms. The United States Supreme Court ruled in 1969 in the Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District insisting that students have rights to free expression in public schools. California Education Code 48907 strongly promotes students’ rights to “the wearing of buttons, badges, and other insignia” along with freedom of speech in student publications.

Combining Memphis and Shelby County Police Services

Combining Memphis and Shelby County Police Services Janise S. Wicks Combining the police services in the City of Memphis and the County of Shelby would not be such a bad idea. Considering Memphis and Shelby County are already on to the road to become a metro government. This would one of the major sections of government that can seal the deal. Memphis police department and the Shelby county sheriff’s department work hand and hand as it is. One of the few differences is that Shelby County has districts that include Memphis but for the most part Memphis is limited to the city limits. Both departments are responsible for serving and protecting the same group of citizens. The county residents may live in the outside the city limits but they work and play often within the city limits. With that being said, it means that when they go to work and are a part of events within the city that it is the Memphis Police department that takes on the responsibility of keeping them safe. There may be a few county residents that do not enter the city limits but that is more than likely going to be due to old age or just the inability to get around. Over the last several years the county lines have gotten smaller anyway. The city has annexed many county neighborhoods which included county schools which are now city schools. The 911 system would be a whole lot better if they became a metro police department. That way there would be no more issues as to who should be dispatched to a call if it lies on the line of the city and the county. There have been delays in response time due to Memphis sending it to Shelby County and vice versa. Lives could be lost waiting on the other hand they could be saved if there was one dispatch center that routed out the calls. Memphis Police and Shelby county Sherriff’s office had a metro gang unit at one point. This unit worked together to target and attempt to get a handle on the gang problems. As we all know the gangs are not limited to the city or county. They cross lines and being able to work together to target these individuals and track them would be the logical thing to do. In 2004 the metro gang unit dissolved because the then Director of Police services for Memphis, Larry Godwin felt that he should have a team that focused more on the city. T 2006 DUI unit was dissolved in order to increase enforcement within the city limits. Again Larry Godwin wanted separate teams. After separating the DUI teams Godwin increased the number of Memphis police officers that were on the team. If they had stayed together the number of officers working could have been just as high. In actuality I believe that it should not be limited to Memphis and Shelby county police/sheriff but it should also include the other surrounding police departments within Shelby county. Now that the schools are consolidating which include all public schools in the county of Shelby. This will be big too because there are police officers and sheriff’s deputies assigned to many middle and high schools throughout the county. In Memphis the police officers along with Memphis City school security officers are in the schools and in the county there are Sheriff Deputies assigned to the schools. Instead of trying to figure out which department should be assigned to the different schools, a consolidated department would make it a whole lot easier. On the financial end it would probably save the city and county by consolidating the departments. That would also make it a more of a level ground as far as pay. It is interesting to know that though bout departments are responsible for protecting and serving the same group of citizens that the pay is different. I am for consolidating the Memphis police department with the Shelby county Sheriff’s department. Whether people agree with it or not I do believe it is coming. People fought tooth and nail to keep the schools form consolidating and now it is happening. Other than the school systems the police and fire services are the next major departments within government. It is time for a change. The separate departments will soon be of the past.

TennCare Fraud

A current issue in the state of TN is that of TennCare Fraud.  TNCare is insurance offered by the state of TN for those eligible.

TennCare Medicaid is for Tennesseans who are eligible for a Medicaid program. You can apply anytime for TennCare Medicaid.

There are several different groups of people that may qualify. And, each group has different income limits. Some of the groups also have limits on how much you own-your "resources." These are things like bank accounts, cars, and land. The number of people who live in your household count too.

Some of the groups TennCare Medicaid covers are:

• Children under age 21
• Women who are pregnant
• Single parents or caretakers of a minor child (The child must live with you and be a close relative.)
• Two-parent families with a minor child living at home when one of the parents:
• Has lost their job or had their work hours cut, or
• Has a health or mental health problem expected to last 30 days (DHS will need proof from your doctor)
• Women who need of treatment for breast or cervical cancer
• People who get an SSI check (Supplemental Security Income)
• People who have gotten both an SSI check and a Social Security check in the same month at least once since April, 1977 AND who still get a Social Security check
• A person who:
• Lives in a nursing home and has income below $2,022 per month, or
• Gets other long term care services that TennCare pays for.

(tn.gov/tenncare)

TennCare is a great program for those that do not abuse the system, which is a rapid occurrence in the state of Tennessee. The main example of TennCare Fraud is what they call "doctor shopping." By "doctor shopping", I'm referring to patients who visit different doctors and pharmacies getting as many prescriptions filled with drugs that are easily sold on the street.  There are many court cases filed daily for TennCare fraud involving "doctor shopping".  Here are some of the briefs from those cases found on tn.gov/tenncare.

Rutherford Co. Woman Sentenced to Two Years for TennCare Fraud

Released on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 - 1:40 pm under 

• TennCare Fraud

NASHVILLE – A Rutherford County woman charged with TennCare fraud has been ordered to serve two years in a Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) prison facility.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the conviction of Carman M. Reade, 22, of Murfreesboro.  Reade pleaded guilty to one count of TennCare fraud and received a two year sentence, plus she must repay TennCare for her medical expenses while she was on the program, along with court cost and fines.

Reade was arrested by the OIG in March for using TennCare to obtain a prescription for the painkiller Hydrocodone and then selling a portion of the drugs.  District Attorney General William Whitesell, Jr. prosecuted the case.

“Prescription drug trafficking has been a problem across the nation, but we are determined to eliminate this problem in the TennCare program in Tennessee,” Inspector General Deborah Faulkner said. “Enrollees who participate in selling drugs paid for by TennCare – and those who buy them – should understand this is a serious crime that we intend to prosecute to the fullest degree.”

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3.5 million paid in restitution and recoupment to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $173 million for the TennCare program, according to latest figures.  To date, nearly 1,500 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions.  Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig and follow the prompts that read "Report TennCare Fraud."

Bradley County Woman Charged with TennCare "Doctor Shopping"

Released on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 - 2:51 pm under 

• TennCare Fraud

NASHVILLE – A Bradley County woman is charged with TennCare fraud involving “doctor shopping,” or using TennCare to go to multiple doctors in a short time period to obtain controlled substances.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) with assistance from Bradley County Sheriff’s Officers today announced the arrest of Melissa Cronan, 45, of Ocoee.  She is charged with eight counts of fraudulently using TennCare to obtain controlled substances by “doctor shopping.” Cronan failed to disclose to her doctor that she had seen other physicians within a 30-day period and received prescriptions for the same or similar controlled substances, with the clinical visit being paid for by TennCare.

"Physicians across the state have a taken a central role in cracking down on ‘doctor shopping’ in TennCare,” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said. “Before the law was passed, their hands were tied – but now they are quick to let us know about a person trying to abuse TennCare in this manner.”

TennCare fraud involving doctor shopping is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years per charge in prison. District Attorney General Steven Bebb is prosecuting.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3.5 million paid in restitution and recoupment to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $173 million for the TennCare program, according to latest figures.  To date, nearly 1,500 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions.  Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig and follow the prompts that read "Report TennCare Fraud."

Gibson County Woman Charged with TennCare Fraud

Released on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 - 10:51 am under 

• TennCare Fraud

NASHVILLE – A Gibson County woman is charged in Madison County with using her daughter’s TennCare benefits to get dental services.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with assistance from Humboldt and MadisonCounty officers, today announced the arrest of Carita Laitice Lee, 33, of Humboldt. 

She is charged with two counts of TennCare fraud in a Madison County indictment accusing her of using her daughter’s TennCare to access dental services for herself. Except for special circumstances, dental benefits are not available for adults in TennCare.

“A TennCare card for one member of a family is not a ticket to benefits for everyone,” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said. “Children whose families can’t provide healthcare insurance deserve a healthy start, but the full array of benefits is not extended to adults, especially those who aren’t eligible for the program.”

Fraudulently obtaining TennCare medical benefits is a Class E felony that carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General Jerry Woodall will prosecute.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3.5 million paid in restitution and recoupment to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $173 million for the TennCare program, according to latest figures.  To date, nearly 1,500 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions.  Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig and follow the prompts that read "Report TennCare Fraud."

Stephen Young, Immigration

Immigration has been a serious issue in American politics since the passing of the first immigration laws in the later 18 th century. American attitudes toward foreign migration range from an all-inclusive invitation to experience the “American Dream” to the absolute closing of borders. Current Immigration policy is meant to tactfully and diplomatically come to a middle ground between the two extremes. Current immigration laws have explicitly expressed purposes that come together to ensure fair and balanced admission into the United States. These laws are mainly meant to encourage diversity among Americans, provide refuge for foreigners under political or religious persecution, reunite families, and provide workers for under-employed fields in the American economy. In an American Utopia, each of these goals would be achieved to the fullest without any corruption or division among citizens. Realistically, Immigration policy is often enforced in a way that is counterproductive and based on non-governmental missions. The goal of this paper is to illuminate the dichotomy between the theory and practice of American immigration policy as it is today. Despite any officially expressed notions or ideas of immigration policy, its enforcement is subject to abuse by government officials and representatives which defeats the purposes of current immigration policy. Diversity has always been a major concern in the United States. The nation was founded by British colonizers and populated by a large variety of peoples since the late 18 th century. The fact that most American people are of foreign descent makes immigration a serious issue. This fact also raises long debated questions. Many wonder why some Americans are so adamant about immigration restriction when they themselves are not truly natives of this land. Americans are in essence, immigrants who have become dominant by the removal of native peoples. This commonality between many colonized countries raises issues of morality in the debate for immigration. Motives behind increasingly strict restrictions and policy enforcement for certain countries are also questioned based on morality and integrity. In a 2006 paper on immigration, the United States Congressional Budget Office explicitly states the one goal of immigration policy is to “ensure diversity by providing admission to people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States”(9). This goal is seemingly just, but can be interpreted otherwise. This statement passively excludes countries with higher rates of migrants in the United States, such as Mexico with approximately 8,544,600 migrants, according to the 2000 U.S. Census(“Immigration Statistics”) Much of today’s immigration policy enforcement is aimed toward controlling the intake and management of Hispanic migrants. With increased deportation rates and border patrol, Mexican immigrants have more obstacles to their acceptance to the United States than ever before. The diversity goals in the Congressional Budget Office’s paper seem to be reminiscent of the 1921 Quota Law in which immigrant acceptance was restricted by nationality according to a foreign countries representation in previous census reports (13). Also similar to the Quota Law, the United States has numerical ceilings for immigrant admission based on category rather than country. These categories vary in priority, the highest ranking having no numerical ceiling and the lowest ranking having the lowest ceiling (20). Numerical ceilings control the population in a seemingly unbiased way with regard to race. An argument may be made that an indirect or institutionalized racial element may be at work in the prioritization of the numerical ceiling categories. For example, the number of skilled and unskilled workers/immigrants from Mexico is currently high in the United States, thus in restriction efforts, the category is limited to 58,464 immigrants for the year. Though not as exclusive as the Quota Law, the diversity expressed by the Congressional Budget Office refers to immigrants from countries other than those with current high immigrant population rates in America. Immigration laws are sometimes overtly used to discriminate against and immobilize Hispanic immigrants on their way to America. Politicians rouse fears of extinction in “native” citizens, leading to widespread disdain for the perceived extinction factor: a rising Hispanic immigrant population. This fear successfully limits opportunity for success in immigrant populations. American who feel endangered by the presence of immigrants help to perpetuate stereotypes and stigmas that ultimately have a large part in the public perception of Hispanic immigrants and how America must manage them. Politicians and rabble rousers knowingly take advantage of this with speech that plays on the American fear of being dominated by foreigners. An example of this sort of speech is can be seen at the website Tennesseans for Responsible Immigration Policies. In a short article the author states, “Illegal immigrants, who often times reside more than one family to a home or apartment are also placing an increased burden on our schools and health services. . . The majority of our increase in school attendance… is due to mass, unchecked immigration” (T.R.I.P.). The site uses aggressive rhetoric, exaggerated figures, and false claims to instill a fear of immigrant’s socio-economic burden into its readers. The site attributes thefts and murders to illegal immigrants as if crime only occurs in immigrant populations. Such a one sided argument is weakened by its stereotypes and unreliable figures. In any case, the fact is that this literature influences American citizens to fight a threat that is made to seem more intimidating and damaging than it actually is. Government official and employees sometimes abuse their power to exploit the plight of Hispanic immigrants in America. Many heinous abuses of power have been reported at companies that hire migrants and at the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Diana Vellos documents a specific situation of sexual coercion by border patrol agents in her 1997 article entitled Immigrant Latina Domestic Workers and Sexual Harassment. In the case of the United States v. Davila, two illegal immigrants were coerced into performing sexual favors as a “price for their liberty” (409). The two border patrol officers in this case were tried and found guilty of sexual abuse and of using their authority to violate the two women’s rights. Vellos states that the main reason why this case went to trial is because of the two women’s support system. One of them was engaged to a private in the military, who filed the charges (413). This case is rare. There are instances of sexual abuse by border patrol officers and employers that are not reported because the migrants and undocumented workers fear deportation. Immigration policy is meant to allow foreigners to assimilate into American culture so that the United States might experience a more diverse and population, employ workers for labor-deficient occupations, and provide a place of refuge for the persecuted people around the world. Through abuse of authority, false data, and negative media, America is using its immigration policy in its current state to take on the aggressive role in the persecution of immigrants. Caldera, Selena., et. al. “Immigration Policy in the United States.” Congress of the United States Congressional Budget Office (Feb. 2006) Unites States Census Bureau. April. 24 2008. U.S. Census Bureau, Systems Support Division.Sep.15 2008. <.http://www.census.gov/main/www/ cen2000.html> Vellos, Diana. “Immigrant Latina Domestic Workers and Sexual Harassment.” American University Journal of Gender and the Law 5 (Spring, 1997) 407-432

The Privatization of Briscoe Field by Cheri Anderson

The Privatization of Briscoe Field

By: Cheri Anderson

A major topic in Gwinnett County right now is the move to privatize Briscoe Field. The airport is currently losing money and could continue to lose money over the next few years. In early 2010, Gwinnett County filed an application with the FAA to privatize the airport. I am in favor of this and think that the benefits to this county could be tremendous.

A new privatized Briscoe Field could be a money maker for Gwinnett County. Right now, the airport is losing money and will probably continue to do so. But a privatized Briscoe Field would take the burden away from the Gwinnett County taxpayers. Bringing in small commercial flights could bring in a new stream of revenue. Currently, if the airport makes a profit that money must go back into the airport. But if the airport was privatized Gwinnett County would be allowed to use those profits for other county needs. Every dime of profit would not have to be pumped right back into the airport. This would create a huge benefit to the taxpayers.

There would also be a financial benefit to the surrounding area, Gwinnett County, and the neighboring counties. New hotels, car rental companies, and more would move into the area creating new jobs. Currently traveling businessmen and women must fly into Atlanta into Hartsfield Jackson airport, which is the busiest airport in the world, or the Peachtree-DeKalb airport. Traveling by car to Gwinnett County easily adds another hour to the travel time. If Gwinnett County had commercial flight service, then these travelers could fly directly into Gwinnett saving time and money. And if they decided to stay in Gwinnett for a few days, then the money stays in our county and not in the city of Atlanta.

Picture a family wanting to take a trip. Currently, they would have to drive an hour into Atlanta through traffic to take a flight out of a busy and congested airport. Once there they would have to pay to park their car there for the duration of the trip. Believe me, there is no one who will drive you to the Atlanta airport if you live in Gwinnett. I don’t even think my mom would agree to that one. But if there was an airport in Gwinnett, they could probably find someone to drive them to the airport, thus saving themselves the parking fee. With a county as large as Gwinnett it doesn’t make sense that these families would have to drive an hour to get to an airport. Gwinnett County should have a commercial airport for its citizens.

There are some people who complain about the noise commercial planes would bring in. But, according to the stats, the airplanes that would be brought it would not be louder than the planes currently flying out of the airport. They also complain that their house prices could drop. But in other communities where small commercial airports are located, like the Westchester, NY airport, the housing prices are actually rising. The opponents claim that most of the Gwinnett County residents are against the airport privatization but surveys that have been taken have shown otherwise.

I support the plan to privatize Briscoe Field and will be watching along with the rest of the county to see what happens next.

http://www.flybriscoe.com http://www.betterinformedgwinnett.com/ignorance-the-greatest-enemy-of-progress-in-gwinnett/ http://www.gwinnettforum.com/2011issues/11.0809.htm http://www.betterinformedgwinnett.com/airport-noise-argument-lacking-in-common-sense/

TN Child Support

Tennessee Child Support can help a custodial parent locate the other parent, establish paternity of the child, collect payments and enforce the court ordered child support. Families that do not receive TANF benefits pay a $25 fee to the state of Tennessee after $500 has been collected from the non-custodial parent over one years time. If a family receives TANF/Families First benefit’s the $25 fee is waived. If a family applies for TANF/Families First of medical assistance, but has not applied for child support, they will be first referred to the child support office. In order for DHS to find the non-custodial parent, they can search records such as drivers license records, wage and unemployment records, vital, criminal and health records. DHS also goes through the following actions in order to make sure child support orders are enforced:

• Automatically withhold wages and other income
• Seizing assets identified by the Financial Institution Date Match (FIDM) program
• Interrupt tax refunds
• Deny passport applications
• Revoke drivers or professional licenses
• Report to credit reporting agencies
• Place liens on real and personal property
• File a petition with the court

The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) was put in place to assist families in which one parent lives in another state. Under this act, one state can ask that the other state help to establish, enforce and collect child support payments for the family.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) says that all states are to set up and run a program to collect and give out any support payments that are implemented by the Social Security Act.

Child support is taken directly out of the non-custodial parents pay check by state and federal laws. It is the most reliable way to make sure the non-custodial parent receives child support in a timely manner and that there are regular payments being made. Income can be withheld from wages, salaries, commissions, vacation pay, bonuses, worker’s compensation, disability payments, pension or retirement programs and interest. Up to 50% of the non-custodial parent’s income must be withheld. Payments can then be put on a child support debit card, or they can be direct deposited into the custodial parents bank account. There is also a log in to view payments and balances on the child support case.

If a parent is incarcerated, it is suggested to write a letter to the warden of the prison to see if the incarcerated parent can possibly make some money from a job in jail or a work-release program. In some states, the courts may put a lien against any assets, such as property or the money being made by the incarcerated parent through a work-release program may be withheld.

The process by which child support payments are calculated is called Income Shares. This form takes into account both parents income, the number of children, child care and health insurance costs and also how much time is spent with each parent by the child(ren). Tennessee child support also takes into consideration special expenses paid by parents, such as music lessons, athletic activities and private school. In order to qualify, the expenses must be over 7% of the child support order.

Pay for Performance

Pay for Performance Education

Teachers no matter what grade level, school, or university are the educators for every degree. They develop students into more knowledgeable individuals and often at higher levels of learning teach students how to succeed in their career path. However, teachers have always been one of the most underpaid careers despite the level of importance. Most teachers, do not do it for the money since the money is hard to come by but the rewards of ‘aha moments’ and other positive outcomes in a student’s education. The rewards for teachers have often been based on the length of one’s career but recently the views have been changing and more challenging for teachers. Longevity seemed the fairest way to even out the pay scale (Delisio, 2011) until a recent shift to focus on the performance of students as a way to reward educators.

It is hard to document the performance of students because no student learns the same and there are so many outcomes for individual students. One student may have a learning disability while another may be gifted, or perhaps the teacher is in a low income area where the students are unable to get the extra help other areas or families may be able to aid in. One solution as listed on the site is basing the pay on the schools performance. In Florida where I am from they did this, where the schools bonus was based on FCAT scores but the past years score would have an effect on the amount given because the score had to be higher than the previous years. The FCAT is a standardized test which measured different subject areas such as math, reading, and science. The FCAT in my school experience though effected our education because teachers began teaching to a test rather than teaching a subject.

Another suggestion is receiving a bonus or merit pay based on goals you set that year and the achievement of these goals at the end of the year. The goals however would have to be decided by a team not just the teacher, perhaps the school district designated X amount of teachers and faculty to come up with a goal for the year based on the students coming in to that school year. Even basing the goal by grade level could aid in setting a goal; since a lower grade level has a different education than a high school student would have, since the course content is entirely different.

Before I moved to Tennessee I was attending school for a degree in Special Education and watched the stress and battles my mentors went through for their students so this topic is one that means a lot to me. Also, I am a firm believer that teachers or the instructors for all careers. Basing their pay on the achievement level of their students is out of the teachers hands at times. A teacher cannot go home with each student to make sure they get their homework done instead of playing video games all night. In order for a teacher to succeed they need the support of their faculty, the student’s parents, and even the student themselves. So many outside forces influence the success or failure of students.

Delisio, Ellen (2011) Pay for Performance: What Are the Issues? Education World the Educators Best Friend. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues/issues374a.shtml

Krysta Pappas Padm3601

Is Child Support Actually Support?

Is Child Support Actually Support?

Massive numbers of non-custodial parents who are accused of non-payment of child support now are being separated from their children, plundered for everything they have, publicly vilified and incarcerated without trial. The existing model and law do not adequately nor fairly serve the population for which they were created.

The model

Calculating the amount that parents are ordered to pay as child support involves the use of a rigid formula known as a "child support guideline." The amount determined by use of a state's guideline is legally presumed correct in all child support cases.

The Tennessee Child Support Guidelines are based on an Income Shares Model. This model presumes that both parents contribute to the financial support of the child in proportion to the actual income available to each parent. The Income Shares model differs from the Department’s prior Flat Percentage model, established in 1989, which calculated the amount of the child support award based upon the net income of the non-custodial parent and which assumed an equivalent amount of financial support was being supplied to the child by the custodial parent".

Although federal law requires consideration of only the income of the non-custodial parent, under the Income Shares model, both parents’ actual income and actual additional expenses of rearing the child are considered and made part of the support order. "The Income Shares model, which is used by over thirty other states, is generally based on economic studies of child-rearing costs, including those of David Betson, Erwin Rothbarth, and Ernst Engel".

The model is not economically realistic.

With the Income Shares Model there are underlying assumptions:

• "The household is intact.
• The custodial parent cares for the children 100 percent of the time and the non-custodial parent has no parenting costs.
• There is additional income when a child is added to the family to bring the standard of living back to its previous level.
• Tax benefits attributable to the children are not cost offsets; are not negative costs.
• For Betson-Rothbarth based Income Shares guidelines the method of estimating child costs is to compare household consumption levels of alcohol, tobacco, and adult clothing before and after having an additional child. For Rothbarth Income shares versions implemented after 2001, the comparison is with just adult clothing"

In most child support cases these assumptions are not applicable which makes the payment for the non-custodial parent impossible, especially with the downturn of the economy.

The Law

A major issue for custodial parents, children and society is created when a parent refuses to pay his or her court ordered child support. This is a serious problem of national dimensions. A recent study found that less than half the parents awarded child support receive payment in full. In 1989 alone, four billion dollars that was owed in child support was not paid. This failure on the part of non-custodial parents - usually but not always fathers - is a major cause of poverty in children. This not only affects the families but has an indirect impact on the society who must finance poverty programs to assist those in need. Laws are enforced in either black or white but circumstances are in the gray.

If a non-custodial parent does not pay child support, he or she is subject to enforcement measures in accordance with Federal and Tennessee child support law to collect regular and past-due payments.

• "Automatically withholding of wages and other income
• Seizure of assets identified by the Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM) program
• Intercepts of federal tax refunds
• Denial of passport applications using the IRS Treasury/Administrative Offset program
• Revocation driver's licenses, professional licenses, and various other licenses
• Reporting of child support debt to the credit reporting agencies
• Placement of liens against real or personal property
• Non-paying parents could end up in jail"

This is not an effective solution because there is no system to ensure that the person fulfills his or her parental duties. Instead, there should be more post-arrest supervision and a well-thought-out payment plan. This will create a better environment for parents as well as their children. Non-paying parents need to work but if a person is incarcerated how they pay.

Across the United States there has been a spike in modification cases. In explaining why they can no longer pay as much per month, the parents, typically fathers, cite layoffs, cutbacks in work hours and the loss of homes to foreclosure. Presented with documentation of falling incomes and rising expenses, judges often have little choice but to grant the downward adjustments, even in the face of protests from mothers struggling to support children.

Source : http://www.guidelineeconomics.com/fightcase/incomeshares.htm

Source: TN Child Support Guidelines

Posted by: Laurita V. Hoskin