Governor fails to recognize value of elementary foreign language

Editor:

Georgia lawmakers agree that the Elementary School Foreign Language model program is a shining star in Georgias education system and deserves to be funded. Gov. Sonny Perdue deleted the funding from his budget, but constituents were quick to remind Georgia House and Senate members that the ESFL program is nationally recognized as the No. 1 foreign language instruction program in the United States. These lawmakers responded by putting the money back into the proposed budget.

Too bad Perdue only sees the funding as a local assistance grant and cant see is the impact of teaching foreign language to elementary school kids. Perdue wants to wait until he can see that state revenue collections increase. Thank goodness our Columbia County School Superintendent Tommy Price realizes the value of the ESFL program, and promises to help with funding until the governor can see his way clear to fund the teacher contracts that have already been signed for the next school year.

Ironically, Perdue defers the funding and then heads to Germany to encourage companies already doing business in Georgia and to expand, and to generally spread goodwill.

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Perdue and his entourage will need an interpreter but the Europeans will not. English is taught to elementary school children all over Europe.

Denise Rosenzweig

Martinez