Moms Talk: March 9

Note: Post a comment about this article, and a member of our Moms Council will respond ASAP.

The Southern Education Foundation, a nonprofit group, has found that Georgia pre-kindergarten helps by cutting the retention rate. This means that fewer students are being held back in school, there are fewer students dropping out, and there are less students in need of special education. The group goes a step further by saying that 10,000 fewer students have to repeat the same grade since Georgia pre-k started.

What does this mean for taxpayers? It means that in the long run, Georgia pre-k's net savings equaled $35.6 million in 2010 and will continue to save taxpayers.

This information flies in the face of Gov. Nathan Deal's plans to cut the Georgia pre-K program. His initial plan was to cut the days to four hours each and to add an additional 5,000 slots. This would, Deal proposed, save $54 million. The proposal also included a 30% decrease in teacher's salaries. The cuts to pre-K are in addition to adjustments to the HOPE scholarship, which pays tuition to state colleges and universities for Georgia residents.

These proposed changes were met with objections from parents and teachers alike. Teachers feared that a four-hour day would not allow them to adequately teach topics. Parents also did not think that four hours was enough instructional time, and parents with jobs were left to decide how to work and pay for after-school care.

On Monday, Deal met these objections with a new proposal. Programs would retain 94% of their funding. An additional two children would be added to each classroom, opening up an additional 2,000 slots. The proposed half day is no longer; instead, Deal proposed that pre-k have an additional 20 days off, for a school year of 160 days instead of 180 days.

While this proposal still offers challenges financially, for now it seems to be a compromise everyone can work with.