Swamp Mining, School Funding

Sunday Reads – Sept. 18, 2022

Last week seemed quiet until Friday when the Okefenokee got a visit and state senators stayed overtime in Savannah to hear pleas for more school buses, better food and equitable resources in Georgia schools. We’ve added a calendar so you can find your local representatives any time you’ve got something to say about their work. And ProPublica brings it all together in a hard look at how literacy rates affect voter turnout.

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Swamp gets a high-level visit

The Okefenokee Swamp and the controversial Twin Pines Mining request were in the spotlight on Friday as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland toured the black waters with U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. While the fate of titanium dioxide mining on Trail Ridge, about 3 miles from the refuge, remains in the hands of Georgia’s permitting process, anti-mining protestors gathered hope in the high-level visit. The Current’s Mary Landers attended the Friday event to talk to swamp supporters and get a feel for the visit’s impact. While official public comment hasn’t opened for the mining permits, the state Environmental Protection Division has received more than 27,000 comments. You can see those here:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

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Changing the equation for school funding

A Georgia Senate Study Committee to Review Education Funding Mechanisms came to Savannah State University on Friday for a hearing on school funding in order to work toward an evolved school funding equation for schools — it’s had very few updates since Ronald Reagan was president and it’s fair to say technology, among other things, was different then.

So, you may not want to sit back and watch a video of a school funding hearing, but if you have a lot of questions about how Georgia funds its schools and students, this might be worth your time. There are presenters with explanations and options we can all understand. You’ll see how gaps for funding school transportation have grown, how local property taxes drive the health of schools and per-student funding and you’ll begin to have a clearer idea of why local school tax dollars are getting a workout. It’ll also prompt your own questions about what happens when property is taken off the tax rolls and doesn’t contribute to the local budgets. Parents of Savannah-Chatham County students and one board member spoke up to encourage the study committee to address equity issues among lower income schools, transportation, Spanish language support, food and safety needs. If you don’t want to watch the video and the study group at work, here’s a summary for you.

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Go: Fewer excuses, more power

We’re lowering a few hurdles for you. This week we debuted our one-stop spot for Coastal Georgia governmental meetings and agendas. After all, if we are urging you to get up and get involved in your local government, we need to help you get there and flex your muscles as citizens. Once you’re looking at it, bookmark it so you’ll have agendas ready to reference. If you are searching for an agenda and it’s not posted in a timely fashion, let your elected reps know you want to know what’s going on. And if there are public groups you’d like for us to add, let us know. As we always say: Democracy is not a spectator sport. If you don’t participate, you’re ceding your power to someone else.

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Considerable

Reads from the week that you may have missed:

• Railroad car inspector sues CSX: A Southeast Georgia man has filed a federal lawsuit against a major freight rail corporation, claiming that he was fired in part for reporting safety violations to federal regulators. This story by Benjamin Payne from Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Savannah bureau describes the federal filings that deal with serious safety concerns on one of the busiest stretches of track in the Southeast.
• Variety of voter groups reflects Georgia’s increasingly diverse electorate: Georgia Recorder’s Stanley Dunlap looks at the growing numbers of advocacy groups spread across the state to encourage and enlist voters. One of the busiest: Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s Greater Georgia group that’s targeting the Hispanic community.
• Transparency issues haunt digital ads ahead of midterms: You can’t run or hide from political ads right now. And the content and lack of transparency for them is going to get worse, according to experts in an Axios story on how the social media giants crackdowns are only sending the ads to other spots to greet you everywhere. It’s a lot of money and there are no rules. Duck and cover.

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Your second cup: Literacy and voting

We’ve always known that apathy and lower voter participation leads to a deteriorating democracy. More recent events have combined those fears with knowledge. But there are longer term threats, as well. Last week, ProPublica published a series of stories on the impact of education on voting across the country. Stories and video interviews range from how literacy rates affect voter turnout to what happens when someone goes to vote and can’t read. In some states, they won’t be able to bring help. In some states where they can get aid, helpers get arrested — as they have in Georgia. Another piece details the confusing ballots across the United States and how that’s become a huge problem for voters. The series, with videos and information on how to help, is located at this link and it’s worth your second — and maybe third — cup of coffee today.

Enjoy.

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