GCA Closing

The following was submitted by a reader ...

GCA Closing

News of the closing of Glennville Christian Academy came at no surprise to some in the community. The effects of this closing, I’m afraid, will soon be noticed. This institution has been a rock for students and their families in the area who opted out of government schools for a more balanced and meaningful education. The values, guidance, discipline, and overall superior education received at GCA was worth so much more than the humble tuition that the school charged.

Nearly every week in the local newspapers, I see the accolades and scholastic accomplishments performed by GCA students. These students strive for success and are civic minded in every way. It’s ironic that in the same week the school announced the closing, a GCA educator was named WTOC’s Top Teacher. This is just another example of the achievements that are the norm for this school.

I can only applaud the families who made the sacrifice to send their children to GCA instead of shipping them to the deplorable government school system that we celebrate so much. A private education should be the standard, not the alternative. This to me reinforces the notion that school vouchers are so desperately needed. Parents should have the choice and we should decide who educates our children. But alas, why would someone want to pay for something that’s free, (or already paid for), right?

Anyway, the government continues to rip us off with obscene taxation that gets us no where, year after year, while good schools fall to the wayside.

Good luck Minutemen. You’ve done us proud.

Low Cost Spay/Neuter

The following was submitted by a reader ...

Low Cost Spay/Neuter

What do you, the citizens of Tattnall County, think about having your pets sent to a low cost spay/neuter clinic for one night and brought back the next day? Tattnall County can set an example to other counties that spay/neuter can solve the problem of homeless animals, not catch and kill.

Top 3 Reasons to Spay and Neuter
It helps to reduce companion animal overpopulation. Most countries have a surplus of companion animals and are forced to euthanize or disregard their great suffering. The surplus is in the millions in the United States. Cats are 45 times as prolific, and dogs 15 times as prolific, as humans.They do not need our help to expand their numbers; they need our help to reduce their numbers until there are good homes for them all.
Sterilization of your cat or dog will increase his/her chance of a longer and healthier life. Altering your canine friend will increase his life an average of 1 to 3 years, felines, 3 to 5 years. Altered animals have a very low to no risk of mammary gland tumors/cancer, prostate cancer, perianal tumors, pyometria, and uterine, ovarian and testicular cancers.
Sterilizing your cat/dog makes him/her a better pet, reducing his/her urge to roam and decreasing the risk of contracting diseases or getting hurt as they roam. Surveys indicate that as many as 85% of dogs hit by cars are unaltered. Intact male cats living outside have been shown to live on average less than two years. Feline Immunodeficiency Syndrome is spread by bites and intact cats fight a great deal more than altered cats.
Additional Benefits:
Our community will also benefit. Unwanted animals are becoming a very real concern in many places. Stray animals can easily become a public nuisance, soiling parks and streets, ruining shrubbery, frightening children and elderly people, creating noise and other disturbances, causing automobile accidents, and sometimes even killing livestock or other pets.
- The American Veterinary Medical Association

The capture, impoundment and eventual destruction of unwanted animals costs taxpayers and private humanitarian agencies over a billion dollars each year. As a potential source of rabies and other less serious diseases, they can be a public health hazard.
- The American Veterinary Medical Associatio

If you are interested in this or have any other animal concerns please come to our monthly meetings the last Tuesday of every month at the Reidsville Baptist Church Social Hall at 6:00pm.


Tattnall-All4Animals,
Friends of the Shelter

Prescription Drugs

The following was sent in by a reader ...

Let's discuss the cost of prescription drugs! Even the insurance co-pay! Mexicans are coming in getting Medicaid and getting it for free while we are having to pack up in bus loads to go to Mexico and purchase it in order to afford it. Why are our prescriptions in the US so expensive????

Ombudsman Program in Tattnall County

Ombudsman is an off-campus, alternative education program for adolescent, at-risk students in grades 6-12 who are chronically truant or absent; seeking credit recovery; disruptive in the classroom; English language learners; otherwise expelled or suspended; and those with medical/ health conditions. The program tailors individual educational plans for each of the students who participate and has a low student/teacher ratio.

Taken from the December Board of Education article:

“The average cost is less than the District’s average received per pupil. There are no hidden costs or additional costs and the District gets to keep the difference in the finances,” said Lucia.
Superintendent Jim Turbeville explained they would like to review the figures first but felt like he would be recommending the program.
“We could consider implementing it for next school year but we want to be sure we’d be spending less, or at least breaking even,” he said.

To read the entire December Board of Education article on Ombudsman see http://www.tattnalljournal.com/ombudsman_december.html


Taken from the March Board of Education article:

When discussions began in December, representatives of Ombudsman originally stated that the school board would be saving money by implementing the program. In the last month or so, the board was notified that the system wouldn’t save money with the program but would actually have to spend an additional $90,000 (on the year) to be a part of it.

To read the entire March Board of Education article on Ombudsman see http://www.tattnalljournal.com/ombudsman_march.html

To official Ombudsman website is http://www.ombudsman.com

We want to know your opinion on the program, which is scheduled to begin in Tattnall County next school year.