Volume 81 No. 8
Grimsley High School
801 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
Wednesday, AprU 27, 2005
Withdrawal of funding, support from county
threatens well being of Student Health Center
As local health-system
foundations announce the
end of their support for
health care in schools, the
Student Health Center
anxiously seeks alternate
sources of support.
By Shimere Etheridge
StaffWriter
Six Guilford County Schools
will be losing funding from a
seven-year-old pilot program
to serve poor students and at-
risk teens. Two health-system
foundations have
underwritten the program but
are pulling their funding from
Andrews, Grimsley, and
Smith high schools and Allen,
Jackson, and Penn-Griffin
middle schools.
Beginning in 1998, the
Moses Cone-Wesley Long and
the High Point Regional Health
System foundations began to
support the Guilford School
Health Alliance by paying for
nurses and social workers or
licensed counselors in the
centers. Services offered at the
health center include: offering
treatment for acute illnesses
and injuries, monitoring
chronic illnesses such as
diabetes and asthma, offering
mental health as well as
educational counseling.
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Forgay Photo
Student Health Center nurse Carolyn Gordon packs up old files as the Center prepares to close its doors before next school year.
connecting students to
primary care physicians, and
making referrals to doctors
and long-term counseling.
Most services are provided free
of charge however medical
visits may be billed to
insurance or medicaid. These
services are provided to any
student who registers with the
program, and about half
of Grimsley's students
are registered with the
health center.
However, the original three-
year pilot program from 1998
was extended, and schools have
been dropped or added to the
program over the years.
Services were cut to two days
per week at Smith after
several employees resigned
there. Now, Grimsley's
Student Health Center will be
closing its doors upon
completion of the 2005
school year.
"The foundation plans to
bring the Guilford School
Health Alliance to a close at
the end of this school year,"
said Robert Newton, president
of the Moses Cone-
Wesley Long Community
Health Foundation.
"To continue operating,"
said Newton, "the program
continued on page 2
Easley's budget adds early education, cuts extras
The Governor's recent
budget proposal favors
early education and cuts
support for existing
programs, especially In art
and vocational areas.
By Chris Izzard
Reporter
Governor Mike Easley's
budget plan, announced on
March 31, is geared toward
helping students excel in
school. The budget cuts are
also meant to help increase en
rollment percentages in pub
lic universities, colleges, and
technical institutions. In order
to attain this goal, various de
partments outside of educa
tion have sacrificed funds to
such programs as the arts.
"The art program here at
UNCG. Td hate to see some of
the artwork or various classes
not being offered because the
state cut back on spending for
the department," said UNCG
sophomore Juanita Goldberg.
Easley's proposal is meant
to initiate two new educa
tional programs: "More at
Four," which will stimulate the
minds of children prior to kin
dergarten, and "Learn and
Earn," a new opportunity for
high school students to get an
associate degree from a com
munity college by attending
high school for a fifth year. A
drawback of the budget cuts is
found in the state's Department
of the Arts, which has seen a
42% increase in cuts since
Easley took office. As a result of
this, many of the students en
rolled in art programs at vari
ous universities are rallying
during the period in which a
council of legislators will make
a final decision about the
budget proposal.
"Art is something that is uni
versal. Everyone understands
it when they see it. If art starts
to move or disappear in places
around the state, people are
going to ask questions," said
freshmanDavid Stables.
Although the plan has not
yet been approved, a council
will decide on where the in
creases will go. One option
under consideration is is a 1%
increase in cigarette tax,
which would cause a gain of
$40 million each year. Laying
off teachers, another option,
would widen the ratio of
teachers per student even
more. Both alternatives have
lasting effects, not only on the
students, but also on the
members of the educational
workforce.
"My goal after college is to
become an art teacher here in
the state. But if there are going
to be job cuts in schools, then
it's really not encouraging any-,
one to work in this field,"
said Goldberg.
The "More at Four" pro
gram was proposed so that
children at the age of four could
begin elementary school early
and possibly learn at a faster
pace. Easley hopes that the
plan will stimulate the minds
of children who live in at-risk
neighborhoods so that they
will improve in higher levels
continued on page 2
Calling all Ladies
America's pop culture women
leave something to be desired
for today's youth according to
this editorialist.
Pages
Got Homeland?
Local dairy and creamery
offers hearty, local alternative
to Breyer's, Baskin Robbins,
and Coldstone.
Page 13
Shooting the Curl
Surfing proves itself a great
up and coming sport
in spite of serious recent
accidents and injuries.
Page 14
News 1
Opinion 4
Features 6
Sports 14