CommitteesVote to Implement 4-year-old Program
By VERONICA CLEMONS
Chronicle Staff Writer
School board members Walter
Marshall and Geneva Brown agree
that school board members who
don't support a program for disad
vantaged 4-year-olds don't support
children.
"They don't understand what a
program like this could do for 208
kids," Brown said. "They don't have
any Business being on the board of
education."
.. Marshall added: "This is some
of the best money the county can
? spend. It's a program we truly need."
Marshall and Brown were two
board members who voted in sup
port of implementing a pre-kinder
garten program. The vote was taken
during a joint meeting of the cur
riculum and finance committees. All
board members were eligible to vote
1 except Grace Efird, Gloria Whisen
hunt and Nancy Wooten. The
motion to implement the program
passed 4 to 2. The committee rec
n ? ? ?
ommendation will come before the
full board for final approval tonight.
The program, officially named
Early Start, will begin Jan. 1, 1995
and last until the end of the school
year. However, board members will
have a chance to evaluate the pro
gram and vote on whether to keep
the program going, amend it, or kill
it. The only two opposing votes to
implementing the program came
from Jane Goins and Dale Folwell.
y Staff members presented to
board members an amended Pre-K
proposal with an added proposed
budget.
Staff proposed a $1,096,567
budget for the first year. That cost
would decrease in the second year to
$741,316 because there would be no
start-up cost
For the first year $650,000
would come from the county com
missioners and the other $446,567
would come from the school sys
tem. School officials ;said $300,000
of that money is designated for rent
ovating Diggs Elementary School, a
proposed site for five classes. That
money is already accounted for in
the present budget. All the school
system has to find in its budget is
$146,567.
Folwell and Goins had the same
arguments they have proposed since
the proposed program was first
introduced. They believe preparing
a child for kindergarten is the paren
t's responsibility. Goins said in ear
lier comments that the program sub
sidizes day care. She added that she
has problems because the program
Would only be offered to certain ?
^ not all ? children.
Marshall said he hoped there
was no class or racial prejudice
mixed with the opposition to, the
prograrti.
"1 was proud to be able to send
my children to a" private day care,
but I would not begmdge the parents
who can't afford it," he said. "It's
like we're saying the kids are
responsible for their conditions, and
? that's not fight."
Nancy Wooten pointed out that
there is a misconception that only
poor children are eligible for the
program. A child's economic level
does not determine if he can partici
pate in the program, she said. Chil
dren deemed the most academically
deprived will be chosen for the pro
gram. : .
Daisy Chambers, a school staff
member, said usually there is a cor
relation between academically
deprived and economically
deprived,' but that is not always the
case. She cited an instance of a pre
k program where one student was a
doctor's son.
Board members who support
the program say paying for a pre-k
program now will help save cost to
taxpayers down thelroad. Staff
members cited studies that show
children who participate in a pre
kindergarten program turn out to be
more productive citizens.
"If we spend the money on the
front end we may spend fewer dol
lars on the back end," Nancy Grif
fith said. "For that reason, ^think we
should give it a try."
"We need to look at the impli
cations for the future." Marshall
said. "Incarcerations already cost
and the paying is not ^oing to get
better but worse."*
? Supportive or not, all board
members were concerned about
budget implications for next year.
... While commissioners have ?
agreed to help with funding the first
year, it's uncertain if the: program
will get the same support next year
John Holleman, who proposed the
program, is gping off the board and
so is Chairman Wayne Willard, both
of whom supported the program.
Griffith suggested that when the
school system requests money from
the commissioners for the program
the next fiscal year, the pre-K pA>-^
gram be separate from the regular
K- 12 budget. But, Wooten said she
thinks there will not be a big prob
lem with commissioners because
she spokfe with candidates for the
seats who said they would support a
pre-K program. v
(irneva Brown
? Waller Marshall
Safety Committee Looks at Possible Guidelines for Review Board
By DAVID L. DILLARD.
Chronicle Staff Writer
The board of aldermen's public
safety committee reviewed a plan by
the city's staff Monday that could
establish guidelines to evaluate the
citizens police review board.
However, many citizens feel it's
not necessary to evaiutate the police
review board to determine whether
it should exist
"It was born out of necessity, so
I think we've already proven that we
need it," said Rev. John Mendez, a
member of Citizen's United for Jus
tice. "Our concern is that the police
review board look at more cases and
have the freedom to do their work."
Mendez said he doesn't mind
the review board having guidelines,
but said they should determine how
it reviews cases, instead of if it's
needed.
Alexander Beaty, an assistant
city manager, said the city couldn't
provide a purely scientific process
to evaluate the review board, 1)ut
said it would consist of statistical
information on citizen complaints, a
self-evaluation, an internal opera
tions review by the city staff and
public opinion. I
The proposed evaluation looks
61 two questions: Does the review
board promote fairness in the police
treatment of citizens;. and does the
review board build community con
.firirlnre that police are being held
accountable in a fair and objective,
manner for their treatment of citi
zens. .I.-:; . \
Commitee member Nancy
Pleasants wanted the evaluation to
supply statistical data concerning
police morale during the two-year
period that the review board has
beeft in existence. .
Pleasants, the alderman who
proposed the compromise to evalu
ate the review board after two years,
also said the evaluation should
include comments from the police
chief and district attorney.
Beaty said the evaluation will
study a two^year period before the
review board s inception and the
two-year period of the review board
from May 1993 until May 1995.
"The statistical information
wouldn't try to suggest anything, it's
just there for you to review," Beaty
said. "It won't show a correlation
between police morale and the
inception of the review board. 1
haven't heard any officers in their
exit interview say they have left
because of it, and I haven't heard
any recruits say they came here
because we had a review board."
Vivian Burke, chairman of the
public safety /committee, said the*
evaluation should not focus on
morale only within the duration of
the review board because morale
has been a conpern for years, she
said., ? ? ? : ? ;
North Ward Alderman Nelson
Malloy said he is still reviewing the
proposal and feels the community
should have input on the review |
board s evaluation. v
"I don't know how they can
evaluate ^it and be fair without the
community,": he said. "Right now
we're just looking at this proposal to
decide if we want to accept it as
guidelines for the evaluation
process."
Malloy suggested that other
"community groups such as Citizen's
United for Justice ? a group that
pushed cMabli.^hniuu of the
review- board, - be allowed 16 olfer
theit" suggestions.
Larry Wornble^aformer alder
man and memher nf'Cl.U. s.iid rhe -
groijip will be meeting this.W.ek to
examine ? fie c-i i ? s*pr?>p< ?s?i. j and pos- ' ? '' V.
sibl> d<:V;. .p; guidelines of iii?'?Wn.
Forsyth Commissioner
Clinton's Crime Bill
By VERONICA CLEMONS
Chronicle Staff Writer
Forsyth County Commissioner
Earline Parmon was at the White
House Tuesday to witness President
Bill Clinton sign into Jaw a $30 bil
lion crime bill.
Parmon is representing the
North Carolina Association of
County Commissioners. She is
chairman of the Community Justice
and Public Safety Steering Commit
tee.
The ceremony of the bill sign
ing took place at 10 a.m.
This is not the first time Par
mon traveled to the Capitol on the
crime bill issue. During the ttlfffloil
of whether the bill was going to
make it out of Congress, Parmon
went there to lobby for its support.
Even though about $3 billion of
the original proposal was cutf Par
mon said she is glad the bill finally
passed.
"There is still'enough in place
to make a difference in local com
munities and fund some programs
to prevent violence," she said.
The bill authorizes spending
about $13.5 billion for state, local
and federal police, including $8.8
billion to help hire 100.000 new
police pfficers for community polic
ing- ?
Parmon is not joined in Her
enthusiasm for the bill's passage by
Congressman Mel Wat, D-N\C.
Watt ?aid in a statement that he
opposed the bill for several reasons,
including the absertce of the Racial
Justice Act, and there was no assur
ance that programs would actually
be funded.
The Racial Justice Act would
allow defendants to challenge the
death penalty on ground6 thar ?rini ?
minorities are more likely to be sen
tenced to death.
Parmon said she and other sup
porters -of the programs will con
tinue to work to ensure that appro
priations in the bill are funded.
North Carolina's other black
congressman, Eva C.ayton,, voted
for the bill.
Workshops to be Held
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Coalition on Alcohol and
Drug Problems will present two
workshops for substance abuse
treatment professionals on Sept. 20
at the Forsyth Stokes Mental Health
Center. Dr. Charles Grubbs, Chief
of Quality Service for the North
Carolina Department of Human
Resources, Division bf Mental
Health, Development Disabilities
and Substance Services, will pre
sent these workshops as part of
Treatment Works! Month. The
workshops are offered to assist
treatment professionals in demon
strating and documenting that ser
vices provided improve the quality
of life for clients and improve the
quality of life in communities.
For more information on the
workshop on the coalition, call 723
3784. _
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