In 1982, when it was time for my oldest son to enter kindergarten, my wife put the following question to me: “Can your sons get as fine an education at Commerce in the 1980s and 1990s as you received in the 1950s and 1960s?” I studied the number of children graduating in the 1960s and directly entering the University of Georgia, against the number of children graduating in the late 1970s and 1980s and directly entering the University of Georgia. After wrestling with the question, I made the decision to send my children to Athens Academy (a private school), from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. It is a decision that I have never regretted. The atmosphere at a private school is centered around education and learning. The reason is because the parents are paying for their children to go to private school, in addition, to the property taxes they are paying to the public schools. Conversely, in many public high schools, athletics are stressed first, academics second, and the arts are last.
I believe I made the correct decision, because both of my sons went directly to the University of Georgia, and from there to law school, and both of them are currently practicing attorneys. My immediate family has three private school graduates and one public school graduate. My brother has also served as chairman of the Commerce Board of Education, so we have had experiences in both arenas. The Commerce City Schools can and do provide an adequate education for those who want to learn. Both of my nephews were honor graduates of Commerce High School. They both went directly to UGA.
That being said, the debate over the layout and design of the proposed new Commerce High School is much ado about nothing.
By reading flyers, newspaper advertisements, The Commerce News stories, letters to the editor, and the broadcasts on Channel 54, it is pretty clear that there exists a group upset by the plan for the new high school. Nobody knows who the members of “PEACE” are, but I get the impression that they have lost sight of the reason the Commerce Schools exist. While the “PEACE” group prefers to stand back and criticize, none of them will put their name on the ballot and run for the school board. There is an old saying, “If you are not a part of the solution, then you are a part of the problem.” Most public officials, from the president of the United States on down, are not rocket scientists, but they were elected by the people to do a job. You must admire them for running for public office and getting elected. From personal experience, I can tell you that if you want to find out how many friends you have, run for public office.
When we are talking about the design and location of the school, we are essentially talking about the wrapping on a Christmas present. The point is, when it comes to education, it does not matter as much what the outside (school building) looks like; what matters is what goes on inside. The quality of the education that our children and grandchildren get is not determined by whether the school building is one-story or two-story, whether we have the old gym or not, it is determined by the efforts of the parents, teachers, and school officials, working together to produce a superior education for our children.
If the People Excited About Commerce Education (PEACE) would put as much effort into supporting the board of education in developing advanced placement courses with hard teaching, hard discipline, and a hard business-like approach to educating our children, as they have given to complaining about the size, location, height of the school building, this community would be much better off. For those that are unhappy, an election occurs every two years. Put your name on the ballot or be quiet. The discussion regarding the school building is much ado about nothing.
As the Commerce area continues to grow, new residents locating in this area will primarily be coming from the Atlanta area. They will look for schools that can provide an education equal to those found in Gwinnett County and Cobb County. If Jefferson or Jackson County has the better academic credentials, then they will locate in that school district.
Taking a cue from the people living at Lake Oconee, I suggest that Commerce apply to become a charter school, stressing high academic standards. A charter school is given much more flexibility in its administration and in its curriculum than regular public schools. If Commerce became an academically oriented charter school, that would be the first step in raising the academic standards and producing the quality educational products our children need and deserve. Do not let it be said that by going to a charter school for academics that we can’t have a good football team. If Athens Academy can establish the type of football program that it has, there is no reason why Commerce could not do the same.
In closing, quit arguing over the wrapping on the package and start worrying about what is in the package.
Greg Perry
Greg Perry is a Commerce attorney. He is a graduate of Commerce High School, was president of the Class of 1966, and participated in athletic and academic endeavors, winning numerous honors. He is chairman of the Commerce Planning Commission.
