ANTHONY PARKER: The correlation between poverty and education in Southwest Georgia

It is an undeniable fact that there is a correlation between poverty and education. It is also an undeniable fact that children born into poverty are dependent on a combination or the success of their parents/guardians and time to become affluent. I agree with the majority of our community that the 4C Academy will change the lives of its graduates one year at a time. I’m confident that the 4C Board, administration and faculty will succeed. I have and will continue to support the 4C Academy.

Our approach to creating affluence, however, must be time sensitive. At best, school reform can deliver to graduation no more than the students who are the current 12th grade class. Some of those graduates will join the military or consider colleges and careers that will take them away from our community. Our employers are facing a crisis of need for additional, well-prepared graduates that could not possibly be available through high school graduation in the next five years. Consequently, we must turn to young and middle adults in our community to fill the employment gaps.

Over 80 percent of well-paying jobs require one year or more of post-secondary education. I understand that this statement may be considered self-serving coming from the president of a technical college. However, I am confident that any serious researcher will come to a very similar conclusion.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, the three governors prior to him, and the Georgia General Assembly recognized that there is a high correlation between workforce preparation, family affluence, and the reduction of the poverty rate. I believe that it goes further. People with good jobs usually have employer-provided health insurance.

We have a mechanism that will assist some of those in poverty to pay for the direct cost of workforce education. Adult Education classes that lead to a GED are free. The HOPE Grant, Enhanced HOPE Career Grant, and PELL are some of those mechanisms and in selected programs, covers cost of certificates and one-year diploma programs. The Albany Industry Roundtable has endorsed the four-month Industrial Operations Technician program and the Governor’s Office of Planning and budget fully funded the program as an Enhanced HOPE Career Grant eligible program. An additional program funded under the HOPE Career Grant is Commercial Truck Driving, which can be earned in eight weeks.

The journey from poverty to affluence with take eight weeks to two years. The Technical College System of Georgia and Albany Technical College cannot eliminate all of the poverty in Albany and Dougherty County. We can, however, can make the difference for an additional 300 to 600 families each year.

Dr. Anthony O. Parker is president of Albany Technical College. He has served in that capacity since 1995.