A large group of parents attended this morning’s work session of the Troup County Commission to protest the decision and urge commissioners to help find ways to keep the center open.
The Center for Child Development, which opened in 1996 and has a current enrollment of 75, fell victim to “the difficult economic conditions in the state and resulting revenue shortfalls,” Acting President Perrin Alford said Thursday.
“We are proud to have offered this service to our community for many years and it is with heavy hearts that we must now close the doors,” he said.
The center was established as a service to the community and to provide a learning environment for students in the early child-care program, school officials said. The child-care program continues, but students do their practice elsewhere.
Enrollment at the center included a mixture of children of students, faculty and community residents.
The college paid an $82,000 annual subsidy to the day-care center and fees covered the rest of the $272,000 budget.
All state agencies have to cut their budgets by 8 percent and the cuts may go to 10 percent, Alford said. He said the college got to 6 percent by closing the culinary arts, social work and night licensed practical nurse programs, and to 8 percent by closing the day-care center.
In a separate move, the state recently announced plans to merge West Georgia Tech and West Central Technical College in Carrollton effective July 1 to save $500,000, one of seven mergers throughout the state that will save $3.5 million.
Stephen Dawe, a computer consultant whose 3-year-old daughter attends the day-care center, called it “another great example of the state of Georgia cutting education budgets first, taking away from our kids and hurting our future.”
Dawe, former director of information technology at West Georgia Tech, said the center was relatively inexpensive and prices could have been raised to make it profitable, but “the state and college would rather make the current economic problems worse by making more people unemployed.”
Kacy Hubbard, who has a 2-year-old son at the day care center, said all of the parents would be willing to pay higher fees to keep the center open.
“With the school donating a building to Kia (Motors) and scheduling a ball for the medical assisting students, we should be able to keep the center in the budget also,” she said in an e-mail to Alford, County Commissioner Ken Smith, Gov. Sonny Perdue, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and state school Superintendent Kathy Cox.
Alford noted that Kia only has temporary offices at the college, and medical assisting students are selling tickets to pay for the ball.
“I am not sure how to stress my shock, disappointment and frustration due to this announcement,” Hubbard said in the e-mail. “... This decision is devastating to our children and our community.”
She said her son can recite the alphabet, count to 20, knows colors and shapes, and “can sing at least 25 songs and even knows sign language. ... How can you explain that you actually want to take this away from our children?”
The timing of this week's announcement, she said, doesn't leave enough time for parents to look for other options, nor time for the eight full-time and seven part-time employees to find another job. The first six day care centers she called told her they weren't accepting new children at this time, she said.
“... I am having a hard time believing this is the only way” to cut the budget, Hubbard said in the e-mail. “Please reconsider your decision for the sake of the children, teachers, parents and community.”
Alford said there are a couple of options for the 5,817-square-foot building: It could be converted into classrooms or become temporary space for Kia Motors suppliers.
Why not raise fees and keep the day-care center open?
“We must now refocus on our core mission, and that is educating our credit students to ensure that our local business and industry has a trained and skilled work force,” Alford said.
He said the college will help day-care center staff find other jobs.
Joel Martin can be reached at jmartin@ lagrangenews.com or (706) 88407311, Ext. 235.
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