ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 1, 1996 TAG: 9611010010
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A12 EDITION: METRO
GOV. ALLEN owes Virginia's schoolchildren an explanation.
By failing to meet an Aug. 30 application deadline, the state may have missed out on an estimated $36 million in federal funds intended to help prepare students for the workplace.
This inaction, coming as it does on the heels of Allen's refusal to accept $23 million in federal Goals 2000 money for schools, has appropriately outraged some legislators. Del. Clifton ``Chip'' Woodrum, D-Roanoke, termed it ``shocking.'' Local school officials are indignant as well.
In the case of the Goals 2000 money, Allen forfeited it on the grounds that it would bring an unwarranted federal intrusion into public education in Virginia. Regarding the funds available under the School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994, the governor's office gives a different reason: Localities aren't yet prepared to implement school-to-work programs, so it would have been futile to apply for the implementation grant.
That's not a good enough explanation. If localities aren't ready to use the school-to-work money, why aren't they?
Since 1994, the state has accepted $880,000 in federal funds to facilitate planning for school-to-work programs. The state reportedly turned down feds' offer of technical assistance to help it get up to speed for implementation. From that it could be reasonably surmised that planning was clicking right along, no help needed.
To hear now that Virginia isn't ready - when most other states are, and have applied for the implementation funds - begs the question: Who fumbled the planning process, and why? Well, governor?
Virginia will have another opportunity to get an implementation grant - assuming it's ``ready'' by next summer. But that is a year wasted - a year when school-to-work programs could have helped some youngsters, particularly those who won't be going on to college, to develop skills they need to qualify for and succeed in jobs.
Such programs, incidentally, are strongly supported by many businesses, whose involvement in the development of relevant school-to-work curricula is encouraged by the federal act.
It's odd: At a time when more resources are being spent on training for welfare recipients to help them get off the rolls, the state is foot-dragging on efforts that could keep thousands of youngsters from ever having to go on the welfare rolls. Odd - and, so far, lacking a defensible explanation from state officials.
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