THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 26, 1995 TAG: 9506260115
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Former Gov. Colgate Darden, Virginia's sage, once remarked, ``When a politician begins braying about states' rights, he generally is talking about the state's right to do nothing.''
That appears to be the case with Gov. George Allen, who has declined, thus far, to accept some $8 million in federal aid for Virginia's schoolchildren.
But in declining the money, Allen is not doing just nothing; he is doing damage to their future.
During his monthly radio call-in show, Allen said Virginia would become a slave to federal regulations if it accepted money under the Goals 2000 program.
``Once they start giving you the money, they start calling the tune,'' he said. ``One penny per day per student is not something that we should sell our principles for.''
Allen should look deeper into how the program would help Virginia and who shaped it.
It was President George Bush's idea. In 1989 he led, in Charlottesville, an education summit of the nation's governors. There, he and they agreed on broad national goals.
They worked them out in the shadow of Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda. Allen, an alumnus of the University of Virginia Law School, drops Jefferson's name throughout speeches although Jefferson in his own day was regarded by stick-in-the-muds as a dangerous liberal.
And in our day, as Darden once observed, ``Thomas Jefferson would have difficulty in getting around Virginia without being hanged.''
The truth is, Jefferson was for the people - black, white, whatever - which is why his papers still speak to us with fresh, flaming zest.
Virginia's state Board of Education voted 4-3 to accept the funds and allow localities to use them as they pleased. Most are in need of computers.
Surely, the governor recognizes that while books are still the basic bricks of education, the role of computers is steadily enlarging and Virginia's children need to learn how to use them.
Advocating the program are the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Business Council, Virginia School Boards Association, Virginia Education Association and the legislative committee of the Virginia PTA. Opposing are representatives of the Virginia Taxpayers Association and the Virginia Eagle Forum, a self-styled grassroots policy group on the family.
Friday is the deadline for Virginia to enroll for this year's allotment of $1.7 million. It still could take part next year when it could receive more than $6 million.
Virginia and New Hampshire are two states that have yet to apply. It will be an interesting paradox if Virginia, the summit's host, opts out of round one. But the other governors would manage to overcome their chagrin. Any money that Allen turns down would be divided among their states.
Allen should forgo knee-jerk politics and think of Virginia's children.
KEYWORDS: FEDERAL GRANT by CNB