Posted on 01/28/2003 9:32:49 AM PST by summer
Mentor Steven Uhlfelder, left, adjusts the microphone for his young charge Darrin Johnson, a fifth grader
at Wesson Elementary in Tallahassee, while Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks to his young charge Burgess
Brown, an eight grader at Raa Middle School in Tallahassee, during a press conference on the
governor's mentoring program at the capitol Monday in Tallahassee.
Gov. Bush wants churches involved in finding mentors
Tuesday, January 28, 2003
By DAVID ROYSE, Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Jeb Bush said Monday he wants churches, mosques and synagogues to help push mentoring, saying ordinary people working one-on-one with kids is one of the best ways to raise student achievement. He also said that marrying religious institutions with such volunteer programs is a common sense way to close an achievement gap between low-income children and others.
Bush has championed mentoring and does it himself, meeting with an eighth grader once a week at a local middle school.
He announced Monday that the number of one-on-one mentors participating in the initiative has grown 20 percent to more than 135,000.
But his effort to increase that to 200,000 has some worried that it could become a vehicle for religious teaching, partly because a "faith-based initiative" would have an Orlando-based Christian community group trying to help churches find members who want to mentor. Bush and leaders of the community group, called "Frontline Outreach," say there's no reason to worry. Bush said the initiative was merely a way for "people of faith who feel compelled to act on that faith to be able to make a difference in a secular way to assure that children can learn."
Arto Woodley, the executive director of Frontline Outreach was more direct. "Let me be clear: There will be no proselytizing," said Woodley, joining the governor at a news conference at the Capitol.
Howard Simon, Florida executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which advocates separation of church and state, said whether involving churches in the mentoring program is commendable or constitutionally suspect depends on how it is done and whether the state pays church groups.
"Church members would make ideal mentors," Simon said. "But are they going to be given instructions that their job is to help teach reading and foster study habits and refrain from things like encouraging church attendance?"
Simon noted that Frontline Outreach's Website says its first core mission is "representing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in everything we do."
"Is the governor thinking the organization can set aside its fundamental mission?" Simon asked.
But Woodley said the group will only approach religious organizations to get more people involved in mentoring. He said many current mentors probably are already churchgoers.
"This is not about trying to build synagogues, mosques and churches," Woodley said. "This is about making sure that children are prepared to learn."
Bush also says the initiative is straightforward. "This is not a secret plan, there is no hidden agenda here," Bush said. "This is simply encouraging people to act from the heart, to be able to be moved to make a difference."
"We need to create an enduring core value" of reading, Bush said. "Without basic literacy skills the tragic result of failed aspirations and the inability to dream at all become the norm."
"Today, we're going to learn how to build a better bomb."
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I love this man. Thanks for the sunshine, summer. (^;
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