Georgia Schools Cut Bible Classes to Pay Bills

Religion Today | Published: Nov 15, 2011

Georgia Schools Cut Bible Classes to Pay Bills

Economic troubles are causing public school districts in Georgia to cut Bible education classes, five years after the state became the first to allow the controversial elective, WORLD News Service reports. Budget cuts require classes to have at least 25 students to be affordable, and more and more students are opting to take Advanced Placement courses instead of electives. "We're not going to [use] a teacher for a whole period with 10 to 15 students," said Columbia County superintendent Charles Nagle, who cut the Bible classes from three to one in his district. "We just can't afford to do that." Four years ago, 48 of Georgia's 180 school districts offered the classes, but this year only 16 districts are continuing them. Sarah Jenislawski, executive director of the Bible Literacy Project, said there was still "a consistent interest from both districts and students in Bible courses," but that schools were struggling just to keep "the lights on and ... the air conditioning running."

Georgia Schools Cut Bible Classes to Pay Bills