| Tenenbaum pays visit to Graniteville pupils AIKEN - Wearing her signature ruby-red dress suit, Inez Tenenbaum made her way into the center of a Byrd Elementary School classroom filled with kindergartners. Picking up a stack of books, she began reading a story about numbers climbing a tree that some of the youngsters knew by heart. "Chicka, Chicka, one, two three," she read. "Will there be a place for me?" the pupils answered. Mrs. Tenenbaum toured Byrd Elementary School on Friday, talking to teachers about their concerns and about the school's high marks on the statewide report card, and spending a little time with the pupils. This was her first visit to the Graniteville school since the Jan. 6 train wreck and chlorine spill prompted the evacuation of residents and closed schools for up to a week. "This community has experienced a great deal of trauma and hardship, and (I) wanted to be at the school to show our support," Mrs. Tenenbaum said. She said she also wanted to give a pat on the back to Principal Rosie Berry and the teachers at the school who have made adequate yearly progress for two years in a row and received national accreditation for the school's 4-year-old kindergarten program. But as she toured the portable classrooms needed to house the additional 100 pupils this year, Mrs. Tenenbaum said she hopes to get more money for education out of the state budget. Mrs. Tenenbaum said putting specific dollar figures in Gov. Mark Sanford's Put Parents In Charge Act last month didn't improve the bill that would provide tax credit for parents wanting to send their children to public, private, charter or home schools. "We are actively opposed to the tax credit proposal because it drains the badly needed money that school districts have," Mrs. Tenenbaum said. "We're going to work on the state budget and try to get as much money at the state level as possible."
Reach Karen Ethridge at (803) 648-1395, ext. 109, or karen.ethridge@augustachronicle.com.
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