I almost choked on my coffee when I read the Athens Banner-Herald's account of state Sen. Frank Ginn's remarks on public education at a recent Athens-Clarke County Republican Party meeting.

"Ginn was far more blunt in his assessment," the paper's account reads, "contending Monday that 'primarily, those failing schools are in Democratically controlled areas.' He went on to say, though, that he, personally, would have a difficult time declaring Gaines Elementary a failing school, and suggested the problem for failing schools isn't necessarily the schools themselves, but 'the breakdown of the family.'"

I sent Ginn - with whom I have always enjoyed a cordial relationship - this email: "I was surprised and distressed at your comments that failing schools are somehow concentrated in Democratically-controlled areas and the result of poor family values. Can you explain to me what you were thinking when you made those remarks? And what you wanted your audience to take away from them?"

He called and left a message inviting me to look at the list and see where the so-called failing schools are located. I don't doubt the accuracy of the assertion. It is simply a non sequitur.

When we talked later, I asked him if people in the communities with targeted schools start to vote Republican, will their schools improve? No, he said. Or did he mean that since the areas voted Democratic, we don't need to bother with them? Of course not, he said.

He explained that he was saying the Opportunity School District legislation could not have passed without some Democratic votes, citing Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Albany. He characterized the effort as trying to save those kids who live with instability and poverty.

I mentioned that Republicans control education policy and state education allocations - on average about half the revenues for school districts, so how is it that local Democrats can somehow cause schools to be bad?

Ginn backpedaled, and talked again about family instability, the number of children in or needing foster care and the issue of single-parent homes.

"We have to do something for these children and we don't know if this [The Opportunity School District] will work, but we just have to try something different," he said.

I believe Ginn is a decent man who wants good public schools. But he is a classic example of politicians on both sides of the aisle who don't look at the long-term implications. Independent professional research says state takeovers of schools improve finance and administration, but not academic performance.

I asked him how taking over their schools is going to help struggling families. I told him I thought if the problem is families - and I believe that's where the roots of our problems with school performance lie - we ought to be doing things to help families.

One problem of many working poor families is poor health and the risk of losing pay, or even a job, for taking sick time. Would you be willing to expand Medicaid to improve health care for these struggling families? No, he said.

Two adults working low-wage jobs, in retail, for example, can't support a family. Their stress and lack of resources has a major impact on children's ability to learn. Would you be willing to raise the minimum wage so those willing to work can support a family? No, he said.

Many of these children in so-called failing schools started off way behind their more affluent peers. Why can't we offer day care and fund more extensive pre-schools? Would you support those efforts? Silence.

If the schools are failing because their families are failing, that usually means the parents are struggling with a multitude of problems, don't have enough money to live decently and can't provide educational enrichment at home. So we're going to take over their schools and have them run by someone in the Governor's office?

We've got to do something different, Ginn told me, which I said was like my car being broken down and him telling me he'll send the government in to fix someone else's truck.

Taking over schools is cheaper than addressing systemic poverty. It makes headlines, but doesn't address the real problem. You don't cure low income by giving people cash. And you don't cure low academic achievement with a state takeover of schools. Why is that so hard to understand?

Myra Blackmon, a local Banner-Herald columnist, works as a freelance writer, consultant and instructional designer.