GED impasse ends at the right place: the city jail

Lemme get this straight.

Inmates in the Virginia Beach jail haven't been able to take GED prep classes since June because of internecine bickering over the princely sum of - wait for it - $6,600.

This, in the best-run city in America.

Embarrassing.

Look, a GED is hardly a ticket to success and prosperity these days. But for someone with a criminal record, nabbing the equivalent of a high school diploma is a step in the right direction.

It's hard enough for ex-cons to find employment once they're released. Imagine trying to land a job without even a GED.

The program, which was funded by the public schools and the sheriff's department with the cost split 75 and 25 percent, respectively, was scrapped last summer after fees were hiked. Educators found their share of the increase but the sheriff balked at his far-smaller portion, effectively extinguishing the project.

After The Pilot ran a story Sunday about the standoff, Sheriff Ken Stolle backpedaled. He announced that he's found the funds in the inmate canteen.

When I talked to him Monday, the sheriff expressed skepticism about the classes and said he'd re-evaluate the enterprise next year after a committee of educators and law enforcement types studied the situation and analyzed data.

"This needs to be more than a feel-good exercise," Stolle said of the course that taught life skills and résumé-writing in addition to test preparation. "I need to see recidivism rates and pass ratios. We had only a one-third pass rate when this was operating."

While Stolle's numbers are correct, there's another way to look at it.

Over the past five years, 901 Beach inmates were enrolled in the GED program. A total of 362 took the exam and 286 passed. That's a success rate of about 79 percent. But what happened to the 539 inmates who spent time in the classes but didn't take the test?

Bonnie Mizenko, director of the city's Adult Learning Center, said some had such poor reading skills that they weren't ready. Others were released before the test was given. Some inmates were transferred to other correctional facilities where they continued to prepare.

At least 42 took the exam elsewhere. And passed.

The indisputable fact is that about 328 inmates received their GEDs because of this joint program between the schools and the jail. Are they less likely to re-offend than their certificate-less cell mates? Common sense says yes, but hard numbers won't be available for years.

School Board Chairman Dan Edwards - an enthusiastic supporter of the jailhouse program - said he was not aware that the classes had been canceled until the newspaper began making inquiries. Edwards said he immediately phoned the sheriff.

"I said, 'Ken, we have a gnat between us,' " he recalled.

The two men met Monday to talk about the funding impasse.

"It's crazy that anything of any importance would be stopped because of $6,600," Edwards said.

When told that the sheriff questioned the value of the classes, Edwards seemed incredulous.

"Intuitively, you know it must do something," he said. "If you look at thedownstream cost of notputting a few tools in thetoolbox of inmates, itmakes sense to offerthis."

Sure, the School Board could have coughed up the sheriff's portion of the dough. But it ought to come from the jail. The Virginia Beach public schools have served as the city's piggy bank long enough. Jail administrators should not try to shake out a few thousand bucks, too. Frankly, money budgeted for K-12 education shouldn't be diverted to inmates.

Neither the sheriff nor educators could predict when the GED program would be running again.

Those of us law-abiding types who'd prefer not to become victims of crime hope it's soon.

Kerry Dougherty, (757) 446-2306, kerry.dougherty@cox.net, PilotOnline.com/dougherty