Dear Editor: Thank you for Amber’s recent article on dual enrollment opportunities at Georgia Perimeter College.

GPC’s Web site on the dual enrollment program, http://www.gpc.edu/dualenrollment/, includes a white paper with additional details on college-credit earning alternatives for advanced high school students. It includes some information on how state Department of Education policy economically penalizes public schools by not funding students enrolled in post-secondary institutions.

What a shame since providing this added opportunity does require extra effort.

I encourage all parents of college bound high schoolers to start looking at these options by 10th grade. While not for all students, there’s a clear cost savings to families with students spending a semester or two as a commuter student. Room and board costs of $6,000 (ex: UGA) and more are not covered by HOPE.

Thank you very much to the staff at Eastside High School for the additional effort required to guide students and to coordinate the joint enrollment program. We are very fortunate to have a beautiful new GPC campus in our community and be able to add this educational opportunity for our students.

Laura Godfrey

Social Circle