Newspaper Page Text
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2006
High school parking permits going on sale
Special to the Journal
Houston County public high schools are
selling parking permits to students this
summer. Details are provided below:
Houston County Career &
Technical Center
Parking permits are sold once school
begins at a cost of $lO.
Houston County High School
Due to construction of the new parking
lot, only a limited number of permits will be
issued before school begins. After the new
lot is completed, additional permits will be
issued. Permits will be sold to seniors on
a first-come, first-serve basis. Additionally,
students who have zero period, work-out,
Commissioner provides
hurricane answers
Special to the Journal
The following is a ques
tion and answer column
from Georgia Insurance and
Fire Commissioner John
Oxendine
Q: If a hurricane should
strike Georgia, would my
standard homeowners
policy provide enough
coverage, or should I pur
chase extra insurance?
A: Hurricane season began
June 1 and runs through the
end of November; September
is the month they are statis
tically most likely to occur.
While Georgia has been
spared a major hurricane
for the past 100 years, that
doesn’t mean we’ll continue
to avoid them.
You should check your
insurance policies annually
to be sure you have adequate
coverage.
Coastal residents face the
most danger if a hurricane
strikes, and they should be
prepared to evacuate in the
event of a serious threat.
Even those citizens who
don’t live on the coast may
face the hazards of strong
winds, heavy rain and inland
flooding.
To protect your home and
other property from the
PFD
From page 1A
training; staffing and
response; and growth.
It was recommended by
Singletary that a committee
be set up to review the capa
bilities of the department
and for personnel to be eval
uated periodically and annu
ally. “The department has
a lack of manpower, which
inhibits it from taking full
advantage of The Incident
Command System,” said
Singletary. “There needs to
be at least two chief officers
in the department in case
of two structure fires at the
same time or for a large
scale emergency.”
Singletary also recom
mended that the department
increase its staff from four
personnel to 14-16 on duty
for each shift.
Singletary advised the
department should have
enough personnel on duty
to staff two engines; one
with four personnel, one
with three, and one ladder
with four personnel. “There
should also be one rescue
with two personnel and a
command staff of three per
sonnel,” he said. “The total
department should have at
least 50 personnel.”
“A couple more people per
shift would let us do a lot
more things,” said Interim
Fire Chief Frank Fennel
at the meeting. “If we had
two new stations tomorrow
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early release, or who attend an off campus
facility will be allowed to purchase permits.
Parking permits will be sold in the atten
dance office on these dates:
July 24, 8 a.m.-noon.
July 25, 8 a.m.-noon.
July 26, 8 a.m.-noon.
July 27, 8 a.m.-noon.
The cost is $35. To purchase a permit, stu
dents must not have any unpaid fines and
must have: current vehicle registration card
which is issued with the vehicle’s license
plate; current driver’s license; $35 in cash,
check, or money order payable to Houston
County High School.
Seniors who do not receive a parking per
mit when initial permits are sold may be
placed on a waiting list July 24-27. Juniors
may also sign up for the waiting list July
24-27.
After the new parking lot is completed,
financial impact of destruc
tive storms, a homeowners
policy tailored to your par
ticular needs is your best
option. Business owners
should consider business
interruption coverage, as
well as having a policy to
cover the physical assets of
a business.
After Katrina many busi
nesses were unprepared for
the weeks or months it took
to get back up and running..
You can discuss your insur
ance needs with a reputable
insurance agent. Renters
should consider a policy to
cover their personal belong
ings; the landlord’s policy
generally will not cover the
loss of a tenant’s possessions.
Flooding from heavy rain or
storm surge is a real pos
sibility.
Policies for mobile or
manufactured homes may
include coverage for flood
damage, unlike standard
home policies; owners of
traditional site-built homes
can purchase federal flood
coverage in addition to their
regular coverage.
Flood damage to auto
mobiles would be covered
under the comprehensive
portion of an auto policy.
we could not staff them. It
would take three years for
them to gain enough experi
ence to handle it.”
Currently there is no
full time training officer.
Singletary recommended
a full time training officer
used as command staff. A
training facility is in need of
being built as well, accord
ing to the survey
Singletary also noted the
recurring theme throughout
the PFD, was: “good, hard
workers.”
They get the job done, but
they are hindered by the lack
of manpower and experience,
he said. City Council decided
not to fund volunteers and
part time firefighters in this
year’s budget, cutting down
the available firefighters to
respond to fires, adding to
the manpower shortage.
The employees also lacked
knowledge of their own ben
efit packages, Singletary
added, only knowing they
had to be 65 to retire.
Warner Robins firefight
ers may retire at 55, so it
was recommended the PFD
lower their age as it makes
the department more com
petitive and those above 55
are less likely to meet the
physical demands of being a
firefighter.
The review of the depart
ment’s apparatus shows a lot
of quality equipment in need
of better care. In-house test
ing, inspecting, and repair
would benefit the depart
ment, it was noted.
“We intend to do more in-
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-
One important factor to con
sider is whether you want
actual cash value coverage
or replacement cost cover
age. With actual cash value,
you will receive only the cur
rent value of an item when
you file a claim.
In other words, you’ll get
only “used” prices for your
furniture, TY etc.
With replacement cost
coverage, your claim amount
will be enough to purchase
new items.
An accurate record of your
possessions will be invalu
able if you need to file a
claim with your insurance
company, so make a list of
covered items such as furni
ture, electronics, and other
valuables.
A photographic or video
tape record is a good idea.
Keep copies of the list or
photos in a safe place out
side your home, such as a
safe deposit box.
Send your insurance
questions to: Insurance
Commissioner John
Oxendine; 716 West Tower;
2 Martin Luther King Jr.
Drive; Atlanta, Georgia
30334. Or call 404-656-2070
or toll free at 1-800-656-
2298.
house training utilizing the
WRFD,” Fennel said.
As far as support services,
Singletary recommended
that at least one person per
shift be trained in fire cause
determination and arson
investigation. Currently, the
PFD uses the state to per
form fire and arson investi
gations.
With the growth of the city
being in land mass rather
than population, Singletary
noted that: “Perry has the
unique opportunity to be
proactive.” Perry can get
ahead of the projected popu
lation growth. He said that
Warner Robins is playing
catch-up, trying to keep up
with the population and
business growth.
Grants are available for
funding of these new stations
and the hiring of new per
sonnel by the Department
of Homeland Security and
other federal agencies, it
was also pointed out. WRFD
has received four of the five
grants it has applied for and
offered Perry the assistance
of its in-house grant writer.
“I really take my hat off
to the assistance we have
received here in Houston
County,” said Chief George
Potter, “I can see why (the
WRFD) is top notch.”
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the remaining permits will be issued to
those on the waiting list with seniors given
first priority.
Northskle High School
Parking permits will be sold:
July 24, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. to seniors only
July 25, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. to seniors and
juniors only
July 26, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., to seniors,
juniors and sophomores
July 27, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. to any student
The cost is $32. Applications may be picked
up in the front office from 7:30 a.m. until
3:30 p.m. To purchase a parking space, stu
dents must have proof of insurance, driver’s
license, $32, and the completed application,
including parent’s signature.
Parking spaces are sold on a first-come,
first-serve basis. Spaces will not be held for
State releases AYP reports
Majority of Houston County
schools meet or exceed goals
Special to the Journal
The Georgia Department of Education
released the 2005-2006 Adequate Yearly
Progress report this past week.
AYP measures the improvement a school
has made toward meeting state academic
standards.
Thirty (88 percent) of Houston County s
34 schools met AYP standards. This
compares favorably with the state s
78.7 percent AYP performance.
Northside Elementary and Northside
Middle missed making AYP by the perfor
mance of one subgroup in one subject. The
AYP status of Perry High and Northside
High was affected by the performance of
two subgroups. All four schools have plans
for improvement and are already working
toward making AYP in 2006-2007. Twenty
of Houston County’s 21 elementary schools
made AYE
This is especially noteworthy because
the tests used to measure AYP reflected a
new, more rigorous curriculum.
Two schools - Perry Middle and Thomson
Middle - improved their status over last
year by achieving AYE even with the
tougher curriculum.
At the high school level, a higher per
centage of students had to pass math
and English for the school to make
AYR Even with this year s higher stan
dards, more of our schools achieved AYR
said Superintendent Danny Carpenter.
Although making AYP is important to
our district, there are many other factors
we use to measure our accomplishments.
We are especially pleased with our high
school science and social studies scores on
the Georgia High School Graduation Test.
Our GHSGT system-wide results show
that the number of students eligible for
graduation increased, giving more stu
dents the opportunity to graduate.
In addition, he added, the majority of
our schools showed significant improve
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
those who do not have all of their informa
tion or for students who do not have their
permanent driver’s license.
Perry High School
Permits will be sold beginning Aug. 7 for
S3O. To purchase a permit, students must
not have any unpaid fines and must have:
current vehicle registration card which is
issued with the vehicle’s license plate; cur
rent driver’s license; S3O in cash, check, or
money order.
Warner Robins High School
Parking permits will be sold for $35 on:
July 24, 8 a.m.-noon to seniors only
July 25,8 a.m.-noon to seniors and juniors
only
July 26, 8 a.m.-noon to any student
ment. We will not be satisfied, however,
until all of our schools meet or exceed the
highest academic standards. For AYP pur
poses, schools are judged based on three
criteria:
1) participation rate with at least 95
percent of students tested;
2) academic performance as measured
by minimum test scores for each subgroup,
categorized by ethnicity, disability, English
proficiency and socioeconomic status in
math and reading/language arts
■ for elementary and middle schools,
Criterion-Referenced Competency Test
scores in math and reading/language arts
■ for high schools, the Georgia High
School Graduation Test in math and lan
guage arts; and
3) attendance for elementary or middle
schools; graduation rate for high schools.
Schools are required to test subgroups
of either 40 students or 10 percent of the
assessed student population, whichever is
greater. A subgroup, however, can be no
larger than 75 students.
Schools are required to test at least 95
percent of the students in the respective
subgroups. At a minimum, the following
percentage must pass the test for each
subgroup:
■ 58.3 percent on the CRCT in grades
3-8 for math,
■ 66.7 percent on the CRCT for grades
3-8 in reading/language arts,
■ 68.6 percent on the GHSGT in math,
and
■84.7 percent on the GHSGT in English/
language arts.
In 2006, a higher percentage of students
had to pass the GHSGT in English and
math in order for high schools to meet the
academic goals. For example, last year 62.3
percent of the students within each sub
group were required to pass the math por
tion of the GHSGT, and 81.6 percent had to
pass the English/Language Arts test.
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