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2A 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 WANT NEWS? GO TO hhjnews.com 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- DAVID OVERTON JEWELERS 905 Downtown Carroll St. • Perry - 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.” Subscribe today Call 987-1823 •Jewelry Repair & Cleaning •Watch Repair •Engraving •Appraisals •Estate Jewelry •Class Rings Hours: Mon., "Hies., Thurs., Fri 10am-6pm Wed. lOam-lpm LOCAL 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 4 r*a One mile North of Montezuma, Hwy 49 U-Piek 'S 478-472-8767 Zinnias - Sat: B:3oam-6:3opm • Sun l:3opm-6:3opm l0?/slem RED GLOBE Elbertasl PEACHES juiy 2 0 th l Tomatoes, Squash, Shelled Peas, Butter Beans, Okra and Other Fruits and Vegetables . Homemade Peach Ice Cream, Discounted Oil Paintings JUST NAMED ONE OF THE TOP 100 RESTAURANTS IN THE USA! j . GREAT \ tfUJI Cl)5! Sandwich! 1 HOURS: Mon-Thur 11 am-1 Opm; Fri-Sat 11 am-11 pm 1 2507 Moody Road, Warner Robins, GA immMm Y T Specializing In Delicious Food In A Wonderful JVEL Environment With Fast, Friendly Service Moist Turkey Breast, Ham & Bacon - Hot off the grill, topped with melted Provolone Cheese 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. ?0M l fags&jjf- m