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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Candidate learn about the job By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Kathy Brown, a candidate for the District 2 school board seat in Houston County, said, “even if I wasn’t running I’d of been there.” Brown and 10 other candi dates for public office came to Middle Georgia Technical College recently for a primer by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and the Georgia School Boards Association on the issues and workings of school boards. Brown was the only Houston candidate of the 11 in attendance. The mostly school board candidates, with one state House candidate, were from all over the state including Milledgeville, Baxley, Ellijay and counties of Appling, Baldwin, and Gilmer, Marion and Pike. Brown, an active parent at Houston County High School, faces Marianne Melnick, former assistant school superintendent, for Jim Boswell’s District 2 seat on the Houston County Board of Education. Boswell is not seeking re-election. The non-partisian election will be Nov. 7. The stop at Middle Georgia Tech was added on following the first round of 11 semi nars presented across the state for candidates in June. Bill Sampson, a retired educator and member of the Georgia School Boards Association, explained to Gardners should consider planting winter cover chop By Bob Westerfield University of Georgia Fall is arriving at last. When the first frost wields the final blow to our sum mer vegetable bounty, many gardeners just let the plants die out and leave the soil exposed. But there’s a much bet ter idea: Consider planting a winter cover crop. Often called green manures, cover crops are an economical way to both pro tect and build the soil. Their nice green color looks pretty good, too, when most things are drab and brown. Cover crops are usually a grass or legume such as clo ver, planted on the garden site to help hold and build the soil. You can use both summer and winter cover crops for either season. For now, though, let’s focus on the winter type. Growing cover crops offers many benefits: ■ Reduced erosion. ■ Improved soil structure and reduced surface crust ing. ■ Increased water-holding capacity of the soil. ■ Reduced winter weed growth. ■ Reduced herbicide inju ry- ■ Winter hardpan pen etration, improving the soil for the crop that follows. ■ Added nitrogen if the cover crop is a legume. Types There are two general types of cover crops, legu minous and nonleguminous. Leguminous cover crops, such as vetch and clover, add nitrogen to the soil. Nonleguminous ones, such as wheat and rye, don’t fix nitrogen but are preferred on erosive soils. Crimson clover is probably the most commonly used and most desirable of the [Frank’s Golf Car Center! SALES, SERVICE, & RENTALS ■puff .- ] 1 "T—WW ‘■-'«i. >■ " -■ ■mbwm|||ii mbSP HjHyl 4 jaaSkuM^HU IMiife (MT (SggOaiOa? | 1237 Watson Blvd. Warner Robins, Ga 31093 Phone: 478-918-0680 Fax: 478-918-0580 Cell: 478-396-5157 • 1-866-800-7722 auw./ranA s(/01/oa teen le r . oom those present how school boards are set up and the responsibilities of board members, both he and fel low GSBA member Zenda Bowie reminded the candi dates their job is to hire a school superintendent and their only authority is when you meet as the board, act ing in open session. Sampson said, “you are charged to manage and con trol the school system not to run it but just to make sure it is run well.” Stephen Dolinger, the Partnership president, emphasized graduation rates. Students who don’t complete high school not only shortchange themselves with lesser earning power, but shortchange the commu nity because their reduced buying power leads to a loss of revenue for local busi nesses, he said. He said the compounded impacts of not competing high school include unem ployment and the subse quent increased costs for government support as well as lost opportunities for con tinued employment and the need to import college and technical school graduates to fill job vacancies. For the 2004-2005 school year, the state average grad uation rate was 66 percent. The highest graduation rate was 95 in the Commerce City School System and the lowest was the state schools - at prisons - at clovers grown for a cover crop. It matures earlier and produces more nitrogen and dry matter earlier than most other clovers. An excellent crop of crim son clover can produce up to 120 pounds of nitrogen per acre, and 30 to 50 pounds is common. Nonleguminous cover crops (rye, ryegrass and wheat) have several advan tages. For one thing, they cost less to get established than a leguminous crop. They provide longer and better erosion control, too, because they grow more in the winter and have fibrous root systems. Their major disadvantage is that they don’t fix nitro gen and usually require some nitrogen fertilizer when you plant them. Plant early It’s important to plant cover crops early to estab lish early root growth before cold weather comes. This helps the crop better survive a hard winter. Plant legumes in mid-September to mid- October and grasses in early October to mid-November. A soil test from your coun ty University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent will tell you how much lime, phosphate and potash your cover crop needs. If your soil needs lime, phosphate or potash, apply them in the fall just before preparing the seedbed. If you’re growing a legume cover crop, don’t add a heavy nitrogen fertilizer. However, treat the seed with the cor rect nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This inoculant is important to ensure good germination. Prepare the seedbed the same way you did for your spring garden. Either remove or till in old Crops, working the soil while it is slightly moist but not wet 6 percent. According to the Office of Student achieve ment Houston County had a 78-percent graduation rate, one of the highest in Middle Georgia. Bleckley County was next at 77 percent, Dodge County at 71 percent, Pulaski at 70 percent and Peach County at 67 percent. Falling below the state aver age in Middle Georgia were Jones County at 65 perecnt, Monroe County at 64 per cent, Crawford County at 63 percent, 59 percent for Crisp and Bibb counties, 56 per cent for Twiggs County and Dublin City schools and 44 percent in Dooly County. mm £*4^ m Wfs f"~f figujw 1 HjPwY mPBInAnBI Wll •Jsk fnKul I S—4 W 1 . jff fjj&rwra L mmmi I f Jifsa &U V 2/ u (J 1j \g/3 0 Middle G«orgl, EMC Jl - Utt RA MA D A ,4ft ■■■frjfflw ruGs* ._.g« «l Hk Ik w '-■ ' ; Hk 1 ■ym gHHhtth ■WWtfj&M& i-iLafe. -riSStefcL ” tSP- . | . .;> v/.jpl High Performance LASIK / Faster Visual Recovery ✓ Safer, Blade-Free Technology ✓Unsurpassed LASIK Experience With faster recovery time - combined with unsurpassed safety and precision - it’s no wonder Dr. Eisner’s CustomVue® IntraLase® procedure is the preferred LASIK procedure for the military. Call Eisner Laser Center today at 405-2020 to schedule your complimentary consultation. Unmatched experience, unsurpassed results. 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