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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
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From page lA
holds a special place in
my heart,” Melnick said.
“Education has always
been a passion, a passion to
serve.”
Geldreich, an art teacher
and advocate for arts educa
tion said his “main belief
is: Teach the children - not
‘teaching the test.’” He also
noted that students par
ticipating in arts programs
did better on standardized
tests.
Wilson, who has served on
the board for 12 years, said,
“the key word is service to
the community. I believe in
family. Everything we do
should be centered towards
family.”
Clements, who has been
on the board for four years,
has changed the school sys
tem administration, making
it, he said, a friendlier place
now. He also said the board
has changed its bid process
and now uses a standardized
school construction plan. He
said his engineering back
ground has been very help
ful with the SPLSOT build
ing fund. “I really would like
to be re-elected to see this
through,” he said.
Swecker, the father of
seven, said safety in the
schools is his focus. “My
daughter has been assaulted
at Miller Elementary due to
the faulty administration
there.” She has been trans
ferred to another school he
is much happier with.
“As a member of the board
of education,” Swecker said
to voters, “you have 150 per
cent of my attention. I can
talk the talk and walk the
walk.”
Yasmin said he is very
happy with the school sys
tem and wants to bring his
ideas to improve the gap in
math and English scores.
“I’ve got a passion for educa
tion,” he said, “that’s what
I do. I want to take system
to the next level. I think it’s
time for a change.”
Walker said he has served
the county for 23 years in
the state House and as coun
ty commissioner. He noted
concern about air quality,
supports a privately funded
hotel/conference center and
a homestead exemption for
those 65 and up.
“I am very conservative
with the taxpayer’s money,”
Walker said. “I have never
voted for a tax increase.”
Braswell, a 38-year coun
ty resident is retired from
the Air Force and Robins
Air Fore Base. He said he
LOTTERY
From page iA
them for the lottery.
Parents may register their
child between March 1 and
March 30, 2007, making
them eligible for the lottery
selection. Once registration
closes, a computer program
will be used to randomly fill
the available slots at each
school. Parents will be noti
fied by mail whether they
were selected or not by the
end of April 2007.
The board approved
the new procedure dur
ing Tuesday’s board meet-
GRANT
From page iA
funding option, opportunity
zones, which would come in
on top of existing enterprise
and retail zones, would help
businesses maximize job tax
credits - $3,500 in this area.
She said Ocilla is the only
one in the state so far to take
NAMES
From page iA
for seven years, will be prin
cipal of the new Lake Joy
Elementary.
He will transfer from his
current role as the principal
of Quail Run Elementary.
When the new school opens,
the current Lake Joy will be
renamed Lake Joy Primary
School. Melanie Loggins will
be the principal at Lake Joy
Primary. Loggins currently
serves as the principal at
Lake Joy Elementary. She
has been attending County
Commission meetings for
the past three years and
“arrived at the conclusion
the average person has no
representation. I decided to
get off my butt and do some
thing.”
Braswell said he supports
impact fees as a way to fund
infrastructure improve
ments needed due to rapid
growth. “Want is one thing,
need is another,” he said
referring to the budget,
which he said need to be
closely looked at. “If elected
I will not accept any appoint
ments to the bank board or
be a part of any land deals,”
he promised.
Q&A
Not all of the candidates
were asked all of the ques
tions. Some were candidate
or district specific.
Q: Do you have plans for
tutoring and after school
programs and should
students attend schools
near their homes?
“My plans do not include
that, but at the state level
there are plans for that,”
Brown said of after school
tutoring and programs.
“Yes indeed,” she said to
attending schools near their
homes. “If a status quo must
be maintained, why at the
expense of students and
families?”
Melnick said, “We already
provide after school pro
grams. If need be, we can
look into enhancing the
tutoring programs.”
Brown noted “the after
school programs are not
free. It costs money to par
ticipate.”
Melnick said I believe in
students going to the schools
near their homes, but atten
dance zones have to be
restructured every time we
open a new school to pre
vent overcrowding and meet
federal criteria to provide an
equitable education for all
students.
Q: How should the
board address school
safety?
Geldreich said the school
board should take a proac
tive stand and listen to the
community. “I can attest to
the measure put in place,”
he said. “However there is
much room for improvement
- the work is not done.”
Wilson said, “the board
has already taken proactive
steps and trained educa
tors to be on the lookout.
We have teams together to
respond and have involved
officials from the Perry
Police, Centerville Police,
Warner Robins Police and
Houston County Sheriffs
ing after hearing Frankie
Ross, coordinator of Pre-K,
after school, health and PE,
describe the process used
previously.
“For many years now we
have used the first come,
first serve enrollment meth
od and parents began camp
ing out the night before the
registration day,” Ross said.
“Parents, however, have
now started camping out
the Friday night before the
Monday registration.
“This creates a situation
that is not equitable to all
parents. A lottery is the fair
est process we can use.”
She added that school sys
advantage of it.
The opportunity zones,
Katsikides said, “help amp
up the downtown area.”
Megan Smith from the
Perry Chamber of Commerce
and Perry Mayor Jim Worrall
expressed interest in bring
ing an opportunity zone to
Perry.
Another DCA plan in the
beginning stages, Katsikides
has been with the Houston
County schools for 22 years.
Hilltop Elementary will
also open next fall. Harold
Sapp, principal of Perry
Primary School, will trans
fer to the principal position
at Hilltop. He has been with
the Houston County School
System for 25 years.
Paige Reaves was approved
for an administrative trans
fer to the position of princi
pal at Mossy Creek Middle
School. Reaves is current
ly the principal at Feagin
Mill Middle School and has
worked for the HCBOE for
Office.”
Wilson said there are also
dress codes in place so those
who are not students can be
easily identified.
Q: What can be done
about the low graduation
rates for children with
disabilities?
Clements said “we’re
implementing new pro
grams everyday. The admin
istrative staff addresses this.
We’re doing all we can. We
can do more.”
Swecker said, “it starts at
the elementary level. You
can’t start in high school.
It has to start with moral
ity and integrity. When you
have administrators without
morality and integrity them
selves you can’t do it.”
“You can’t continue to
teach the test,” Swecker
said. “You’ve got to put a
true effort in to be true to
the children.”
Yasmin said, “parents
should be involved. If not
there is a gap in the level of
communication. It is very
crucial. We need to come up
with after school programs
for the students in need.
With parents and teach
ers’ involvement it can be
done.”
Q: What do you think
about no child left
behind and failing school
status?
Melnick said, “the intent
of the law is good - making
sure all children receive an
equitable education is what
we’re about.”
She said a pending change
in the law would alleviate
some of the problems the
school system is having with
the law.
Wilson said, “every child
should be educated to the
level they can. I look for the
law to be amended so we can
meet the intent of the law.
I support it to the fullest
extent possible.”
Swecker said “no child left
behind has at least given an
avenue to children failing.
There’s a disparity between
schools - by no stretch of the
imagination is it the same at
every school.”
“We can make every school
equal if we put the people
in place to do it.” Swecker
said. “We’ve gotta take the
politics out. It’s for the chil
dren.”
Yasmin said, “we should
support it. I don’t want chil
dren left behind I want them
out front as leaders.”
Geldreich said he agreed
“with the good intentions,
but we know where the road
paved with good intentions
leads. I think the law is
seriously flawed. I think it
terns the size and makeup of
Houston County use the lot
tery system.
The HCBOE Technology
Department will use a ran
dom number selection pro
gram to fill the Pre-K slots
allotted to each school.
The following link explains
the programming technique
that will randomly generate
numbers and assign a prior
ity sequence for the lottery,
based on the database built
during registration: http://
www.as4oopro.com/servlet/
sql.tipView?key= 193&categ
ory=RPG. To be eligible for
Pre-K, a child must be 4 on
or before Sept. 1.
said, is a benefit for people
who work at a military base.
She said a grant of up to
$7,500 would be available
for lower income employees
(GS-7 or lower) to buy a
home.
Katsikides said the details
are still being worked out,
but said the program “shows
really good commitment to
the base.”
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should not be revised but
completely rewritten.”
He said, “may schools
focus on that line and that’s
all. The ones left behind are
the excellent students who
have no place to excel.”
Brown said, “it’s unfor
tunate government had to
waste taxpayer dollars to
ensure children get an equi
table education. Right her in
Warner Robins we have left
some children behind, those
with special needs. Look at
Crossroads our alternative
education. If they’re not left
behind then I don’t know
who is.”
“Why? It’s about the
almighty dollar. That’s why,”
Brown said.
Wilson said, “the school
system has set performance
goals and set a time to meet
ing those goals for the 2013-
14 school year.”
Brown said “the federal
government mandated the
goals for 2013-14.
Q: What assets should
the Board of Education
give a school that does
not meet the Annual
Yearly Performance stan
dards?
“I don’t think it’s neces
sarily more money,” Brown
said. “Parents have to be
held accountable. If we do
not take an active role it
doesn’t matter what we
spend. The people in charge
are not going to fail. It’s the
parents who have failed.”
Melnick said “look at why
they are failing, then target
that for the next year. A lot
of times it’s one problem.”
The former school system
administrator said “we set
up tier funding - resources
and funds, for the schools
and professional learning
for the teachers.”
Q: What is the No. 1
problem in schools?
Geldreich said safety.
Not only sidewalks to the
schools, but also what goes
on in the schools. We need
to address how we address
problems with students.”
Wilson said safety is a con
cern but the No. 1 problem is
growth. “Fortunately voters
have allowed us to meet this
problem with the SPLSOT,
unfortunately then comes
that lovely word rezon
ing, something we have to
address with the opening of
new schools.”
Q: Do all schools receive
the same funding and
why are some schools
identified as schools of
excellence while others
aren’t?
Clements said, “I don’t
know why some are schools
of excellence. We do funding
SUSPECT
From page iA
with armed robbery, pos
session of a firearm by a
convicted felon and pos
session of a firearm dur
ing the commission of the
crime.
He is currently being
held at the Houston
County Detention Center
without bond.
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at different levels because
of different needs at each of
the 32 schools.”
Yasmin said, “all schools
should be funded equally. To
become excellent is not done
overnight It takes time.
Failure is the same. We need
to study why schools succeed
and excel or fail.”
Q: Will Houston County
ever fund a school of the
performing arts?
Brown said, “it depends
on if the taxpayers want to
fund it.”
Melnick said, “I’d like to
be a part of the team that
decides,” but added it is not
likely. “Each high school
deserves the opportunity for
arts education.”
Geldreich said, “I hope so,
one day. It will take baby
steps.”
Wilson said “within every
school we have a performing
arts program now. Northside
and Warner Robins are
award winning.”
Clements said, “I don’t
think we’re ready for it. We
have excellent programs in
our schools.”
Swecker said, “there’s a
lot of other areas to clean
up first. All the high schools
have wonderful programs.”
Yasmin said “as an econo
mist, if there it can be a
value to the community let’s
do it, but if not then no.”
Q&A District 2 County
Commission candidates
Q: Will you support
more funding for health
care?”
Walker said, “without a
doubt. All citizens deserve
healthcare. The county sup
ports the health department,
but we don’t do enough to
support all the agencies.”
Braswell said “healthcare
is very important, especially
for senior citizens. Yes, I’m
in favor of supporting it if
we can.”
Q: How will the SPLOST
money be spent?
Walker said the SPLOST
allocation was specified
in the referendum voters
approved. It mandated how
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anti for what the projects the
money would be spent.
Braswell said we have to
look at what’s necessary.
What part of the budget
should get he biggest and
smallest slices of the pie.”
Walker said 85 percent of
the 2006 SPLOST was gong
to transportation projects
with 40 percent of that going
to build roads and sidewalks
to the schools.
Braswell said, “we were
misled on the SPLOST.
We’ve got to get impact fees
on these multimillion dol
lar developments causing all
the growth.”
Q: Are there any illegal
aliens working for the
county?
“I hope not,” Walker said.
“As far as I know none are
working in Houston County
government.”
Q: Is there a need for a
convention and confer
ence center?
“With out a doubt, Walker
said. We need a hotel con
ference center. But I’m not
talking about using taxpayer
dollars to fund it. We need a
diversified economy and this
would be part of that.”
Braswell said, “no, we can’t
afford it. We can’t afford it
to lose money. If somebody
wants to do on private funds
then they can pay for it.”
Walker said, “I support it
being done by private inter
ests, with support from the
county.”
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