About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 2017)
Friday, August 4,2017 Lake Oconee News Page A3 GREENE COUNTY Greene County BOE approves LOA plan to admit students Katherine Klimt katherine@lakeconeenews.us In a called meeting on the evening of Wednesday, July 26, the Greene County Board of Education met to discuss upcoming long- range plans for the district and approve a memoran dum of understanding that resolves the ongoing enrollment controversy at Lake Oconee Academy. The memorandum, which commits LOA to enroll five students who had not offi cially established residency in Greene County prior to the April lottery, passed 3-2 with Velicia Cobb and Clarence Hunt, Jr. in oppo sition. The first item under dis cussion was the strategic planning process, currently underway in communi ty input meetings around the county. The first such meeting was held on Tuesday, Aug. 1, and the next two were scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. at the Greensboro First United Methodist Church and Tuesday, Aug. 8 at the Anita White Carson Middle School in Greensboro. The location of the first meeting in the Reynolds Lake Oconee gated com munity was a cause of some consternation, as Cobb explained: ‘We talk big about transparency, but [when citizens have to reserve spots] it sends a bad message. Citizens feel like they should be welcome.” BOE chairman Mike Lynch contested the idea that either the location or RSVP policy of the meeting were designed to be exclu sionary, sayingthatthe three planned meetings cover all areas of the county and that “Lake people count, too.” In addition to the three public meetings, citizens can also voice their opinion via an online survey available on the Greene County School System website. During the public comment portion of the meeting, several residents took the floor to express their concerns. Susan Dufford praised the board for deciding to hold the meetings, but said that they needed to more aggressively publicize how to access the online survey for the benefit of interested citizens. Katrina Breeding re iterated Cobb’s disquiet with the location of the input meetings, agreeing that “Lake people matter,” but also saying that “so do people outside of that [area]. Transparency and the appearance of being open and fair matters . . . the message it sends is that you are not a part of this community.” She went on to stress that the board has an obligation to educate all children within the county equally and urged them to take their own power seriously: “I want all our children to succeed, and they’re all equally import ant. You’re very powerful because you can determine what happens [within the schools]. Use your power wisely as it is intended to be used.” The memorandum of understanding between the BOE and LOA was not subject to a public hearing during the meeting, but it proved controversial among board members. Hunt voiced his opposition to the measure, saying that he didn’t “feel it was appropri ate to circumvent Georgia law and approve these students.” Lynch disagreed that the agreement violated state law and that it had been approved by the state, and pointed to the affected students’ innocence in the whole ordeal: ‘We have five kids who through no fault of their own got caught up in a misunderstanding.” Cobb echoed Hunt’s dis content and asked why the state of Georgia, if it approves of the enrollment of the students at LOA under the auspices of an academic pilot program, does not take on the burden of developing that program itself rather than placing it on LOA. Lynch responded that the state does subsidize each student who goes to a Greene County school but that the education of the students falls squarely upon the local district: “This is our county, our students, and our responsibility.” The BOE will receive the usual per-pupil state funding but will not pass that along to LOA. LOA will fund the pilot program itself. In other news: The board approved a request to fund a transcrip- tionist position to assist in the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The position is being opened because the ongoing attempt by the board to find a certified American sign language interpreter has thus far been fruitless. The transcriptionist, who would use dictation software to facilitate students’ access to educational materials, would be employed until a qualified interpreter can be found. MORGAN COUNTY Local Student chosen as 2017 New Century Farmer participant Jay Moon of Buckhead, was selected to participate in the 2017 New Century Farmer conference July 16-22 in Johnston, Iowa. Moon is one of 50 out standing young people rep resenting 21 states who will participate in the program. This exclusive, highly com petitive program develops young men and women committed to pursuing a career in production agri culture. Moon, who attends Georgia Military College, will take part in a series of workshops and sessions during the conference. Topics will include the global marketplace, farm financ ing, demographic trends and risk management. New Century farmers will hear from motivating and infor mative keynote speakers who will educate them on the risks and rewards involved with production agriculture. In addition to classroom learning, students will experience the latest developments in agri cultural technology. The New Century Farmer conference is sponsored by DuPont Pioneer, Case IH, CSX Corporation and Farm Credit, along with media partner Successful Farming. The program is designed to provide participants with valuable skills and knowl edge applicable to their own farming operations. They will build a network of col leagues that will benefit them throughout their careers. In addition, partic ipants will walk away with a vision statement for their operations. The National FFA Orga nization is a national youth organization of 649,355 student members as part of 7,859 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Wreck Continued from A1 on $2,650 property bonds. The arrest is required by law and normal procedure was followed, Sills said, noting the “second degree” is a misdemeanor charge. Rhodes’ younger son, Adam, 14, also was a pas senger in the vehicle at the time of the wreck, and was taken to the hospital, but recovered from his injuries shortly after. The 21-year- old driver of the other vehicle was also hospital ized at the time, and now recovered. We know Water Filtration IT’S ALL WE DO! • Proudly serving the Lake Area for over 25 years • Widest range of quality products to meet any budget • Service plans available to meet YOUR needs • Let us inspect/service your existing system Household WATER SPECIALIST • WATER FILTRATION • % 706-453-1151 /a* householdwater.com ® WE FIX BAD WATER! Why be a member? NO monthly service fees. Call us to become a member. /4 PINNACLE CREDIT UNION 1076 Lake Oconee Pkwy. I Eatonton, Ga. 31024 I 706-485-2039 www.pinnaclecu.org L-R: Lisa Shuman, Mark Blanton and Mitzi Beussee Greensboro Jewelers celebrating 25 th Anniversary in downtown Greensboro In 1992, Mark Blanton was scouting locations to open a retail jewelry store. He was consid ering Greensboro after passing through the town many times on his jewelry sales route, noting a solid business district and a proximity to Lake Oconee. At that time, the Greensboro business landscape looked very different than it does to day. Mark approached several business owners to get their feedback: Zandra Roper at The Country House, Wayne Usry at Greensboro Tire, and finally, Carey Williams, the editor and publisher of The Herald Journal. Based on their positive input, Mark put his business plan together and opened in August of’92. Today, after 25 years in business, owner Mark Blanton says that while times may have changed, the core values that he established then still apply today: earn the customer’s trust, provide great customer service along with a quality product, treat everyone fairly (em ployees included), and stay committed to the success of the entire Greensboro business community. To celebrate their Silver Anniversary, Mark and his employees at Greensboro Jewelers invite everyone to stop in during August to register for a daily gift card drawing as well as a grand prize drawing for a $5000 diamond neck lace. In recognition of 25 years of business, the en tire inventory is 25-50% off, including diamond jewelry, watches, and all their popular lines like Uno de 50, LaFonn, and John Medeiros. Mark travels often to Antwerp, Belgium, to buy diamonds direct, and he will be traveling there again in October. Now is a great time to stop in to discuss your diamond requests and register for the draw ings. Mark, Lisa, Mitzi, and BreAnna will be happy to assist you, whether you want to customize a piece of jewelry or need a special occasion gift.
