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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009
Jefferson BOE approves payment
for construction work at Academy
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE JEFFERSON Board
of Education approved sev
eral payments for work at
its facilities at Thursday’s
monthly meeting.
The board unanimously
approved a negotiated change
order totaling $17,298 to
McKnight Construction
Company for work at Jefferson
Academy. The change order
was negotiated down from
$27,133.
The change order was nec
essary due to restrictions that
were placed on McKnight
by the Quad Cities Planning
Commission that really were
not necessary because the
project was a public school,
superintendent John Jackson
said.
Approval was also given for
the final payment in the am
ount of $67,296 to McKnight
for work at Jefferson Acad
emy. The school system will
then receive its certificate of
completion on this project.
The board also approved
spending $9,875 to replace
a light pole at Memorial
Stadium. The poles were
inspected by Jackson Electric
Membership Corporation and
they found one pole need
ed to be replaced. The new
pole will be a concrete pole
installed by Over and Under
General Contractors, Inc.
Over and Under will also
replace 48 1,500-watt light
bulbs at the stadium at a cost
of $4,700.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at
Thursday’s meeting:
•the board unanimously
approved the 2009-10 school
calendar. School will start on
Monday, August 3, 2009, for
students and end on Friday,
May 21, 2010.
• Jackson said Buckley
and Associates has initiated
the design work on the next
anticipated phase of construc
tion for the school system.
That includes additional
classrooms and new kitchen
at JHS: additional classrooms
and new kitchen/cafeteria at
Jefferson Elementary School;
and new JHS gymnasium.
• Sherri Gibney-Sherman
presented the instructional
program report. Training
is under way for all school
system staff on the Infinite
Campus software. The switch
to this software from SASI
will take place on February
18.
• Jackson was recognized
for receiving the Georgia
Music Educators Association
Administrative Leadership
Award.
•Jefferson High School head
football coach Bill Navas was
recognized as 8AA Coach of
the Year.
•JHS junior Darius Minor
was recognized for being
named Northeast Georgia
Player of the Year. JHS senior
Patrick Allen was recognized
for being chosen as first team
all state center in AA foot
ball.
• Jackson presented the
monthly financial reports.
•Earl Griffin presented
the transportation report for
December. Griffin said the
drop in fuel prices has helped
with transportation costs. The
system had 15 additional stu
dents asked to ride the buses
after the holidays, Griffin
said.
• Jackson reported the
sewer line to the new William
Duncan Martin Memorial
Performing Arts Center has
been repaired.
•the board unanimously
approved 2009 board meet
ings to be held at 4 p.m. on
the second Thursday of each
month with the exception of
June (on June 9) and October
(October 15) in the board
room at the William Duncan
Martin Memorial Performing
Arts Center at JHS.
The next regularly sched
uled BOE meeting will be held
at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb.
12, at the William Duncan
Martin Memorial Performing
Arts Center at JHS.
City school board approves personnel
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE JEFFERSON Board of Education
approved several personnel items at the
monthly meeting on Thursday.
The board approved the retirement of
Darlene Hicks, Jefferson Middle School SFS
assistant.
Family medical leave was approved for Jill
Barefoot, JMS teacher.
Contract extensions were approved for
school administrators and central office per
sonnel. Those included were: Kevin Smith,
Jefferson High School principal; Diane
Oliver, Jefferson Elementary School prin
cipal; Demaris Gurley, Jefferson Academy
principal; Howard McGlennen, Jefferson
Middle School principal; Angela Vinson,
special education director; Donna McMullan,
director of middle/secondary instruction; Joe
Tiller, psychologist; Sue Hamm, school food
service director; and Earl Griffin, transporta
tion director.
Hudgens, Hawkins to chair
state senate committees
TWO LOCAL state senators have been named chairmen of
committees in the Senate.
State Sen. Ralph Hudgens was named chairman of the insur
ance and labor committee, while state Sen. Lee Hawkins will
head the state and local government operations committee.
Hawkins (R-49) represents Hall County and part of Jackson
County.
Hudgens (R-47) represents Barrow, Madison and Oglethorpe
counties, and parts of Clarke, Elbert and Jackson counties.
Talmo approves resolution
for county emergency plan
ONLY ONE item was on the agenda for the city of Talmo’s
regular council meeting for January.
The city council discussed and approved the resolution for
Jackson County's Local Emergency Operation Plan. Each of
the county’s municipalities has to approve the resolution to fall
under the coverage of federal and state emergency assistance
from FEMA or GEMA.
New DFACS
director
appointed
Begins work Fri.
JACQUELINE Franklin has
been named the new county
director for the Jackson County
Department of Family and
Children Services. Franklin will
take over her position on Friday,
Jan. 16.
Franklin has 18 years experi
ence in child welfare. She has
been employed with Georgia
DFACS since April 2007.
She most recently served as
the Social Services Supervisor
at the Forsyth County DFACS
office. Prior to that, she worked
with the New York City
Administration for Children’s
Services in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Jefferson Elementary council to meet
THE JEFFERSON Elementary School The council members plan to meet at 4
Council will hold its next meeting on p.m. in the elementary school's media cen-
Thursday, Jan. 15. ter.
DONATION TO HUMANE SOCIETY
Beth Laughinghouse, Better Hometown Jefferson manager (third from right), pre
sented a check to members of the Jackson County Humane Society Monday night
with proceeds from the Holiday Market. The check was presented at the Jefferson
City Council meeting Monday night. Photo by Angela Gary
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE JACKSON County
Board of Education unani
mously approved the school
calendar for the 2009-10
school year at its monthly
meeting on Monday.
Students are set to return
for class from summer break
on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009
and classes will end on
Wednesday, May 26, 2010.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at
Monday’s meeting, the
BOE:
•approved the retirements
of Denny Turner, princi
pal, West Jackson Primary
School, and Doris Lester,
recruitment/retention spe
cialist.
•approved the following
list of substitute teachers for
January: Stephen Seagraves,
John Wiley Ellis, Jennifer
Baird, Joanna Futch, Camilla
Moore, Madeline Sexton,
Annette Watson, Patricia
Melnick, William Dodd and
Ashley Shumake.
•unanimously approved
the supervisory and admin
istrative employees for the
2009-10 school year. They
are the same as the current
school year.
•approved a change to the
school admissions policy and
a change to the nonresident
students policy.
•approved three surplus
items to be sold: One Yamaha
Piano from East Jackson
Middle School and two class
room tables from the Gordon
Street Center vocational
department.
•tabled until next month
any action on a Special
Purpose Local Option Sales
BUS MECHANICS RECOGNIZED
Tax (SPLOST) expenditure increase the graduation rate
totaling $630,000 for instruc
tional technology upgrades at
the elementary schools. This
money is being proposed to
purchase smart boards for
seven of the county’s elemen
tary schools. The boards are
needed for approximately
190 classrooms. BOE chair
man Kathy Wilbanks voiced
her concern with this project
in the event there is a drop in
the SPLOST revenue for the
school system. Keith
Everson, Assistant
Superintendent for
Human Resources,
said, “We could dig
into the revenue set
aside for construc
tion projects.’’ This
item will come back
before the board at
the February meet
ing.
•heard from
Shannon Adams, superinten
dent, that all of the county’s
Title I schools have received
Title I Distinguished School
awards. The schools have
three consecutive years of
AYP.
•heard from April Howard,
assistant superintendent for
teaching and learning, that the
focus of the school improve
ment plan for 2009 is to
GLENFIELD
to 75 percent. Howard said
the Hispanic population at the
county high schools has the
highest graduation rate cur
rently.
•heard from Adams that the
school system’s general fund
budget is at 41 percent in both
revenues and expenses with
50 percent of the year com
plete.
•heard from Adams that
$462,266 in SPLOST rev
enue was collected
for October, 2008.
November and
December revenues are
not in yet.
•recognized Rachel
Glenfield, Jackson
County Comprehensive
High School sopho
more, for placing sixth
in the nation in recit
ing the five-paragraph
Future Farmers of
America creed.
•recognized the system’s
bus shop mechanics. In early
December, the Department of
Public Safety performed the
yearly inspections on 105 buses
and only two of the buses were
taken out of service. Dennis
Patrick, director of administra
tive services, presented each
mechanic with a certificate of
merit for their performance.
rrrvTTT
The need to have a phone to his head,
has followed Mike since he was a lad.
Even today, his mission is clear,
As all the news he tries to hear.
Whether it’s land, fax or cell
He’s not afraid to give them hell!
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*
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Happy 50 th Birthday
MIKE BUFFINGTON
January 10
County BOE approves ‘09-10 calendar
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