Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2009
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
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Author, teacher speaks at chamber breakfast
U
SPEAKS ON THRIFTY LIVING
Danny Kofke, local teacher and author of “How to
Survive (and perhaps thrive) On a Teacher’s Salary,”
was guest speaker for the chamber.
Soccer, football fields
planned for WJ park
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
YOU CAN CALL Danny
Kofke a visionary, a man way
ahead of his time.
The Gum Springs Elementary
School special education teach
er wrote a book two years ago
about managing money — basi
cally living thriftily, something
he and his wife Tracy practiced
long before the world entered the
Great Recession.
The author of “How To
Survive (and perhaps thrive)
On a Teacher's Salary” told the
breakfast meeting of the Jackson
County Area Chamber of
Commerce June 3 that the book
shows “how to get the most out
of paychecks.”
The truth is, if all Americans
took Kofke’s advice, the debt-
driven economy might never
recover, but his spendthrift com
mon-sense approach to finance
could have saved millions of
Americans from the ravages of
this recession. In an economy
begging for consumer spending,
Kofke promotes thrift, a once
widespread virtue that more
recently was largely forgotten in
America.
Kofke's comments suggested
his financial practices stemmed
from wanting to continue a job he
loves — teaching — while rais
ing two children who are cared
for by a stay-at-home mom.
Noting that half of teachers get
out of education in five years, but
that teaching is considered one
of the top 10 “most gratifying
jobs,” Kofke, 33, said he put his
Awards
cont’d from 1A
ner. The News truly serves its
readers, packing every page with
well-written stories, nicely done
features and sports. Excellent
work.”
The Braselton News won first
place for special issues with its
coverage of Barrow County
political candidates. The judge
wrote: “Great one-stop shopping
approach to election coverage.”
News editor Kerri Testement
won first place for humorous col
umn. The judge wrote: “Children
are always great for humor, even
when it is embarrassing. Writer
did a good job of seeing the
humor in the stories that weren't
funny on their face.”
The Commerce News won 10
awards, including second place
for general excellence.
The News won six first place
awards, including the following:
sports section, editorial page,
editorial writing, humorous col
umn, headline writing and local
news coverage,
The News won second place
in page one. The News won third
place in spot news photo and
feature photo.
Burn ban in place
JACKSON AND surrounding
counties are under a state out
door burning ban through Sept.
30.
For more information on the
bum ban, call the EPD Northeast
District Office at 706-369-6376.
practices down on paper “to help
others who do have ajob that they
love so they won’t have to quit.”
He used a PowerPoint pre
sentation, flashing pictures of
Ed McMann, Mike Tyson and
Michael Vick — all of whom
have entered bankruptcy — to
stress a point.
“It really doesn’t matter if you
make $10,000 or $10 million,” he
warned. “If you spend more than
you have, you'll be in trouble.”
He provided a math lesson on
“compound interest,” that works
against consumers who finance
life with credit cards and other
consumer debt but works for
those who save and invest money.
And he showed how the aver
age person could find money to
invest by reducing discretionary
spending — eating out less fre
quently, foregoing that expensive
Sanchez said Elrod advised
him that the school system should
anticipate collecting 90-94 per
cent of the local taxes once that
digest is completed. For each one
percent that the school system
doesn’t collect in property taxes,
the district loses $319,000. A five
percent reduction would equal a
$1.5 million loss.
The tentative 2009-2010 bud
get estimates that the school sys
tem will receive 99 percent of
local property taxes.
Sanchez said if he proposed
a budget with a 95 percent tax
collection rate, it would show a
deficit.
School officials are also con
cerned that next year's tax col
lection rate could be as low as
90 percent.
The tentative budget doesn't
include a property tax increase,
which remains at 18.9 mills. If
the district wanted to raise the
millage rate above the state-man
dated maximum of 20 mills, it
would require a referendum.
Like school districts across
Georgia, the Jackson County
School System is also facing
more state funding cutbacks.
Over the last two budget years,
the district has lost $4.2 million
in unrestored austerity cuts from
the state. Next school year, the
system anticipates another $2.2
million austerity reduction.
The district is further pre
dicting reductions in mid-term
funding, local fair share revenue,
earnings on investments and state
grants.
Those state grants may also be
trimmed again by Gov. Sonny
specialty coffee, advising them to
“put that money where you won't
spend it.”
For example, Kofke said,
instead of buying a soft drink
from a vending machine daily, he
buys them by the 12-pack on sale
— a savings of 72 cents a day.
Instead of eating lunch out every
day, brown-bagging one day a
week nets another $5 per week in
savings. The coffee he makes at
home and carries to work reflects
yet another savings, while staying
in one weekend a month for pizza
and a rented movie saves $35
over a restaurant meal and tickets
for two to a theater.
Saving like that, invested, will
result in big money, he promised,
showing how saving 10 percent
of his $2,215 monthly take-home
salary will turn into more than $1
million by age 60 (assuming a
Perdue, Sanchez warned.
Adams said state Rep. Tommy
Benton (R-Jefferson) believes
the Georgia General Assembly
may call a special session to
discuss budget issues. If that hap
pens. Benton said state legislators
could furlough teachers, accord
ing to the superintendent.
“We're going to be looking
at some hard-to-find solutions”
Adams said.
In March, the school board
approved a plan to trim $4 million
in expenses from the proposed
budget by eliminating 38 teach
ing and non-teaching positions,
closing the Regional Evening
School, furloughing 12-month
employees for five days and the
suspension or elimination of sev
eral programs.
Those cuts have now been off
set by additional reduction in
state funding, Sanchez said.
The board didn’t discuss any
additional layoffs or pay changes
on Monday — but did acknowl
edge that if there are more
significant state cuts or other
unexpected expenses, the recent
cost-cutting measures may not
be enough.
10-percent annual return).
And now, he said, is a great
time to start.
“You can get mutual funds
right now on sale,” he said, refer
ring to depressed prices. “Now is
actually a good time to invest.”
He and Tracy started the pro
cess by recording every expendi
ture for a month, which enabled
them to see where their money
went — and how, with some
discipline, a fair portion could be
recaptured.
A two-year teaching stint in
Poland taught the Kofkes the pru
dence of economy in housing.
Seeing families of five living in a
one-bedroom house, they realized
they could make do with a two-
bedroom, two-bath house and the
smaller mortgage it offered.
But the real key to financial
stability is placing values in the
right place, Kofke indicated.
“When you like going to work
and like your job and base your
sense of worth on what you do,
not what you wear or what you
own, you're better off,” he said,
while those who place a premium
on possessions and a material
lifestyle are setting themselves up
for a fall.
It’s a lesson that comes too late
for some people.
“People are starting to realize
that the rainy days their grand
parents talked about are here,” he
said. As for the Kofkes, their thrift
serves them well. “My wife gets
to stay home and raise my two
children. To me, that’s worth a
million bucks,” Kofke observed.
BOE chairperson Kathy
Wilbanks questioned why some
of the expenses in the tenta
tive budget — such as school
administration, business and sup
port central — increased, while
items tied to instruction, improve
instruction and media decreased.
Sanchez said the business
expenses are rising by $188,100
to fund unemployment costs
associated with the district's
Reduction in Force (RIF) plan,
which included laying off several
positions. Support central costs
are climbing by $ 144,700 to fund
software renewal licenses.
Wilbanks said the school sys
tem can't continue to operate as
it is now with less money.
“We’re getting down to where
there’s not much left to cut,” she
said.
Wilbanks said she won't
approve a finalized 2009-2010
budget that includes large
increases in various departments,
as currently proposed. She sug
gested the board look to cut costs
besides instruction.
Adams said so far, the cost
cutting measures haven’t signifi
cantly impacted instruction.
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A RECREATION field famil
iar to many players in West
Jackson is about to get a major
facelift.
The Jackson County Parks
and Recreation Department
(JCPRD) is planning to revamp
the decades-old park next to
West Jackson Primary School
on Ga. Hwy. 53.
The move requires coopera
tion with the Jackson County
Board of Education and the City
of Hoschton.
“It’s basically an upgrade of
what’s already there and trying
to meet the needs of that side of
the county and get some facilities
that we desperately need,” said
Rick Sanders, JCPRD director.
“We need some more soccer
fields and some more football
practice fields. We just don’t
have enough.”
The tentative plan calls for
a regulation soccer field and
smaller soccer fields for games
and practices that can be con
verted to football fields. The
existing baseball diamond, will
remain but could be used for
baseball and softball, Sanders
said.
“The vision is having that
field used for soccer practice
and football practice simultane
ously,” Sanders said. “So, you’d
have several soccer teams prac
ticing and a couple of football
teams practicing from the West
Jackson area.”
The existing facility has its
limitations, Sanders said.
“The problem (is) we can’t do
that now because we don’t have
the parking or the facilities, and
we don’t have lights in the whole
field — so it makes it difficult to
do that,” he said.
Some of the other plans for the
park include restrooms, a con
cession stand, new lighting and a
walking trail around the area.
The existing softball and base
ball field on school-owned land
is about 40 years old and dates
to the time when the Braselton
family donated the property for
athletic use, Sanders said.
The other half of the property
is owned by the City of Hoschton
— which received the land from
a development company in 2007
as part of a large mixed-use proj
ect next to the 4.2-acre field.
An agreement between
Jackson County, the school board
and Hoschton calls for a 10-year
renewable lease of the proper
ties. JCPRD will use sales tax
funds for the renovation project
and pay for maintenance of the
facilities, while it leases the land
from the BOE and Hoschton.
The lease agreement will be
similar to another agreement the
JCPRD has with Hoschton for
the West Jackson Park on Cabin
Drive, Sanders said. That park
includes several baseball fields
and a track around the facility.
The Jackson County BOE
approved an intergovernmen
tal agreement on the project on
Monday, while the Hoschton
City Council is expected to
adopt the agreement in July.
The Jackson County Board of
Commissioners will also vote on
the agreement this summer.
Once those documents are
signed, construction may start in
October or November, Sanders
said. The park may open in
spring 2010.
Currently, a number of soc
cer teams with older students
use the existing facility next to
WJPS, Sanders said.
In the fall, there are typically
10-12 soccer teams and four
football teams in West Jackson.
With the renovated park, the
JCPRD may be allowed to offer
more soccer programs to young
er West Jackson students in the
spring, he added.
Sanders said the park’s high
visibility spot next to the school
and a large mixed-use develop
ment on Ga. Hwy. 53 will be
a big draw for the Braselton-
Hoschton community.
“I think someone driving
down the road seeing 200 or 300
kids playing soccer and practic
ing football are going to be like
Wow, let’s check this out,”’ he
said.
WJPS may use the field during
school hours, while the JCPRD
will use the facility after-school
hours and on weekends.
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Sardis continued from page 1A
said: “This will provide jobs to our folks and we will be feeding our
elderly people. Perhaps it will free up some of the elderly’s money
so they can buy the medicine they need.”
Mrs. Mason spoke on the history of the church, which was estab
lished in 1888 in the Thyatira area and moved to Jefferson in 1965.
The church offers a food bank and outreach ministry and is trying
to establish an emergency shelter.
Mayor Jim Joiner asked what the city’s liability would be. City
attorney Ronnie Hopkins said that if the city is to be the fiscal agent,
the liability would be to make sure the outgoing money is used for
exactly what the grant states it is to be used for. City manager John
Ward added that the city would have to audit the grant funds.
Ward also said a concern is whether the city has the staff to
handle overseeing the grant.
“My concern is time wise,” he said.
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706-335-7458
School CUtS continued from page lA
Community Fun Day
Popcorn
What: A Fun-Filled Day
When: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Where: St. Paul First Baptist Church
Located at 573 Gordon Street
Jefferson, GA30549
Time: 12 Noon Until 4:00 p.m.
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Snow Cones
Hamburgers
Yard Sale - All Items $1.00
Games & Fun - Tickets 4 For $1.00
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