Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
(M
W
H Wednesday, March 31, 2010
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 135 NO. 41 52 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
BOE looks at 40 positions in layoff plan
— Inside —
Area news:
•'LifePath' a vision
for Ca. Hwy. 211
page 3 A
Op/Ed:
•'Why do schools
exist?'
page 4A
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
ABOUT 40 teaching and
non-teaching positions are on
the Jackson County Board of
Education’s list of potential
positions to be eliminated next
school year.
The board spent an hour
behind closed doors on Monday
to discuss personnel — namely
which jobs to trim from the
school system’s cash-strapped
2011 general fund budget, which
starts July 1.
The board didn’t take action
on its layoff plan — called a
Reduction in Force (RIF) — but
anticipates taking a vote during
its regular meeting on Monday,
April 12, at 6 p.m.
“What we "re looking at are
positions that can be reduced that
won’t affect the core academic
program,” said board chairper
son Kathy Wilbanks. “We’re
looking at some extra things that
have some overlapping positions
that we can double up.”
The anticipated layoff plan
will affect the entire Jackson
County School System —
from the central office to every
school, she added. It will also
include certified and classified
positions.
“We’re trying to stay out of
the classrooms as much as pos
sible,” Wilbanks said.
The Jackson County School
System isn’t alone in its financial
woes for the 2010-2011 school
year. Amid dwindling state and
local revenue, school systems
across Georgia have resorted to
layoffs, elimination of programs
and even closing some schools.
Most school systems have
also been hit with six furlough
days this year and a six percent
cut in the state’s Quality Basic
Education (QBE) funding.
The governor also cut the
amount of federal stimulus
funds — through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) — that school systems
would receive in their 2011 bud
gets by half.
For the Jackson County School
System, that’s a drop from $1.8
million in ARRA funds in 2010
to $900,000 in 2011. There’s no
federal stimulus funds available
for 2012.
The district has already had
to implement one major round
of layoffs.
Last year, the school system
eliminated 38 teaching and non
teaching positions in its RIF
plan for the 2009-2010 school
year.
And when the fiscal year
ended on June 30, the dis
trict had a $908,600 shortfall
— resulting in the board adopt
ing a deficit elimination plan
with the state.
That shortfall has since been
closed, but board of education
chairperson Wilbanks said the
district still needs to trim an esti
mated $4 million from its pro
posed 2011 fiscal year budget.
“We’re a little ahead of that,”
she said. “Now what we’re
working towards is getting our
fund balance up so that we
won’t have to deal with this on
an annual basis.”
At its recent retreat, the board
looked at a proposed 2011 gen
eral fund budget of $85.9 mil
lion — compared to the current
budget of $89.2 million.
Overall, salaries and benefits
are expected to account for 88
percent of the school system’s
2011 fiscal year budget.
School officials across
Georgia are also waiting for the
General Assembly to adopt its
2011 budget — which would
then give districts a better idea
of anticipated state revenue.
Sports:
•EJCHS takes honors
at track meet
page 1B
Features:
•Easter egg colors
page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 3-27C
•Church News
pages 5-6B
•Obituaries
pages 10-11A
•School News
pages 8,9,12A
LOOKING TO MAKE THE CATCH
Lane Chandler runs toward the ball during a game against the Gum Springs Bees
Saturday. It was opening day for spring sports for the Jackson County Recreation
Department. See page 10B for more photos.
BJC running under new ownership
Meet the physician owners
Physicians who have purchased an interest in BJC Medical Center
include Mehul Bhatt, cardiology; Toby Bond, internal medicine; John
Dorris, orthopedics; Clark Hill, internal medicine; Lionel Meadows,
gynecology, plastic surgery; Bob Marshburn, family practice; Jon
Middleton, podiatry; Joe Rondina, general surgery; and Jeff Williams,
gastroenterology. Together, they own 20 to 25 percent of the medical
center, according to Steve Clapp, CEO of Restoration Healthcare.
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
THE NEW chief executive
officer of BJC Medical Center
has hit the ground running.
Steve Clapp, also CEO of
Restoration Healthcare, the com
pany that owns most of BJC, is
serving as interim CEO.
Former CEO Jim Yarborough
is serving in an advisory capacity
during the interim period.
“Jim will help us as a consul
tant,” Clapp said. “He’s been real
ly great through this transaction,
very supportive. You couldn’t ask
for a nicer guy, and he’s really a
stand-up guy.”
Right now, Clapp said he’s
“trying to find my way around
the hospital,” and starting to
make something of a “punch list”
of areas that need improvement
or immediate consideration.
He brought on a chief finan
cial officer and “started solicit
ing input on things that need to
be worked on,” he said. Among
those is growing the practice of
general surgeon Joseph Rondina,
who recently joined BJC.
“For the first 30 to 60 days,
if there are hot spots we need
to focus on, we will try to work
on those,” said Clapp. “Then we
will try to develop a plan, sort of
a punch list of what needs to be
done, then start taking them off
the list.”
Clapp said all of those items
will be done in consultation with
the medical staff, the manage-
continued on page 3A
KBMS shows 28% failure rate in writing exam
State failure rate at 21 % for 8th grade test
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
KINGS BRIDGE Middle School was the only local school
where eighth graders failed the state writing test more than the
overall state average.
Statewide, 21 percent of eighth graders failed to meet stan
dards on the writing test, which was administered in January. At
KBMS, 28 percent of students failed to pass the test.
Other area schools fared better, with only 12 percent of
students at Commerce Middle School failing and 13 percent at
Jefferson Middle School.
Both East Jackson Middle School and West Jackson Middle
School improved their rates this year, with 18 percent at EJMS
failing in 2010 compared to 29 percent last year. At WJMS, 20
percent failed this year compared to 27 percent last year.
8th Grade Writing Test
January 2010 Results
School Failure Rate
KBMS 28%
State 21%
WJMS 20%
EJMS 18%
JMS 13%
CMS 12%
Consolidated fire
services discussed
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
IT’S BEEN a long-questio
ned — but politically sensitive
— issue in Jackson County.
Should the county have a
consolidated fire department,
instead of nine districts and
two cities with their own fire
departments?
Arcade Mayor Doug Haynie
posed the question during
negotiations with Jackson
County and its nine cities on
shared services in the county
on Thursday.
“Is there a reason to open
up discussion about pooling
resources and making this
countywide, so we can give
them better fire protection in
some of these areas,” Haynie
said.
Commerce manager
Clarence Bryant joked that he
retires in two years — and he
didn’t want to be involved in
that hot-button issue.
Jackson County commission
chairman Hunter Bicknell said
he has heard that question a
number of times, but added
that “we may just be a little bit
premature to do that.”
The county has 11 fire dis
tricts — with Jefferson and
Commerce collecting taxes for
their fire protection services.
The West Jackson Fire
District is unique for the county
in that it is the only fire district
in Jackson County established
through the General Assembly.
It has the responsibility of
levying its own property tax.
The remaining districts also
have their fire boards, which
recommend a tax rate to the
board of commissioners.
Jackson County also has
a back-up fire brigade at the
correctional institute, not far
from the county’s new fire trai
ning facility.
Bryant saidhe thinks Jackson
County already has county
wide fire protection services.
“There’s 11 separate entities
and they all collect their own
funding, they all operate, they
don’t overlap terrorities and,
yet, they mutually aid each
other,” he said.
However, Jefferson coun
cil member Roy Plott said
the number of fire districts in
Jackson County — which also
has nine cities and three school
systems — makes it difficult to
understand the county’s com
plex tax system.
“I think it works well, but
people from the outside are
somewhat confused,” he said.
Bicknell said county offi
cials want to see improvement
in coordination and control of
continued on page 3A
Egg hunts ahead Sat.
THE JEFFERSON and Nicholson community Easter egg
hunts are both scheduled for Saturday, April 3.
JEFFERSON
The Jefferson egg hunt is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at
the Jefferson Club House.
The event, open to children from toddlers to 12 years old, is
sponsored by the Jefferson Rotary Club, the City of Jefferson and
Main Street Jefferson. Over 15,000 candy eggs and prize eggs
will be hidden.
Activities and events for the day will include Mr. and Mrs.
Bunny, the Jefferson Fire Department and Sparky the fire dog, live
animals, cupcake walk, quacker barrel, inflatables, bean bag toss.
Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be sold by Main Street Jefferson.
Unity Lodge #56 F&A will sponsor the Georgia Child
Identification Program (GA CHIP). Each child participating in
this program must be accompanied by an adult. There is no cost
for this program. The child will be photographed, fingerprinted
and interviewed. A dental impression will also be made.
For more information about the egg hunt and the day’s activities
call the Main Street Jefferson office at 706-367-5714.
NICHOLSON
The Harold S. Swindle Public Library in Nicholson will be
holding an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday at 2 p.m.
“Join us for a fun hunt, lots of goodies and a very special prize
for the lucky prize egg finder,” organizers state.
The library is located next to Benton Elementary School in
Nicholson. For more information, call 706-757-3577.
County offices to be closed Fri.
THE JACKSON County government offices and courthouse
will be closed on Friday, April 2, due to a furlough day.