Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
■fc
tfli
H Wednesday, April 14, 2010
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 135 NO. 43 52 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Pinwheels represent
local abuse victims
page 3 A
■ Each Piimhet
“ Signifies
vm
Op/Ed:
•'Who to fear: Tea
Partiers or extreme
Left?' page 4A
Sports:
•Jefferson takes wins
at relay page 1B
Features:
•Raising funds for The
Tree House.. .page 7 C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 9-27C
•Church News
page 8B
•Obituaries
page 9B
•School News
. . pages 9-12A, 10-12B
O -S
BOE trims 44 positions with layoff
Reduction in Force plan for 2010-11
THE JACKSON County Board of Education's Reduction in Force (RIF) plan for the 2010-
2011 school years adopted on Monday includes both certified and classified positions.
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County Board
of Education approved a layoff
plan on Monday that will cut 44
teaching and non-teaching posi
tions from the district next school
year. And for many remaining cer
tified employees, a two percent
cut in local supplement pay will
take place.
Overall, the Reduction in Force (RIF)
plan is expected to save the school system
$1.9 million in the 2011 fiscal year bud
get. which starts July 1.
Of the 19 certified positions included
in the district’s RIF plan 12 are teachers
from elementary, middle and high schools.
Three positions are in the district's central
office and four are in the school system’s
instructional technology department.
The board’s RIF plan also includes 25
classified positions, such as 11 media cen
ter paraprofessionals. two central registra
tion office jobs, four and a half clerical
positions in the schools, a central
office accounts payable clerk,
four substitute school bus drivers
and two information technology
workers.
While the board’s RIF plan
will reduce positions for some
programs — such as elementary
music and art, and middle school
band — it will not eliminate any
programs, according to chairperson Kathy
Wilbanks.
Instead, instruction of those programs
will be shifted in the school system to
other teachers.
In adopting its RIF plan, the board said
“the goal was to protect the integrity of
the core academic program” offered to
students, according to the document.
“Some of the reductions are based on
programs areas where the numbers don’t
dictate that they need to be,” superinten
dent Shannon Adams said.
continued on page 5A
CERTIFIED POSITIONS
Among certified personnel, the following
teaching positions are part of the RIF plan:
•Elementary music, 2
•Elementary art, 2
•First grade, 1
•Third grade, 1
•High school Social Studies, 1
•Middle school band, .5
•Coordinated Career Academic Program, 1.5
•Health occupations, 1
•Middle school business education, 1
•Middle school Family and
Consumer Sciences, 1
The following central office posi
tions will be eliminated:
•Coordinator, 1
•Support specialist, 1
•ARRA (American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act) student achieve
ment technology specialist, 1
•The following instruction technology
positions are part of the RIF plan:
•Director, 1
•Technology specialists, 3
CLASSIFIED POSITIONS
Among classified personnel,
the following system wide posi
tions are part of the RIF plan:
•Central office accounts payable, 1
•Central registration, 2
•Substitute bus drivers, 4
•Bus shop mechanic, .5
•Information technology, 2
The following school posi
tions will be eliminated:
•Media center paraprofessionals, 11
•Clerical, 4.5
Total RIF positions: 44
ADAMS
FIRE TRAINING
The State Fire Academy held a fire training at the Jackson County Fire Training Facility
on Thursday, April 8. It was the first live burn training at the new facility. There were
28 firefighters present from all over the state, and 15 local firefighters including some
from North Jackson Fire Department and Jackson Trail Fire Department. Above, train
ees are seen prior to entering the smoke-filled building. Photo by Katie Huston
Changes to Maysville ahead
Some of the dilapidated buildings to be removed
BY KATIE HUSTON
A CLEANUP of some
of the dilapidated buildings
in the downtown Maysville
area is set to begin this
week.
The city council hopes
that some day the buildings
will be rebuilt resembling
the original form. But coun
cil members say it could be
15 or 20 years from now
before that is done.
“How we can even think
about saving them now,”
council member Stephen
Lewis said. “I don’t know
(if we can) to be honest with
you.”
The council has discussed for some time now what to do about the condition of the buildings, which
are privately owned. The cleanup comes after part of one building crumbled and fell.
CLEANUP AHEAD
Maysville will clean up some of the dilapidated old build
ings in its downtown. One of the old structures recently
crumbled and fell.
Local Tea Party established
Members sought for West Jackson
A NEW TEA Party
serving the Braselton and
Hoschton area is seeking
people to participate in
activities to promote lim
ited government and indi
vidual rights.
The Four Corners Tea
Party invites anyone from
Braselton, Hoschton.
Ednaville, Goochville,
Chestnut Mountain, Tanners
Mill, Hamilton Mill,
Flowery Branch, Mulberry
and other areas to partici
pate.
One of the group’s first
activities will be partici
pation in a “Tax Day Tea
Party” on Thursday, April
15, at the Georgia Capitol.
The local Tea Party will
meet at Gwinnett Place
Mall to take chartered buses
to Atlanta.
The new Tea Party —
which is established under
the Georgia Tea Party
Patriots — includes Isaac
Weathers and Bill Greene, a
former Braselton town coun
cil and U.S. Congressional
candidate, as organizers.
The Four Corners Tea
Party also has a Facebook
page.
Foreclosures
running 27%
over 2009
FOR THE first five
months of the year, Jackson
County’s foreclosures are up
27 percent over the same
period in 2009.
From January through
May, Jackson County has
had 678 foreclosure notices.
For May, 120 foreclosure
actions are scheduled.
Perhaps in a positive sign,
May’s numbers are about
the same as last year in the
same month and are down
from April’s 171 notices.
Fight over census
numbers brewing
BY ANGELA GARY
CITY OF Commerce officials
said they are opposed to using
the newer 2010 census numbers
to divvy up funds if a SPLOST
renewal is approved by voters
next November.
At a SPLOST meeting
Tuesday, Jefferson officials said
they wanted to use the results of
this year’s census in the calcula
tions. But Commerce officials
were against that plan, saying
they want to use the 2000 num
bers.
“We would be opposed to
that,” Commerce mayor Charles
Hardy stated. He didn’t elaborate
as to why Commerce wants to
use the 2000 census numbers.
Braselton city manager
Jennifer Dees said the town
would agree to use the 2000
numbers until the 2010 census
Bryant wants
funds for city
BY SHARON HOGAN
COMMERCE city manager
Clarence Bryant wants to see
more county funding for public
libraries.
At a meeting on April 7
between city and county leaders,
library funding was one of the
issues discussed as part of the
update of HB 489. the shared
service delivery strategy.
All of the libraries in Jackson
County are city-owned librar
ies. The cities of Braselton,
Commerce, Jefferson. Maysville
and Nicholson have libraries.
The county provides $50,000-
$75,000 to be distributed among
the five libraries, Bryant report
ed.
“I would like to see the amount
the county contributes start step
ping up each year until we get
to $400,000-$500,000 a year,”
Bryant said.
Jackson County Board of
Commissioners Chairman
Hunter Bicknell said, “We will
look at that and add it to our
list.”
Bryant said, “I don’t see how
you can not take a look at this
because the cities are provid
ing the library services for the
county. For the past five or six
years, there has not been an
increase in funding provided by
the county.”
OTHER SERVICES
Other services discussed at
last week’s meeting were:
•Building/Facilities Authority:
A discussion was held on possi-
becomes available.. The other
town representatives did not state
their preference.
Jackson County Board oi
Commissioners chairman Hunter
Bicknell suggested that the
towns meet to negotiate which
census to use and come to an
agreement. He also added that
county attorney Julius Hulsey
would be asked the legalities ol
using the 2000 Census at first
and then changing to the updated
numbers.
In other business at the meet
ing, the city and county leaders
were given copies of the pro
posed intergovernmental agree
ment on the SPLOST distribu
tion for review. County man
ager Darrell Hampton said it is
the same agreement that was
approved five years ago when
the last SPLOST was approved.
more county
libraries
bly forming a county-wide build
ing authority. Bryant asked about
the formation of a county-wide
building authority that all of the
cities could all work through.
Currently, some of the cities
have their own building author
ity. County manager Darrell
Hampton said this is something
than can be pursued with attor
neys and city leaders.
•Elections: A discussion was
held on Jackson County Probate
Judge Margaret Deadwyler han
dling all elections, both city and
county. “Judge Deadwyler has
indicated she is not interested
in doing this during her term of
office.” Hampton said. Jefferson
City Manager John Ward said,
“Our problem, as I am sure other
cities have the same problem, is
having enough staff to sit there
during early voting and the elec
tions.” Bryant said. “Could we
not set up legislation to create
an elections board to handle city
and county elections?” Bicknell
said it just makes sense to have a
single point. Hampton said, “We
will move forward to propose
a county board of elections that
would allow municipalities to
contract with the county board.”
•Jail Services: Bryant said, “I
am a little concerned about the
contract I have on my desk about
jail services. Do I contract with
the sheriff or do I contract with
the county on this?” At the
recommendation of Hampton.
continued on page 5A