Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2010
Revenue declines affecting Jefferson schools
BY KATIE HUSTON
IF STATE revenues do not
begin picking up, the Jefferson
Board of Education may not
receive its total expected federal
relief funds.
“What we have to be watch
ing for is that money would have
come to us as part of the state's
obligation,” BOE Chairman
Ronnie Hopkins said. “But it
would have come from federal
funding sources. But since that
money has been spent, it won't
be there to come from that source
to come from the state to us.”
Since there will be less ARRA
money for FY 2011 than origi
nally anticipated, there will be
less money to go around next
year.
“If state revenue does not pick
up, we’ll be cut short again and
again and again.” Hopkins said.
The board continues to run
under budget as of the end of
March.
TWO-WAY RADIOS
FOR BUSES
The school system is in the
process of switching to two-way
radios from their current mode of
communication with bus drivers,
cell phones.
The cell phones were creating
issues because the volume could
not reach levels necessary to con
sistently get a driver's attention
above the roar of a diesel engine
coupled with student noise.
Problems arise when a driv
er does not answer the phone
when officials need to contact
them, usually regarding whether
a student is on the bus or not.
The lack of communication has
resulted in problems for the prin
cipals and has added to parental
concern.
All 14 of the regular route
buses will soon have the two-
way radios.
The radios will have two
speakers in the driver's area
eliminating the issue cell phones
presented with noise.
In addition, there will be no
reoccurring monthly charges
with the two-way system. The
total cost will be offset by 15
months of cell phone costs.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the
Jefferson BOE meeting on
Thursday:
•the board decided to remain
with block scheduling for the
2010-2011 school year. It will
consider tying in some reme
diation time, potentially during
a lunch period that would be
altered creating two 50-minute
lunch periods. This would add
15 minutes to the school day,
with school beginning at 8 a.m.
and ending at 3:05 p.m. Two
50-minute lunch periods would
also foster uninterrupted instruc
tion time, with one lunch group
at the beginning of the period
and one at the end. No decision
was made concerning the altered
lunch period.
•SPLOST (Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax) funds
will be available for Memorial
Stadium renovations, includ
ing the resurfacing of the track.
Construction is expected this
summer.
•it was announced that 11 Little
Gem Magnolia Trees will be
planted at Jefferson Elementary
School as part of the Sustainable
Community Forest Management
Program. The program was
awarded a grant of $50,000 for
planting trees on city-owned
property. The planting was
delayed, but should resume in
late April or early May.
•the professional personnel
separation policy was amended
excluding any references to spe
cific contract renewal dates and
to allow the deadline to be estab
lished, instead, by state law.
•the board approved a $7,100
painting bid from Butch Porter
for the Martin Institute Vocational
Building.
•Jacline Griffeth was recog
nized as the 2010 valedictori
an and also a recipient of the
Presidential Scholarship from
Georgia Tech.
•Josh Whitfield was rec
ognized for receiving the
Presidential Scholarship to
Mercer University.
•Clara Logue was recognized
as the 2010 Salutatorian and also
for receiving the Presidential
Scholarship from the University
of South Carolina.
•the board recognized the var
sity and junior varsity academic
bowl teams.
•the Air Force JROTC color
guard team was recognized along
with the unarmed drill team for
another award winning year.
County BOE approves administrative, supervisory staff
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County Board of
Education approved its list of supervisory and
administrative staff for the 2010-2011 school
year on Monday.
The board approved the entire list, but took
a vote on Bruce Yates, a part-time assistant
principal at Jackson County Comprehensive
High School.
The board voted 3-2 to keep Yates as an
assistant principal at JCCHS next school
year.
Board members Michael Cronic, Jill Elliott
and Lynn Massey-Wheeler voted in favor of
keeping Yates as an assistant principal, while
chairperson Kathy Wilbanks and board mem
ber Tim Brooks voted in opposition.
Kimra Morris Johnson, an assistant prin
cipal at West Jackson Middle School, was
inadvertently left off the list and the board
will vote on her position next month.
Those administrative and supervisory staff
approved by the board of education are: Anna
Barnett, assistant principal, EJMS; Linda
Bell, principal. WJPS; Bob Betz, director of
informational technology: Melanie Brittain,
director of special education; Resa Brooksher,
assistant principal, SJES; John Canupp, assis
tant principal, WJMS; Diane Carr, princi
pal, WJIS; Joy Cook, assistant principal.
GSES; Richard Crumley, assistant principal,
EJCHS; Rachel Duke, school social worker;
Gail Elrod, assistant principal. EJES: Sarah
Greene, director of personnel (49 percent);
Patricia Griffith, assistant director of special
education; and Elaine Gunter, secondary spe
cial education supervisor.
Also, Mary Ann Hale, principal, GSC;
Jennifer Halley, principal, EJES; Alisa
Hanley, principal. GSES; Gwen Hartman,
director of special programs; Rise' Hawley,
assistant superintendent of teaching and learn
ing; Heidi Hill, principal, EJMS; MaLissa
Hill, principal, WJMS; Jamie Hitzges, assis
tant principal, WJIS; Pam Johns, principal;
Joseph Lancaster, assistant principal, JCCHS;
Tammy Lxitt, assistant principal, NJES; Todd
McGhee, principal, JCCHS; Kathy Miller,
director of curriculum and accountability;
Jackie Morgan, assistant principal, MES;
Debra Morris, principal, KBMS; Wanda
Oliver, director of school nutrition; Tracey
Oxley, school social worker; Chanda Palmer,
assistant principal, EJCHS; Dennis Patrick,
director of operations; Kendra Phillips,
assistant principal, JCCHS; and Deborah
Riddleberger, professional learning coordina
tor (49 percent).
Also, Laura Ruffin, assistant principal,
JCCHS; Jeffrey Sanchez, assistant super
intendent for finance and information ser
vices; Jane Scales, principal; Susan Shadix,
school social worker; Pam Shields, principal,
BES; Shawanna Stevens, assistant principal,
KBMS; Miranda Storey, student informa
tion systems coordinator; Teresa Strickland,
assistant principal, WJPS; Patricia Stueck,
principal, EJCHS; Johnny Tucker, assistant
principal, EJCHS; Betty Vamadore, director
of business office; Susan Edwards Walker,
assistant principal, GSES; and Shirley White,
assistant principal, BES.
County school board approves personnel changes
THE JACKSON County
Board of Education approved the
following personnel changes on
Monday night.
The changes don’t include
positions that are part of the dis
trict's Reduction in Force (RIF
plan) that was also adopted on
Monday.
Personnel director Sarah
Greene said some of the positions
left vacant by resignations/termi
nations will have to be replaced
for the next school year.
TRANSFERS
The board of education
approved the following transfers:
Meg Barber, fourth grade teach
er, WJIS, to fifth grade teacher,
WJIS (effective 2010-2011);
Dana Doss, instructional tech
nology specialist, system, to fifth
grade teacher, MES (effective
2010-2011); Wendye Hendley,
fourth grade teacher, WJIS, to
third grade teacher, WJIS; Stacey
Johnson, third grade teacher,
WJIS, to fourth grade teacher.
WJIS; and Kat Williams, half
EIP teacher, WJIS, to fifth grade
teacher (100 percent), WJIS.
RETIREMENTS
The following retirements
approved by the board of educa
tion will be effective at the end
of the 2009-2010 school year:
Martha Babb, media specialist,
EJCHS; Christine Brady, spe
cial education teacher, WJMS;
Veronica Brown, special educa
tion paraprofessional, EJMS;
Sandra Carlyle, seventh grade
teacher, WJMS; Chris Edwards,
CTAE/WBL teacher. EJCHS;
Gretchen Gibson, EIP teacher,
MES; LaSandra Konarski, eighth
grade teacher, WJMS; Dorothy
Rice, second grade teacher,
BES; Gale Sevener, speech lan
guage pathologist, SJES; LTC
Tom Taylor, JROTC instruc
tor, EJCHS; Peggi Thurmond,
library/media paraprofessional,
SJES; and David White, physical
education teacher, EJMS.
RESIGNATIONS/
TERMINATIONS
Unless otherwise noted, the
board of education approved the
following resignations/termina
tions, effective the end of the
2009-2010 school year: Jessica
Adams, business office clerk,
central office (effective April 9);
Kim Bintz, vocational teacher,
JCCHS; Christina Hawes, fifth
grade teacher, WJIS; Allyson
Hester, fourth grade teacher,
BES; James Jones, English
teacher, EJCHS; Earl Larimer,
special education teacher,
EJCHS; Denise Lxick, second
grade teacher. MES; Emily
Pendergrass. Title I teacher (50
percent). WJMS; Laura Rowell,
first grade teacher, BES; Cindy
Stephens. Pre-K teacher. WJPS;
John Paul Vigil, special educa
tion teacher, WJMS; and Debbie
Caputo, secretary, EJCHS.
Chamber’s
Chili Cook-Off
planned Sat.
THE JACKSON County Area
Chamber of Commerce's Chili
Cook-Off will begin at 4 p.m.
Saturday at YearOne, Braselton.
Eighteen teams are entered.
A representative from the
Gwinnett, Hall and Barrow
County fire departments will
judge. Prizes will be awarded
at 6 p.m. for Best Tasting Chili,
Showmanship, People’s Choice
and DeeJay's Choice.
Attendees may purchase an
arm band which allows a one-
ounce taste of each chili and a
ticket for a bowl of chili. The
People’s Choice Award goes to
the team with the most tickets.
The event is held in conjunc
tion with YearOne's Public Safety
and Law Enforcement Braselton
Bash Car Show from 3 to 8 p.m.
Over 300 cars are expected, with
a burnout show, family activities,
and interactive activities from
several public safety departments
planned.
Following the car show, there
will be a Cruise Night at Gresham
Motorsports Park in Jefferson.
April, May meetings cancelled in Nicholson
THE MONTHLY work session meeting of meeting set for 7 p.m. on Monday, May 3,
the Nicholson City Council set for 7 p.m. on have both been cancelled due to the lack of
Thursday, April 15, and the monthly council business, leaders state.
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH ACE!
Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil
for Flowers and Vegetables #7102692
$099
With $2.00 rebate.
Reg. $5.99
Limit 5 per customer.
Workshop:
Spring Container Gardening
With Instructor Fil Jesse
Thursday, April 22
10 am -12 noon
Call Store For Details. Learn planting techniques,
how to choose plants for sun/shade, and blooming
characteristics. Space limited. Sign-Up Early
E-Composter
$4999
#7207723
Garden Pruner Set
$1099
/
l
#7215650
NOW FILLING PROPANE TANKS AND SELLING PINE STRAW!
ACE
s*s
Hardware
& Mower]
uimmmmiuuuuuiummmmli
3740 Village Way • Braselton Jjjrf (
(Hwy. 211 At Liberty Church Across From Chateau Elan)
770-867-2340 tgg 3
www.ssacehardware.com World’* Bmx Smotei-woitu
Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 7:30pm • Sat. 8:00am - 6:00pm • Sun. 10:00am - 5:00pm
OPEN WEEKENDS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE
New bleachers may be
possible for WJPS gym
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
CLEANING crews have spent
recent weeks resolving a mold
problem in the decades-old gym
at West Jackson Primary School,
according to a school system
official.
Two maintenance employees
recently went under the gym’s
bleachers — where mold was
detected in an evaluation of the
facility — and sprayed chlorine,
according to Jackson County
School system director of opera
tions Dennis Patrick.
A cleaning crew from the
Jackson County Correctional
Institute also came to the gym
for two days during Spring
Break, he said.
That crew dusted beams,
walls, lights and the ceiling in
the gym. Patrick said.
Plans for the gym — which
dates to the 1960s — include
new windows, industrial ceil
ing fans, new floor tiles in the
lobby and a new exhaust fan,
he added.
The Jackson County Board of
Education also approved poten
tially spending $40,700 of sales
tax revenue for new bleachers in
the WJPS gym.
But superintendent Shannon
Adams said the bleachers are
well built and may not need to
be replaced. He asked the board
to earmark the funds for the new
bleachers, should they need to be
replaced.
Patrick said replacing the
bleachers is a 90-120-day proj
ect. If installed, bleachers would
be placed on both sides of the
gym.
The PTO at WJPS recently
raised concerns about mold in
the gym contributing to health
problems among students. The
group hired its own inspector to
conduct a mold study of the gym
in January. The school system
also hired an inspector.
Reports from both inspectors
showed that the level of mold
spores was relatively low on the
gym's floor, where most chil
dren play in the facility.
The inspector hired by the
PTO conducted additional tests
in the gym and said other places
inside the gym — such as under
the bleachers, a coach’s office,
an equipment room and the
“dungeon” — were higher than
a sample taken from outside the
building.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the Jackson
County Board of Education:
•learned that the Georgia
Department of Education
approved a waiver seeking no
more than two additional stu
dents in the classroom above the
current maximum. The class
room size waiver is available for
two years.
•learned that the district is
accepting bids for property
located at 333 Martin Street,
Jefferson, until May 6. The
school system will open the bids
on May 7.
•learned that about 70 percent
of the new construction at North
Jackson Elementary School is
complete. The new administra
tive area and cafeteria is expect
ed to be completed during the
third week of March. At the end
of the school year, renovations
and modifications to the exist
ing office area will begin and
are expected to take six weeks
to complete.
•learned that the school system
has reduced its travel expenses
by $23,200 since July 2008 to
March 2010. In the third quarter
of the 2009 fiscal year (January
through March), travel expenses
reached $25,300. During the
same period in the 2010 fiscal
year, the expense was $15,400.
•learned that with 75 percent
of the fiscal year complete,
expenses have totaled 64 per
cent of the 2010 fiscal year bud
get, while revenue has reached
70 percent.
•learned that for the latest
Special Purpose Local Option
Sales Tax (SPLOST) collection
period in February, the school
system received $416,800. In
January, the district collected
$447,600 in sales tax revenue.
•learned that the school sys
tem is seeking a continuation
of the Mathematics and Science
Partnership (MSP) grant pro
gram for an additional year.
Superintendent Adams said the
program has helped improve the
percentage of students pass the
End of Course Tests (EOCT)
in math and science from 2008
to 2009. During fall semester
2008, 63 percent of students
failed the Math I EOCT, but that
figure dropped to 33 percent in
fall semester 2009.
•learned that the district has
been honored by the Georgia
Department of Education
and the Georgia Professional
Standards Commission for hav
ing 100 percent of highly quali
fied teachers in the 2009 school
year.
•learned that North Jackson
Elementary School had the
highest attendance rate for the
month.
•learned that the school sys
tem is still comparing monthly
energy bills for each of its build
ings.
Right phone.
Right price.
Stop by and get the
LG Cosmos™.
> Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
> Snap pics with a 1.3 MP camera
> VZ Navigator^ capable
FREE
LG Cosmos 111 : $50.00 2-yr price - $50.00
mail-in rebate debit card.
Higher Ground
Communications II
—"verfronwireless
6055 Highway 124 W, Suit 10
West Jackson Crossings
Hoschton, GA 30548
706.658.0055
AMERICA'S LARGEST AND MOST RELIABLE WIRELESS NETWORK
Activation fee/line: $35 ($25 for secondary Family SharePlan lines w/2-yr Agmts). IMPORTANT CONSUMER
INFORMATION: Subject to Customer Agmt, Calling Plan, rebate form & credit approval. Early termination fee: up
to $175 ($350 for advanced devices) & other charges. Device capabilities: Additional charges & conditions apply.
Offers & coverage, varying by service, not available everywhere. Network details & coverage maps at
vetizonwireless.com. While supplies last. Shipping charges may apply. Limited time offer. In CA: Sales tax based
on full retail price of phone. Rebate debit card takes up to 6 wks & expires in 12 months. All company names,
trademarks, logos and copyrights not the property of Verizon Wireless are the property of their respective
owners. © 2010 Verizon Wireless.