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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2010
School system eases classroom maximum sizes
Schools preparing for new year
LOCAL SCHOOL systems are beginning to get out of sum
mer mode as the first day of the 2010-2011 school year nears.
The Jefferson School System will begin classes on Monday.
August 2.
School begins on Thursday, August 5, for the schools in the
Jackson County School System.
The last area system to begin the school year is the Commerce
School District, with classes beginning Monday, August 9.
School board approves
list of personnel moves
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A LEANER financial bot
tom line could lead to more stu
dents in classes in the Jackson
County School System.
Following a move approved
by the state board of edu
cation, the Jackson County
Board of Education adopted a
resolution on Monday autho
rizing the district to expand
classroom sizes by one to
three students from the current
maximums.
“This is not to say that we’d
need to add one to three stu
dents to every class across the
board at any point in time
— of course, it depends on
how much we’re growing...,”
superintendent Shannon
Adams said. “But this does
give us at least the authority,
if we need this at some point
in time.”
The resolution — which
would only be effective for
the 2010-2011 school year
— would also take into
account system averages, if an
individual classroom exceeds
the maximum class size.
The new, flexible class size
requirements were approved
by the state board of edu
cation, after school systems
reported struggling to meet the
standards with less revenue
from the state.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the Jackson
County Board of Education
•postponed approving a res
olution for a Tax Anticipation
Note (TAN) for $14.5 million.
Adams said a bank submitting
a bid for the short-term loan
requested additional time to
gather more information from
the school system. The board
of education may hold a called
meeting to approve a TAN
resolution by the end of the
week.
•learned that the school
system is expecting a com
prehensive Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) report at
its August board meeting.
Last year, Jackson County
Comprehensive High School
didn’t meet AYP because of
its graduation rate. The school
system appealed that decision.
Adams said the AYP status at
several schools are in doubt
for the upcoming report,
•approved spending up to
$10,000 in Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax
(SPLOST) funds to purchase
and install two basketball goals
in the gym at West Jackson
Intermediate School. Adams
said WJIS is the only school in
the district without permanent
basketball goals in the gym.
•approved spending up to
$400 for SPLOST funds to
install an entry chime for the
main entrance at West Jackson
Primary School. Adams said
safety at the school’s front
entry is a concern.
•learned that the SPLOST
funds for the latest collection
period in May totaled $466,000
— compared to $428,700 in
April. In May 2009, the dis
trict collected $391,600 in
SPLOST revenue.
•heard from Dennis Patrick,
director of administrative ser
vices for the school system,
who said a construction and
renovation project at North
Jackson Elementary School
will be 95 percent complete
by Friday.
•learned that the state
approved its FYE 2009 audit,
which received no reports or
findings from the auditors.
Adams said the document was
a “clean, good solid audit.”
The FYE 2009 ended on June
30, 2009.
•learned that the state board
of education approved its
local facilities plan in June.
•learned that JCCHS will
be recognized this week in
Kentucky by the Southern
Regional Education Board
with a gold achievement
award for “High Schools That
Work.” JCCHS is one of 11
schools to receive the award.
•learned that East Jackson
Middle School teacher
Rachel Parr has been cho
sen as a national finalist for
the Presidential Award for
Excellence in Mathematics
and Science Teaching. Pan-
will receive a $10,000 award,
and a trip to Washington,
D.C., where she will meet the
president.
•learned that an orienta
tion for new teachers will be
held July 26-28. Adams said
the program has expanded in
the past five years to include
more information for new
teachers.
THE JACKSON County
Board of Education approved
several personnel changes
on Monday — less than four
weeks before students return
to class.
All of the new positions
approved by the school board
are replacement positions,
according to district person
nel director Sarah Greene.
The school system is also
holding several positions
open — especially those
in kindergarten — until it
sees its school enrollment
numbers when the 2010-
2011 school year starts, she
added.
The first day of class
for students in the Jackson
County School System is
Thursday, Aug. 5.
NEW HIRES
David Burton, young
farmer teacher, system;
Jenna Banks, special edu
cation teacher (50 percent),
EJCHS; Judy Beatty, busi
ness education teacher,
JCCHS/EJCHS; Cassie
Berryman, second grade
teacher, WJPS; Sara Bryan,
counselor (50 percent),
BES; Charles Donovan,
food service assistant,
GSES; Lindsey Erickson,
sixth grade teacher, WJMS;
Matthew Gibbs, special
education teacher, EJCHS;
Keith Gilbert, food service
assistant, NJES; Kristina
Hale, food service assis
tant, EJES; Kim Harp, food
service assistant, JCCHS;
Stacey Helms, food service
assistant, BES; Elizabeth
Higgins, JROTC instructor,
JCCHS; Genae Lindsey, bus
driver, WJPS/WJIS; Julie
McCutcheon, counselor.
JCCHS; Brandy Moon, food
service assistant, GSES;
David Peek, online learning
coordinator, EJCHS/JCCHS;
Kathy Shirley, health occu
pations teacher, JCCHS;
Kristy Sorrow, food service
assistant, KBMS; Linda
Steinbauer, food service
assistant, WJPS; Courtney
Tuttle, ISS teacher, WJMS;
Jan Underwood, bookkeep
er, WJMS; and Kyle Wilson,
agriculture education teach
er, JCCHS.
TRANSFERS
Angela Barringer, special
education teacher, WJMS to
ISS teacher, EJMS; Charlene
Butler, food service assis
tant, EJMS to MES; Tammy
Cain, food service assistant,
WJPS to food service cashier,
WJPS; Joyce Hacker, con
nections teacher, EJMS to
WJMS; Vickey Minish,
food service cashier, JCCHS
to food service manager,
JCCHS; Becky Rainey, food
service assistant, KBMS to
BES; Juanisha Stockton,
food service cashier, WJPS
to JCCHS; and Sharon
Synan, Title I instructional
coach, WJMS to KBMS.
RESIGNATIONS/
TERMINATIONS
Josh Gandy, special edu
cation teacher, EJCHS;
DeMaris Hooper, special
education teacher (50 per
cent), EJCHS; Deborah
Iturrian, gifted teacher,
KBMS; and Yvonne Miller,
special education parapro-
fessional, SJES.
RETIREMENTS
Lynda Greene, secretary,
JCCHS; and Patsy Wallace,
online learning coordinator,
EJCHS/JCCHS.
Jefferson High School principal touts AP scores
BYBENMUNRO
A DRASTICALLY-INCREASED
number of Jefferson High School stu
dents not only took rigorous advanced
placement (AP) courses offered in 2009-
2010 but thrived.
According to statistics supplied by JHS
principal Kevin Smith, the school admin
istered an all-time high 172 AP exams in
May, with 106 scoring at least a 3 on a
scale of 5 to earn college credit.
“So the students stepped up and took
the courses and the exams, they scored
very, very well,” Smith said.
The 172 exams were an increase of 139
over last year, or a 421 percent jump.
Of those 172 tests, Jefferson had 35
scores of 5, with 18 of those coming in
calculus and eight in U.S. history.
Jefferson also had 39 students score 4’s
and 32 score 3’s. The high school’s aver
age for the 172 AP tests was 3.1.
For its AP efforts, Jefferson earned
“AP challenge school” distinction since it
offered AP courses in all four core areas
and had an enrollment under 900.
It was also recognized as an “AP merit”
school since it had at least 20 percent of
its enrollment (JHS had 23 percent) take
AP Results for JHS
Exam 1
Studio Art 3D design
Studio Art drawing
Spanish 1
Language Arts
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Statistics 27
Chemistry 4
Human Geography
Macro Economics 4
Psychology 5
U.S. History 1
3
8
10
Total
1
10
8
13
13
12
31
27
3
13
17
24
Totals
42
24
32
39
35
172
AP exams with over half scoring 3 or
better.
Only eight high schools in the state
were recognized with both honors dur
ing the past year, Smith said.
“Our students have stepped up and
taken the rigorous courses we’ve offered,
and they’ve not only taken them, but
they’ve achieved very, very well ...
Our challenge now is to maintain this,”
Smith said.
The advanced placement route is grow
ing especially popular among parents
since students earning university credit
while still in high school helps ease the
financial burden of college.
“They’re absolutely thrilled to death,”
Smith said of the parents. “They’re like,
‘great, those are less courses that I have
to pay for (in college).’”
BOE to look at weapon issues case-by-case
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
WHEN IT comes to “good”
students who mistakenly bring
a weapon onto school prop
erty, the disciplinary options
have followed a no-tolerance
policy.
But a change to the Jackson
County School System’s
code of conduct approved
by the board of education on
Monday will give administra
tors flexibility to discipline
those students on a case-by-
case basis.
“We’ve had several students
that forgot that they were in
the woods, working on a bike
trail or something, and they
forgot that they had a knife
in their pocket or cargo pants
and came to school,” said Jeff
Sanchez, an assistant super
intendent who participates in
student disciplinary tribunal
hearings.
In the past, those students
were automatically expelled
from school for a year, as part
of a zero-tolerance policy.
“(That) leaves no discre
tion for any of the principals,”
Sanchez said. “And if they
have a good kid that has real
good grades, has good atten
dance (and has) never been
in trouble before, they would
have to expel them.”
In those cases, the parents
of those students could ask
for an appeal from the board
of education after the district
held a discipline tribunal hear
ing, Sanchez said.
Recently, administrators
have held tribunals for young
er students — including those
in elementary and middle
schools — who have brought
a knife to school.
“One year out of school for
a good kid really puts them
behind,” he said.
Sanchez said he favors a
change that would give school
administrators more discre
tion for those academically
achieving students who “for
got” about a weapon.
The change, however,
wouldn’t apply to those stu
dents who bring guns on to
school property.
There’s still a federal law
prohibiting guns on school
property and a policy requir
ing one-year suspension for
those students, according
to superintendent Shannon
Adams.
The new policy says those
students who violate the
weapons rules of the code of
conduct will have their disci
plinary consequences decided
by their principal and the dis
trict’s hearing officer.
“The final decision will
be based on the specific cir
cumstances surrounding the
offense and the disposition
may vary from case to case
in order for each decision to
be reasonable and appropriate
for the misconduct involved,”
the policy says.
The Jackson County School
System’s easement of the zero-
tolerance policy on weapons
in favor of case-by-case deci
sions is a move that other dis
tricts have done, as well.
“We’re not going soft on
weapons (violations), we just
want to be reasonable with the
options that we have,” super
intendent Adams said.
Board chairperson Kathy
Wilbanks said she agrees with
the change, too.
“My only concern with that
is make sure that we’re con
sistent,” she said of the disci
plinary action.
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Jefferson school budget on hold
with state funding uncertain
BYBENMUNRO
PRESENTATION OF this year’s Jefferson
School System budget is still on hold with the
state’s ax potentially falling on education again.
The school system does have a spending plan
in hand — complete with allotments from the
state — but isn’t sure the state money will actu
ally be there come spending time.
“We’re hearing from just about every turn that
state revenues are still not to the point where
they’re going to be able to fund the budget that
was passed,” Jackson said.
In fact, Jackson said there’s speculation the
governor could enact some form of cut this
month.
“I’m certainly not saying that’s going to be the
case, but that’s out there,” Jackson said.
Without a school budget, the Jefferson BOE
has approved another spending resolution for
August.
The resolution allows Jefferson school leaders
to spend up to 1/12 of last year’s budget to con
tinue to run the system.
Jackson hopes to present a school budget in
August.
“Maybe by then, we can have a little clearer
picture of what we’re going to be working with,”
he said. “We know what the allotment sheet says,
but we’re just not real sure we can count on that
figure.”
For the state to fund the budget that it passed, it
must generate revenue increases of 3.5 percent.
Jackson noted that state revenue in April and
May were both down.
“So the trend is not in that direction as of yet,”
he said.
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