Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
County school board approves $11.5 million loan
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County
Board of Education
approved a $11.5 million
short-term loan on Friday
that will help fund the dis
trict’s operations through
December.
The Tax Anticipation
Note (TAN) will fund a
loan for the school sys
tem until it starts receiv
ing property tax income.
Jackson County requires
that property taxes be paid
by Dec. 20, but the dis
trict’s fiscal year starts on
July 1.
The short-term loan,
which must be repaid by
Dec. 31, will support the
school system through the
remainder of 2010.
The Jackson County
School System initially
expected to approve a TAN
for $14.5 million — the
same amount as last year’s
loan.
However, the district
only needed $9.68 million
of that $14.5 million loan
last year and it has more
cash in the bank this fiscal
year, according to superin
tendent Shannon Adams.
In June, the school board
approved a tentative 2011
fiscal year budget of $86.2
million. The budget antici
pates a $3 million surplus
at the end of the fiscal year
on June 30, 2011.
Two banks — Regions
Bank, and Community
Bank and Trust — sub
mitted proposals for the
TAN, Adams said. Regions
offered a 1.729 percent
fixed interest rate, while
Community Bank and Trust
proposed a 1.19 percent
fixed interest rate.
The Jackson County
Board of Education
approved a resolution dur
ing a called meeting to
authorize the issuance and
sale of the TAN in the prin
cipal amount of $11.5 mil
lion to Community Bank
and Trust.
PERSONNEL CHANGES
The Jackson County
Board of Education also
approved several personnel
changes for the 2010-2011
school year during its brief
called meeting on Friday.
The board approved the
resignations of the fol
lowing: Jessica Lee, food
service, WJMS: Elaine
Blalock, food service,
EJMS; and Betsy Hastings,
English teacher, JCCHS.
The board also approved
the following people for
employment: Marissa
Varnadore, food ser
vice, WJMS; Stephanie
Lundsford, food service;
SJES; Jennah Hamilton,
food service, KBMS;
Elaine Bridges, food ser
vice, EJMS; Maritza
James, food service, SJES;
Pat Pineda, food service,
JCCHS; and Tracy Saxton,
food service, MES.
Wanda Oliver, food ser
vice director for the school
system, said all of the new
employees for food service
jobs are filling vacancies in
the district. The positions
are not new jobs and the
school nutrition department
has its own self-supporting
budget, she said.
Jackson County schools announce open house dates
Students’ first day of school is Aug. 5
SCHOOLS IN the Jackson
County School System have
announced the dates for
their open houses and other
special events for back-to-
school.
The first day of school for
the county school system is
Thursday, Aug. 5
ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS
The following elemen
tary schools will have their
open houses on Tuesday,
Aug. 3, from 4-7 p.m.: East
Jackson, Gum Springs,
Maysville, North Jackson,
West Jackson and West
Jackson Intermediate.
Benton Elementary
School will have its open
house on Tuesday, Aug. 3,
from 4-6:30 p.m.
South Jackson Elementary
School will have its open
house on Tuesday, Aug. 3,
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and
from 4-7 p.m.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
At East Jackson Middle
School, open house will be
held on Tuesday, Aug. 3,
from 4-7 p.m.
The EJMS sixth grade
Eagle Day will also be held
on Aug. 3, from 8:30-11
a.m., and the open house
for seventh and eighth grade
will be held from 4-7 p.m.
At Kings Bridge Middle
School, open house will be
held on Tuesday, Aug. 3,
from 4-7 p.m.
The KBMS sixth grade
Eagles’ First Flight will also
be held on Tuesday, Aug. 3,
from 6-7 p.m., in the cafete
ria. Open house for seventh
and eighth grade will be
held from 4-7 p.m.
At West Jackson Middle
School, open house will be
held on Tuesday, Aug. 3,
from 5-7:30 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOLS
At East Jackson
Comprehensive High
School, open house will be
held on Tuesday, Aug. 3,
from 5-7 p.m.
The ninth grade EJCHS
parent meeting will be
held on Aug. 3, at 5:30
p.m., in the auditorium.
The Eagle Prep Day will be
held on Wednesday, Aug.
4, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Transportation will be pro
vided.
At Jackson County
Comprehensive High
School, open house will be
held on Tuesday, Aug. 3,
from 5-7 p.m.
The ninth grade parent
meeting will be held on
Aug. 3, at 6 p.m., at the
J.L. McMullan Auditorium,
at JCCHS. The Panther
Prep Day will be held
on Wednesday, Aug. 4,
from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Transportation will be pro
vided.
Health department: New school immunizations required
THE JACKSON County
Health Department reminds
parents to be sure their
children have received all
required immunizations
before school starts.
Effective July 1, 2007,
two new vaccines are requi
red:
•Pneumococcal conjuga
te (PCV) - required for
day-care, Head Start and
preschool only.
•Hepatitis A - required
for all children born on or
after Jan. 1, 2006.
Additional doses have
also been added to two
existing vaccine require
ments for all children ente
ring kindergarten or sixth
grade and new entrants
(children of any age ente
ring Georgia schools for
the first time or returning
to Georgia schools after
being out of the system for
a year or more):
•measles, mumps and
rubella (MMR) - second
dose required, or meas
les vaccine (two doses),
mumps vaccine (two doses)
and rubella vaccine (one
dose) or serologic proof of
immunity.
•Varicella (chickenpox) -
second dose required, or
healthcare provider docu
mentation of disease his
tory or serologic proof of
immunity.
The following is a com
plete list of immunizations
that are required for school
enrollment:
•Diptheria, tetanus and
pertussis (DTAP): four to
five doses.
•Hepatitis B: three doses.
•Polio: three to four
doses.
•Measles, mumps and
rubella (MMR): two doses.
•Varicella (chickenpox):
two doses.
•Haemophilus influenza
type B (Hib): three to four
doses; for daycare and pres
chool only.
•Pneumococcal conjugate
(PCV): for daycare, Head
Start and preschool only.
•Hepatitis A: for all chil
dren born on or after Jan.
1, 2006.
Children can receive up
to five vaccines per visit.
Dosage requirements vary
by age.
The Health Department
also offers hearing, vision
and dental screenings (Form
3300) required by schools,
as well as immunizations
and Certificate 3231.
Before traveling to the
Health Department, parents
are asked to obtain immu
nization records from the
child’s pediatrician. If the
records are not in English,
parents are asked to have
them translated.
Data entry fees will
apply if the information
has not been entered into
the Georgia Registry of
Immunization Transactions
and Services. Payment
methods accepted include:
Medicaid, Peachcare, cash,
debit and credit. Insurance
will not be filed by the
Health Department.
For more information,
contact the Commerce cli
nic at 706-335-3895 or the
Jefferson clinic at 706-367-
5204.
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Jefferson, GA 30549
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The Arcade City Council Meeting for the
month of August will be held on the first
Monday, August 2, 7:00 p.m., in the Arcade
City Hall, instead of the normal second
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Arcade City Hall is located at 3325 Athens
Highway, Jefferson, GA 30549. Telephone:
706-367-5500.
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Braselton seeks Better
Hometown status
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
WHEN THE time’s right,
Braselton should be prepared
to apply to a state agency for
help to revitalize its down
town.
In 2009, the town asked
the Georgia Department of
Community Affairs (DCA) to
join its Main Street program,
which helps cities improve
their downtowns.
The state agency provides
technical assistance, advice
and financial resources for
those cities designated as
Main Street programs or Better
Hometowns — for cities with
less than 5,000 residents.
Braselton established its
downtown development
authority in August 2009 and
asked the DCA in October to
join its Better Hometown pro
gram.
The state agency, however,
said it wasn’t accepting start
up cities until 2011 — if it had
enough money. Budget cuts
from the state led the DCA to
not accept more cities into the
program.
Former Braselton Mayor
Pat Graham, who serves on
the town’s DDA, warned that
the state’s finances still look
bleak.
“We may have another year
to get there,” she said at the
DDA’s July 8 meeting.
But should Braselton become
a designated Better Hometown,
it would benefit from plenty of
free assistance — especially in
historical preservation — and
would be eligible for more
state grants, according to town
manager Jennifer Dees.
Braselton is applying to
become a Better Hometown,
but it may be too large and
have to seek designation into
the Main Street program.
During the authority’s meet
ing, the group reviewed a
checklist of standards that it be
required to meet to become a
Better Hometown.
While the authority has met
some of the standards already,
it still has some work ahead
before Braselton applies to the
program.
Already, the authority has
drafted a vision and mission
statement for its intentions of
the downtown area.
Several buildings in down
town — such as the Braselton
Town Hall and the Braselton-
Stover House — have been
restored. The town also plans
to renovate an old mill in
downtown this year.
Meanwhile, new “com
patible” buildings in the dis
trict — such as the Braselton
Library, Northeast Georgia
Bank, and the Braselton Police
and Municipal Court Building
— have been built in recent
years.
A key standard that
will require some work for
Braselton mandates an oper
ating budget “from a variety
of sources.” That can include
fundraisers and memberships.
Dees said she wasn’t too
familiar with fundraisers
for downtown development
authorities, but she suggested
a brick-buying program for
Braselton’s proposed town
green.
The Main Street/Better
Hometown program also
requires that cities have a paid,
professional manager. A Better
Hometown manager can be
paid time and work 20 hours a
week for the program.
The Braselton Town Council,
which is the sole financial sup
port for the authority, didn’t
provide any money this fiscal
year for a paid staff member.
However, the council may start
funding a part-time position
for the program in the 2012
fiscal year, which starts in July
2011, Dees said.
Vendors sought for Art in Park
THE TUMBLING Waters Society seeks arts and crafts ven
dors and food vendors for the 20th anniversary Art in the Park
Festival Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18-19, at Hurricane Shoals
Park near Maysville.
The festival features hand-made crafts, food, live entertain
ment, children’s activities and tours of the Heritage Village.
Ricky Fitzpatrick will debut “Down By The Water’s Edge”
as the “official” song for Hurricane Shoals.
The 5K Mill Race and the Duck Dash will highlight
Sunday’s activities.
The 12’ by 12’ vendor spaces are available, with or without
electricity. Prices of the booths go up after Aug. 15.
For more information and to download an application,
visit the website at www.hurricaneshoalspark.org or email
artinthepark2010@gmail.com or leave a message at 706-850-
5615.
Dr. Jeff Gilliland
Veterinarian! Owner
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706-614-5266
fetch-a-vet@att.net
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