Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2010
Graduation rates climb at area high schools
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2003
Percentaae Pts. Dif.’
JHS
91.6
91.4
86.7
84.2
89.2
69.9
(21.7 pts.)
CHS
84.3
80.7
85.1
83.9
84.9
75.0
(9.3 pts.)
JCCHS
EJCHS**
83.5
79.1
69.0
69.3
70.0
68.9
(14.6 pts.)
State
80.8
78.9
75.4
72.3
70.8
63.3
(17.5 pts.)
* Percentage points difference from 2003 to 2010.
** EJCHS, which opened in 2007, won’t have an official graduation rate until the school has been open for four
years. Figures were provided by the Georgia Department of Education or are available on its AYP (Adequate
Yearly Progress) website.
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
LIKE STATEWIDE results,
schools in Jackson County have
made significant improvements
in raising their graduation rates
since 2003. according to data
from the Georgia Department of
Education.
Gov. Sonny Perdue last week
touted an all-time high gradua
tion rate of 80.8 percent — com
pared to 78.9 percent in 2009.
The latest figure is more than
17 percentage points higher than
2003, when the graduation rate
in Georgia was 63.3 percent.
And schools in Jackson
County's three districts have seen
comparable gains in their gradu
ation rates since that time, too.
In 2003, Jefferson High School
posted a graduation rate of 69.9
percent, according to the state
department of education. This
year, the school had a gradua
tion rate of 91.6 percent — a
21.7 percentage point climb over
seven years.
“We’re pleased with improve
ments, but we're not going to
stop until we get 100 percent,”
said JHS principal Kevin Smith.
The federal No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 is push
ing schools to get more kids to
graduate — or risk not mak
ing Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP).
In 2003, schools were required
to have a graduation rate of 60.0
percent to make AYP. In 2010.
that figure had risen to 80.0 per
cent. Next year, high schools will
be required to have a graduation
rate of 85 percent.
Jackson County
Comprehensive High School ini
tially didn't make AYP in 2009
because of its graduation rate, but
the school system later got that
designation reversed after mak
ing an appeal to the state.
Overall, that school has seen
its graduation rate climb 14.6 per
centage points from 68.9 percent
in 2003 to 83.5 percent in 2010.
JCCHS principal Todd
McGhee contributes the rising
graduation rate on a number of
factors, including its Lighthouse
Academy for at-risk students.
“We take students who are off
track for graduation and put them
in our ‘school-within-a-school,’”
he said.
The Lighthouse Academy
— and a similar program at East
Jackson Comprehensive High
School called Eagle Express
— were established by the
schools after the county school
system closed its Regional
Evening School in 2009 due to
budget cuts.
Students at the Lighthouse
Academy at JCCHS mostly
complete their studies online
with a classroom instructor avail
able for assistance, McGhee said.
The program allows students to
earn credits for graduation.
The school has also received
$14,400 over the past three years
from the Georgia Appalachian
Center for Higher Education
(GACHE) to get more JCCHS
students attending college, he
added.
JCCHS further takes non-tra-
ditional high school students on
field trips to area colleges, such
as Lanier Tech, Athens Tech and
Georgia Gwinnett College.
“What we’ve found is these
kids are saying, ‘Hey, I like this,
this is something I can do,”’
McGhee said. “And that's the
purpose — to get them familiar
and to where it’s not a 3,000-
pound gorilla that they can’t
overcome.”
In improving its graduation
rate, JHS has been focusing and
monitoring those students not
likely to pass the state’s gradua
tion test, Smith said. The school’s
teachers have also been meeting
monthly about those students
and making changes.
“I think the attention and the
focus on students has made all
the difference,” he said.
JHS has also offered after-
school and Saturday tutoring,
and extra class periods during
the school day for those students
needing assistance, Smith said.
Smith said he’s proud of
the school’s graduation rate
— despite losing JHS’s gradua
tion coach two years ago to state
budget cuts.
Gov. Perdue, in his announce
ment last week, also touched on
the graduation coach program.
“We did something no other
state had even thought of — put
a graduation coach in every mid
dle and high school and focused
their efforts on students at risk of
dropping out,” he said in a press
release. “Even with our dramatic
enrollment growth, 4,000 fewer
students dropped out this year
than in 2003.”
McGhee said when the state
cut money for graduation coach
es, the Jackson County School
System continued to fund the
program.
Joyce Hawkins is gradua
tion coach at JCCHS and Lacie
Allred is the graduation coach
at EJCHS.
The Commerce school, which
opened in 2007, won't have an
official graduation rate until it
has been open for four years. To
determine if the school makes
AYP, the state considers EJCHS's
attendance rate.
Starting next year, Georgia will
change how it calculates gradua
tion rates to a formula used by
the other states. That new for
mula is expected to show a lower
graduation rate than the current
“leaver” model, which takes the
total number of students who
dropout over a four-year period
to factor into graduation rates.
Maysville residents speak about variance request
BY KATIE HUSTON
THE MAYSVILLE City
Council approved a variance
application, but not without
attracting a full audience during a
public hearing and drawing oppo
sition from some citizens.
The building affected by the
variance is located on the comer
of Oak and Homer streets. Jay
O’Kelley requested the variance
to add onto the existing build
ing within five feet of the prop
erty line. The current guidelines
require 30 feet of setback on the
front and back of a building and
10 feet on the side. Without the
variance, he could only come
within 10 feet of the property
line. He was not asking for any
variance on the front or back
limitations.
O’Kelley, who is part of the
fire department, the Maysville
Community Club and the
Downtown Development
Authority, said that he has done
his job to be a part of the town
and asked the council to help him
prosper.
Some citizens who spoke in
opposition of the variance request
were concerned that the building
would change the overall appear
ance of the town, something
O’Kelley denies.
“I want to tell you that the
building is going to have a front
that looks like the present build
ings beside it,” he said.
O’Kelley’s father and the build
ing’s owner, James O’Kelley,
echoed similar sentiments, say
ing he intends to keep the build
ings restored and eventually have
shops in them.
“I hate to see these buildings all
destroyed here in Maysville,” he
said. “I want to see them restored,
not destroyed.”
He said he would do his part to
make sure that his son ensures the
area conforms to the architectural
structures around it, so that it will
look like the other buildings.
The plans for the building are
to make it a 20 x 80,1,600 square
foot structure, and the back of the
building will also look similar to
present buildings.
Linda Scoggins, the agent
for the building who also repre
sents the property, said that she’s
already lost one sale on the prop
erty due to the variance.
“Maysville is a quaint city,” she
said. “It’s just a wonderful city for
people for residence and it has a
better chance of being sold as a
residence than as a business.”
Jesse Mealor, a Jefferson
resident who spoke representing
some Maysville residents, voiced
concern over customer parking
if a business were present on the
property.
O’Kelley said he plans to use
the current driveway and have
customers enter through the back
door.
“So there will never be seen
any customer or anybody of
botherment from anybody on
the next-door neighbor’s side,”
O’Kelley said.
Although the main concern
seemed to be whether or not the
building will change the look of
the town, some residents are opti
mistic about the effect it could
have.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes
made in Maysville since we’ve
moved here, and I’ve seen really
good changes,” Louise Boswell,
Maysville, said. “But I’d like to
see him build the building and it
prosper, because it brings busi
ness into our town and I think
that’s what we need.”
Planning committee member
Guy Baker agreed, calling it an
economic win-win.
“We need to keep Maysville
intact,” he said. “We need to bring
in business.”
The council approved the vari
ance request unanimously with
little discussion.
“I personally see it as a plus,”
council member Stephen Lewis
said.
OTHER BUSINESS:
In other business:
•the council approved spending
$17,000 to repair a portion of the
discharge pipe on the wastewater
pond.
•it was decided that the city
attorney will prepare amendments
to the city’s charter to submit
to State Representative Tommy
Benton who will send the charter
on to Georgia legislators for final
approval. Changes involve elect
ing officials by ward, as opposed
to at large, as well as approving
motions by majority, as opposed
to plurality.
•it was approved for the Jaegar
Company to proceed with the TE
Application Phase n.
•it was decided Dec. 15 will be
Retired Educators’ Day.
•the council approved the
go-ahead for city clerk Barbara
Thomas to issue a business
license for the Maysville Saloon,
a restaurant opening early 2011.
•the council approved recer
tification of resolution and ordi
nance to continue being a City
of Ethics.
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County’s sales tax collections
up 7.1 percent from last year
JACKSON County sales
tax collections are running 7.1
percent above last year’s tally
through August, according to
county officials.
Year to date, Jackson has
collected $3.55 million. That’s
2.5 percent above the rate for
the 2010 budget, which means
the county could collect more
than it anticipated for the year.
While that is good news, the
numbers for August were flat
compared to recent months.
While the county took in
$432,150 in August, that was
the lowest monthly amount
since March.
Nicholson holds budget talks
Library allocation
still being debated
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE MAIN issue at the City
of Nicholson budget meet
ing on Tuesday, Oct. 26, was
$20,000 in the proposed 2011
budget allocated to the library
for books.
A public hearing on the bud
get will be held at 7 p.m. on
Thursday, Nov. 18, at the begin
ning of the monthly work ses
sion meeting. The city council
will vote on the budget at the
Dec. 6 council meeting.
At last week’s meeting. Mayor
Ronnie Maxwell presented the
proposed 2011 budget total
ing $410,000 to the council
for review. The proposed 2011
budget shows a slight increase,
$5,000. over the 2010 budget of
$405,000.
Maxwell advised $35,000
was taken out of the city’s gen
eral fund in the 2010 budget and
put into a Certificate of Deposit
(CD).
“It appears we (the city)
will come in under budget on
expenses this year (2010),”
Maxwell said.
Council member Chuck
Wheeler said, “I am for the
library, let me make that state
ment right off. I think $20,000
in today’s time is an exorbi
tant amount of money to put in
there.”
Wheeler presented the council
with copies of the library budgets
from the City of Maysville and
the City of Commerce to show
how much each of these cities
spends on books. Maysville’s
2010 library budget included
$4,500 for new books and mate
rials and Commerce’s proposed
2011 budget includes $6,000 for
library books.
Wheeler also questioned
where the money would come
from in the 2011 budget to
make some needed repairs to the
library, such as new carpet.
“What about new carpet for
the library?” Wheeler asked.
Maxwell said, “If the
SPLOST (special purpose local
option sales tax) passes, this will
be included in that.”
Wheeler said, “My thing is,
what if the SPLOST doesn’tpass,
where will we get the money for
these repairs?” Maxwell advised
Wheeler that if the county-wide
SPLOST vote fails the city could
look at taking the money out of
the general fund for the repairs
instead of taking money out of
the general fund and putting it in
a CD in 2011.
Council member Lamar
Watkins asked Maxwell who
puts the budgets together in the
other towns. Maxwell advised
this is done by the mayors, coun
cils and city managers in the
other towns in the area.
Council member Howard
Wilbanks said, “I don’t see any
thing in here (the budget) that I
can’t agree with.”
Council member Bobby
Crawford said. “I am for the
budget.”
Maxwell said, “We (the city)
have lived within our means,
that is the reason we can propose
this budget today. I am good
with the budget. I wouldn’t have
brought you a budget I didn’t
think we could live with.”
In other business at Tuesday’s
budget meeting Maxwell report
ed that the state gave the Old
Crossroads School to the City of
Nicholson last week.
Judge continued from page 1A
Georgia, led by chairman
Michael Bowers, is accepting
applications for the judgeship.
Each person who applies will
receive an application package
to be completed and sent to the
commission by Nov. 23.
The commission will meet
to interview the applicants on
Dec. 7. The commission will
then select and recommend to
the governor those found to be
“qualified” to a short list of up to
five people for the position.
The governor will make the
appointment.
JEFFERSON MOTOR CO