Newspaper Page Text
O
O
THE
ACKSON
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H Wednesday, May 11, 2011
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 136 NO. 48 56 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•WJ holds first Relay
for Life page 11A
•Tribute to fallen law
officers page 13 A
Op/Ed:
•'What caused the
Civil War?'
page 4 A
Sports:
•JHS freshman wins
state pole vault. .page 1B
Features:
•JCCO names essay
winners page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-8A
•Legals
pages 9-28C
•Church News
page 5B
•Obituaries
page 6B
•School News
. . pages 14-15A, 7-12B
o -S
More layoffs planned for county schools
But grants help extend pre-kindergarten class time
BY KRISTEN MORALES
THE JACKSON County Board of
Education voted Monday night to trim
10 staff members off its payroll, citing
increased fuel costs and a decrease in
local tax revenues.
This will be the third year the
school system has reduced its work
force, Superintendent Shannon
Adams said during the board’s work
session on May 5. When combined
with less state funds and a manda
tory austerity reduction, Adams said
the cuts were necessary in order
to stay financially
sound.
“We still have an
austerity reduction,
and the going rate to
transport students to
and from school, and
the number of stu
dents (is up),’’ he said.
“So we have to face
financial challenges, but we continue
to be an austere school while we face
those challenges.”
The board plans to cut two media
specialists, one and a half business
education teachers, two elementary
teachers, half a transition coach posi
tion, two instructional coaches, a pre
kindergarten teacher and a middle
school teacher, saving the district close
to $640,000 in salary and benefits.
No administrative positions were
cut.
This is the third year the district has
had to cut staff. In 2008, 45 positions
were cut.
Assistant superintendent Jeff
continued on page 12A
“So we have to
face financial
challenges, but
we continue to be
an austere school
while we face
those challenges. ”
— Superintendent
Shannon Adams
ADAMS
ONE GIANT LEAP
South Jackson Elementary School’s Deanna Heath gets airborne Friday during the
long jump at the Jackson County Special Olympics. See more photos on page 16A.
Photo by Ben Munro
Graduation —
Local seniors getting
ready to turn the tassel
HIGH SCHOOL gradua
tion time is upon us.
Local high school seniors
are preparing for gradua
tion exercises to be held
during the next two weeks.
East Jackson Compre
hensive High School will
hold its graduation ceremo
ny at 8 p.m. on Thursday,
May 19, in Eagle Stadium.
Parker Wilson is valedic
torian of this year’s senior
class and John Robinett is
salutatorian.
In case of inclement
weather, the ceremony will
be held in the gym and
entrance to the ceremony
will be by ticket only.
The graduation ceremony
at Jackson County Com
prehensive High School
will be held at 8 p.m. on
Friday. May 20. in Panther
Stadium.
This year’s valedictorian
is Josh Andrews and the
salutatorian is Nick Buran.
In case of inclement
weather the ceremony will
be rescheduled for 10 a.m.
on Saturday, May 21, in the
stadium. “Every attempt
• EJCHS, 8 p.m. May 19
•JCCHS, 8 p.m. May 20
•JHS, 8 p.m. May 20
will be made to have the
graduation ceremony as
originally scheduled.”
leaders state. If weather
does not allow the cere
mony to take place at 10
a.m. on May 21. it will be
rescheduled for 4 p.m. on
Saturday, May 21. in the
stadium.
Any guest who needs
special assistance should
call Joe Lancaster at 706-
367-5003, extension 262.
prior to May 20.
The Jefferson High
School graduation cer
emony is set for 8 p.m.
on Friday, May 20, in
Memorial Stadium.
The valedictorian this
year is Kasey McDonald
and the salutatorian is Julia
Ouellette.
In case of inclement
weather, the ceremony will
be moved to the Jefferson
High School gymnasium.
Jefferson council starts
redistricting process
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
JEFFERSON’S explo
sive growth in one area of
town over the past decade
will have a major impact on
voting districts in the city,
according to a proposal
unveiled on Monday.
But at least one council
member has said he isn’t
happy with the plans to
revamp his district.
Like many communities
across the nation, Jefferson
is redrawing its voting dis
tricts for the city council and
board of education using
the 2010 Census figures.
That data showed a dra
matic population increase
for Jefferson — from 3,825
in 2000 to 9,432 in 2010.
Most of that growth in
Jefferson occurred west of
the U.S. Hwy. 129 bypass
in a number of new subdivi
sions along Old Pendergrass
Road.
Jackson County’s GIS
director, Joel Logan, is
working on new vot
ing district maps for the
county and at least two of
its cities — Jefferson and
Commerce. He also spear
headed the county’s Census
effort in 2010.
“The western side of
the county has exploded,”
Logan told the city council
on Monday.
For Jefferson, its popula
tion has shifted from the
downtown area to the area
west of the bypass, accord
ing to Logan.
Georgia is one of sev
eral states that must follow
the Voting Rights Act of
1965 to prevent discrimi
natory voting practices
among minorities. The law
has a number of require
ments when it comes to
redistricting — which must
be approved by the U.S
Department of Justice.
“You’ve got to keep those
(districts) balanced,” Logan
said. “You can’t have one
district overpowering
another district, because
everything has to be equal
in terms of representation.”
At the start of the redis
tricting process, officials
use the total population to
determine an ideal, equal
number of residents spread
across all of the voting dis
tricts. For Jefferson, that
would be 1.886 residents in
each district, based on the
2010 Census.
continued on page 12A
Dollar General coming to Arcade
BY BEN MUNRO
ARCADE leaders have approved the rezone of
1.3 acres on Hwy. 82 South for a proposed Dollar
Genaeral along with two variances, including a
provision for wall pack lights originally denied by
the city’s planning commission.
That variance passed 4-1 with council member
Ron Smith casting the lone “no” vote during
Monday night’s city council meeting. Just last
Tuesday, the city’s planning commission voted
against this exception for wall pack lighting at the
exterior of the building at the recommendation of
the city planning staff, which feared it would add
to the “light noise” of the area.
All other votes regarding the proposed Dollar
General property passed through the city council
unanimously.
continued on page 12A
YOUNG ‘MAYOR’ HONORED AT COUNCIL MEETING
Ashley Dean — a sixth grade student who recently won the Georgia Municipal
Association’s “If I Were Mayor, I Would ...” essay contest for the 5th District
— serves as an honorary mayor at the Jefferson City Council meeting on Monday.
The actual mayor, Jim Joiner, is shown reading a resolution honoring Dean, who
is the sixth student at Jefferson Middle School to win the essay contest. The city
council also honored the Jefferson High School Air Force JROTC’s Unarmed Drill
Team for winning the 2011 Air Force National Eastern JROTC Drill Championships
and the JHS wrestling program for wining its 11th consecutive state championship
in its class. Photo by Kerri Testement