Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
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H Wednesday, June 15, 2011
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 136 NO. 52 46 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
Area news:
•County school
board gets first look at
new voting map
page 2A
Sports:
• Former Jefferson
pitcher enjoys huge
sophomore season at
Georgia Southern
page 1B
Features:
•GED center offers
opportunities
page 1C
Op/Ed:
•'Fixing one problem,
but maybe creating
others'
page 4 A
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 7-20C
•Church News
page 8B
•Obituaries
page 9B
•School News
pages 10-11B
O -s
County schools to have 10 furlough days
Change won’t affect students’ class schedules
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE LIKELIHOOD that revenue
will continue to dwindle next school
year will cost Jackson County School
System employees two more furlough
days.
The Jackson County Board of
Education on Monday approved a
revised 2011-2012 school calendar
that includes two additional furlough
days for employees — bringing the
total to 10 furlough days next school
year. The change won’t affect students
and the number of days they’re in
class.
The move is expected to save the
cash-strapped district almost $500,000.
according to superintendent Shannon
Adams.
“It’s just something that we feel
like we can’t avoid doing,” he said on
Thursday. “We hate to do it — basi
cally what it amounts to is an unpaid
holiday for employees. We regret that,
but that is something that we’re not
going to be able to avoid this year.”
Next school year, teachers will have
one day trimmed from both pre-plan
ning and post-planning.
The school system will keep two
teacher pre-planning days on Monday
and Tuesday, Aug. 1-2, but will make
Wednesday, Aug. 3, a furlough day.
The first day of school is Thursday,
Aug. 4. The move essentially leaves
a “gap” day between teacher pre
planning and the first day of school
that week.
A post-planning day on Tuesday,
May 22 will be cut, as well — leaving
just one day of teacher post-planning
on Monday, May 21. The last day of
school is Friday, May 18.
Those who are 12-month employees
in the Jackson County School System
will take furlough days on July 7-8.
Adams said the decision to add
more furlough days to the school sys
tem’s calendar came after the district’s
state-funded Quality Basic Education
(QBE) money for next school year
dropped by $220,000.
That amount, however, isn’t as low
as district officials initially anticipat
ed, Adams said.
Another key revenue source — local
property taxes — is further expected
continued on page 2A
Downtown Changes
CONFEDERATE MONUMENT MOVED IN JEFFERSON
Contractors working on the Jefferson Streetscape project in downtown prepare to
move a portion of the Confederate Monument on Friday. The 100-year-old monu
ment will be moved a few feet to a new location in the Jefferson Public Square,
along Sycamore Street. The Friends of the Monument and Jefferson Camp 94 of
the Sons of the Confederate Veterans have raised funds for a second monument
on the square, which will be located near the existing monument. While moving the
Confederate Monument, the top portion of the monument broke away at a seam
when a strap snapped from a crane. The piece fell onto a large pile of dirt and wasn’t
damaged. The Crawford W. Long Monument will remain in its existing spot.
Photo by Kerri Testement
Morris named to
district position
for school system
New principals
named for
KBMS, JCCHS
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
KINGS BRIDGE Middle
School’s principal Debra
Morris has been reassigned
as the Jackson County School
System’s nutrition director.
She replaces long-time nutri
tion director Wanda Oliver,
who is retiring on June 30.
Replacing Morris will be
former Jefferson Middle
School principal Howard
McGlennen who is coming
out of retirement to fill the
position.
As principal of KBMS.
Morris was earning $101,700,
according to the latest state
audit records. Oliver was
earning $89,800 as school
nutrition director.
Superintendent Shannon
Adams said while the board
hasn’t decided on Morris’
salary, it will be a “pretty
good” cut from her pay as
a principal. Adams said he
recommended an amount to
the board of education, which
will decide on her salary. He
did not say what he had rec
ommended.
McGlennen was principal
of JMS for nine years before
retiring. He has decided that
“retirement is not for him and
is ready to get back to work,”
according to background
information provided by the
school system.
McGlennen was also a
principal at Rabun County
Middle School, Franklin
County Middle School and
Prairie Heights Middle
School in Indiana.
The changes at KBMS
were among more than 70
personnel moves through
out the district approved by
the board of education on
continued on page 3A
Budget process under way in Jefferson
Fire chief seeks funds
for additional employee
BYANGELA GARY
A BUDGET request from Jefferson fire chief
Bobby Gooch would make it possible for some
one to be on duty during the nights in an effort to
improve response time.
The Jefferson City Council began budget hear
ings Monday night with requests from the fire
department, police department and planning and
zoning presented.
Gooch said the additional firefighter would be
on duty at night. At the present, a paid firefighter
is not on duty during the nights.
“If we had someone on duty, we could get that
truck on the scene a lot quicker,” he said.
Gooch added the new employee would go to
fire calls in the truck and get it set up as the vol
unteers go to the scene.
The salary and benefits for the new position
would add $66,000 to the budget.
Gooch’s total budget request is $576,019, up 17
percent over the current fire budget of $492,657.
The budget request also includes $15,000 for a
weather siren, $40,000 for a command vehicle
and $116,000 for air pack replacements.
Police chief Joe Wirthman presented a general
fund budget request of $1.9 million, which is up
seven percent over the current budget of $1.8
million. Wirthman also asked for $70,000 for two
patrol vehicles and $2.5 million for a new public
safety building in capital spending.
City manager John Ward presented the plan
ning and zoning budget of $160,899, which is
up almost three percent over the current budget
of $156,666.
continued on page 3A
Water project cost double than expected
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
REPLACING A section of water fine that
delivers most of the county water going to
West Jackson wound up costing more than
twice as much as expected, the Jackson
County Water and Sewerage Authority learned
last Thursday night.
The authority authorized the $123,210 final
budget without blinking. The project is virtu
ally completed.
In reality, the authority had little choice.
The 16-inch water line, originally bored
under the Middle Oconee River at Galilee
Church Road, was suspended in mid-river,
bent, and in danger of breaking. Had that
occurred, the water authority would have
experienced extreme difficulty in providing
water to Braselton, Hoschton and the rest of
West Jackson — which is where it sells most
of its water.
Nonetheless, Eric Klerk, the authority’s
manager, apologized repeatedly for the dis
crepancy in the cost, indicating it was his
fault. In May, Klerk told the authority that
a contract for the project stipulated a cost of
about $60,000.
“I didn’t fully read the document,” he
reported last Thursday night. As a result, he
said, he missed the “rock clause,” a section of
the contract that covers the contractor’s extra
continued on page 3A
Herald wins nine awards
in state newspaper contest
THE JACKSON Herald won
nine awards in the Georgia
Press Association’s Better
Newspaper Contest, including
first place in feature writing,
serious column, sports writ
ing and lifestyle coverage.
The feature writing award
was for a war story written by
features editor Jana Mitcham.
“A well-crafted feature that
pulls you into the life and
war-time experience of a vet
eran. and the remembranc
es of family members,” the
judge wrote. “An enlighten
ing read.”
The serious column was for
three columns written by edi
tor Mike Buffington.
“Buffington has a feisty, toe-
to-toe style, which he softens
with humor,” the judge wrote.
“I would be a regular reader if
he were in my community.”
The sports writing award
was for three articles written
by sports editor Ben Munro.
“Good leads, good writing,
well done,” the judge wrote of
Munro’s work.
The lifestyle coverage
award was for the “friends”
section of the paper.
“Friends gives a good sense
of what the community is
like and promotes community
interests,” the judge wrote.
The Herald also won sec
ond place awards for local
news coverage and religion
coverage and third place
awards for feature photograph
(Angela Gary), sports feature
photograph (Ben Munro) and
sports section (Munro).
Newspapers owned by
MainStreet Newspapers won
a total of 36 awards in the
annual newspaper contest.
Jackson sales taxes down
IN ANOTHER SIGN that the local economy is still strug
gling, sales tax revenue to Jackson County fell in the first
quarter by 4.5 percent.
In the first quarter of 2010, the county received $1.3 million
in sales taxes. But that fell off this year to $1.24 million.
Sales tax revenues are one measure of local economic activity
and reflect consumer spending. Jackson County reached a high
of $6.3 million in 2007, but that fell to $5 million in 2009. Sales
rebounded some in 2010 to $5.2 million.