Newspaper Page Text
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ACKSON
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H Wednesday, October 12, 2011
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 137 NO. 18 52 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Large development
proposed for Arcade
page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'Part4: School merg
er issue explodes'
page 4 A
Sports:
•JHS'sCarson Newman
has a career game in
recent win ... page 1B
Features:
•KJCB holds fall recy
cling event... .page 1C
•Jefferson mother joins
Rock Goodbye Angel
effort page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-8A
•Legals
pages 9-24C
•Church News
page 5B
•Obituaries
page 11B
•School News
pages 8-9B, 12B
O -S
School board approves final budget
BOE to seek
short-term loan
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County Board of
Education approved an $87.5 million
budget on Monday for its 2012 fiscal
year that will include more funding for
personnel and fewer furlough days than
once planned.
The general fund budget estimates
$83.4 million in revenue during the 2012
fiscal year — which started on July 1 and
ends on June 30,2012 — while expenses
will top $87.5 million.
At the end of the 2011 fiscal year, the
school system had a $9.3 million surplus.
That carries over to the current fiscal year
— with a projected ending fund balance
of $5.2 million.
When the board of education adopted
its tentative budget last month, the sur
plus was an anticipated $6.1 million. But
that figure was lowered after the board
approved a restoration plan in September
to allocate funds for some personnel that
had been trimmed in previous budget cuts.
It also includes additional funding for sup
plies, and athletic and fine arts transporta
tion costs at middle and high schools.
The school system further reduced the
number of employee furlough days from
10 to four, after officials learned that the
district ended the 2011 fiscal year with a
$9.3 million surplus.
However, the district still needs a short
term loan to bridge the gap from the start
of its fiscal year until local property taxes
are due on Dec. 20.
The Jackson County BOE approved
a request for proposals on Monday for a
Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) for up to
$5.6 million.
“This is a liberal number,” said Shannon
Adams, superintendent on Thursday. “We
don't think it'll be that high.”
It’s not only late in the game for the
school system to seek proposals for
financing a TAN, but a smaller amount
continued on page 9A
VOLLEYBALL ACTION
Jefferson senior Amanda Daniel sets the ball during area tournament action for the
Dragon volleyball team. Jefferson will host a state tournament match for the first
time ever today (Wednesday) against Landmark Christian at 6:30 p.m. See page 1B
for more photos. Photo by Ben Munro
ICCHS
Wrestling booster club
finances questioned
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A MAN THAT raised ques
tions about funding assistant
athletic directors at two area
high schools told the Jackson
County Board of Education
about additional concerns
for money tied to a wrestling
booster club.
Redd Howe, a former presi
dent of the Jackson County
Comprehensive High School
Touchdown Club, addressed
the board about funds for the
school’s wrestling booster club
and its coach.
The JCCHS wrestling team’s
head coach is Jason Powers,
who is also an assistant athletic
director at the school.
Last month, Howe addressed
the board of education about
its decision to spend money
funding assistant athletic direc
tor positions at the district’s
two high schools when other
schools in the 8-AA region
don't have such an expense.
On Monday, the BOE didn’t
allow Howe to mention Powers
by name saying the issue was
a personnel matter. Howe read
from portions of a prepared
statement during the specified
time he was given to address
the board.
Like last month, Howe vid
eotaped the board of educa
tion meeting. And this time, the
BOE had summoned a police
officer to be at the meeting
because of Howe’s presence,
a move not done for board of
education meetings in at least
several years.
Howe explained that his four
requests since March 2010 for
copies of the JCCHS Wrestling
Booster Club’s financial reports
have been unanswered. After a
third e-mail, a law firm repre
senting Jason Powers and his
father, Roger Powers, an assis
tant wrestling coach, sent Howe
a letter saying Jason Powers
would not answer his requests
and to direct his inquiries to
the school’s principal or super
intendent Shannon Adams. An
attorney also told Howe not to
have any contact with Jason
Powers.
“After a review of the
e-mail communications you
have directed to our client, it
is apparent that you harbor a
strong animosity toward Jason
Powers and Roger Powers,”
wrote Gainesville-based attor
ney Robert Chandler. “You
have engaged in an active effort
to create difficulties for both
these men. and it appears that
you are intent on continuing
to do so.”
Howe told the board that he
wanted the members to adopt a
continued on page 9A
Schools to get new assistant principals
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County School System is shuf
fling two assistant principal positions and two
system-wide jobs in the wake of recently approving
more money for personnel.
The board of education approved a personnel list
on Monday that includes shifting employees in the
district for the current school year. Most of the posi
tions had been cut in previous budget moves to trim
expenses when the school system had a deficit.
Last month, the board approved a restoration
plan that includes up to a potential $624,350 in
spending for hiring additional staff, among other
costs.
The move came after school system officials
learned that the district is expected to end its 2012
fiscal year budget with a $6.1 million surplus. The
Jackson County School System ended the 2011 fis
cal year in June with a $9.3 million surplus.
One of those positions that will have its funding
restored is that of a system-wide elementary coor
dinator. A second support specialist — a literacy
specialist — is also part of the restoration plan.
Rise Hawley, assistant superintendent for teach
ing and learning, said last month that the elemen
tary coordinator is needed as more state regulations
for the district to follow are coming. The literacy
specialist is needed to spearhead a system literacy
plan as the state implements the Common Core
curriculum, she said.
On Monday, the board of edu
cation named Teresa Strickland
its elementary coordinator for
the school system. She previous
ly served in the position before
being named an assistant prin
cipal at West Jackson Primary
School a couple of years ago.
Strickland is currently an
assistant principal at West Jackson Intermediate
School. With her move back to the central office,
the board named current
Maysville Elementary School
assistant principal Laurie
Hitzges the new assistant prin
cipal at WJIS. Her husband,
Jamie Hitzges, is a former
assistant principal at WJIS
and is now principal at North
Jackson Elementary School.
To fill Laurie Hitzges’ position at MES, Allyson
Pennington was named the assistant principal at
MES. Pennington was a learning facilitator for the
school system.
The board also approved the transfer of Beth
Rembe, a paraprofessional at WJPS, to student
information systems clerk for the district. That
position had also been restored in the funding plan
continued on page 9A
HITZGES
City of Jefferson
Streetscape ribbon cutting planned Sat.
A RIBBON cutting for the Saturday in the downtown in the Crawford W. Long
streetscape project in Jefferson area. Museum following the cere-
will be held at 10 a.m. on Refreshments will be served mony.
BOC split on use of
public safety funds
BYANGELA GARY
SALES TAX funds allocated for public safety will be used to
pay for radios for all of the fire departments in the county and an
air compressor and lighting at the fire training facility.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners agreed Monday
night to spend $120,000 for the radios, $20,000 for the air com
pressor and $20,000 for the lighting. The money will come from
special purpose local option sales tax revenue for public safety that
has not been allocated yet. The BOC will have $344,000 left over
in this SPLOST fund for public safety and this
money will be used for EMS stations.
Commissioner Chas Hardy made the motion
to approve this and Bruce Yates and Hunter
Bicknell voted along with him. Dwain Smith
and Tom Crow voted against the motion. Smith
and Crow had supported an earlier motion that
included funding these items, as well as the
construction of a recovery site at the fire training HARDY
center.
Crow had made an earlier motion, that only Smith voted in favor
of, to fund a recovery site at the fire training center.
“We owe these firemen all we can to protect their safety,” Crow
said. “We owe them something back to protect them. They are out
there trying to protect us.”
Hardy questioned the $170,000 cost of the building.
“I’ve yet to come across anyone who has seen anything similar
to this,” he said.
Crow said, “If we wanted to go overboard,” the proposal could
have been to enclose the building with heating and air condition
ing.
Hardy said: “I think for $170,000, you are already going over
board. I am concerned that a lot of this information is not being
presented to the board and the people in the correct form and
fashion. I did not attend the fire chief meeting that you attended
but I did contact the fire chiefs. The information I received and the
information before us is two different sources of information.”