Newspaper Page Text
THE
iMMit
ACKSON
.4- >7
IS 1 iS
H Wednesday, May 10, 2017
ERALD
VOL. 142 NO. 48
36 PACES 3 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS
Merged in 2017 with
The Commerce News
A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549
75c COPY
Tax rate to drop?
JHS student charged
in SnapChat threat
There is a slight possibility that the
tax rate for the Jackson County School
System could go down a little this year.
In a review of the FY2018 system
budget last week, school officials said
that if the system’s final tax digest goes
up enough and if the system doesn’t
see a huge influx of new students in
August, the general tax rate might drop
slightly next fall.
The system’s operations tax rate cur
rently stands at 19.131 mills.
The Jackson County Board of
Education will vote on its FY2018
budget in June and set the final tax rate
in the fall.
BUDGET
In its preliminary discussions about
the budget, system leaders are look
ing to give teachers a 2-percent pay
increase locally along with the state’s
2-percent hike. Still under discussion,
however, is whether or not to extend
that local 2-percent hike to non-teach
ers who work in the system. Adding
in non-certified employees with the
increase will cost the system an addi
tional $1.15 million in additional pay
roll and benefits.
In order to fund the 2-percent hike
locally for teachers, the system moved
all its capital expenses out of its General
Fund and into its ESPFOST fund. That
freed up funds for the pay hike, but
it could also delay how quickly the
system is able to build its SPFOST
reserves to start construction on a new
high school in Braselton.
In the preliminary budget data, offi
cials expect a 4.2-percent increase in
its tax digest. Overall, county offi
cials expect a 4.5-percent increase, but
that includes Jefferson and Commerce
which are not part of the county school
system’s taxing district. Those towns
have their own independent school sys
tems which are taxed within those
communities.
The county has not yet provided
system leaders with the breakdown of
each school district’s digest growth.
If the system’s digest comes in above
4.2-percent, officials indicated they
would look at lowering the tax rate.
The preliminary county system
General Fund budget projects $70.3
million in revenues in FY2018 and
$68.5 million in expenses if the system
does not extend the 2 percent pay hike
to non-certified staff. If that is extend
ed, the system’s expenses are expected
to be $69.67 million.
Another unknown is how many new
students will register for the school
year. On the west side of the county, the
system has seen tremendous student
growth. If the system has to hire addi
tional teachers in the fall, that could
affect the budget after it is adopted in
June, putting pressure to keep the tax
rate the same.
RESERVES
One of the county school system’s
biggest financial concerns in recent
years has been to rebuild its reserves.
During the recession, the system dipped
deeply into its reserves (in addition to
cost cutting) to make ends meet.
According to accounting recommen
dations, local governments should have
around 15 percent of its spending as
reserves. For the JCSS, that would be
around $10 million.
Officials expect to end the current
fiscal year with around $6 million in
reserves, up from $5.1 million at the
end of last year. That’s a dramatic
improvement over where the system
was in FY14 when its reserves fell to
under $2 million.
A Jefferson High School student was arrested
Tuesday after posting threats directed at the school on
social media.
Jorge Angel Hernandez, 17, 36 Preston Court, Com
merce, faces charges of terroristic threats and acts.
Hernandez allegedly sent a SnapChat to another
student threatening to “shoot up’’ JHS. That post
reportedly spread on Facebook and was forwarded to
the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Monday, which
forwarded it to the Jefferson Police Department.
School officials were notified and took safety pre
cautions Tuesday morning, according to a JPD Face-
book post. JPD authorities opened an investigation,
found the suspect and interviewed him until around
midnight on Monday.
The criminal investigations division presented its
findings to the district attorney Tuesday afternoon and
Hernandez was arrested shortly after. He was booked
into the Jackson County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing.
Smith named
CHS principal
DRESSED UP FOR PHOTO BOOTH SHOOT
Ashlyn Swafford and Tanner Kao dressed up to have their picture taken in the photo booth during
Jefferson High School’s Prom Saturday evening. Here they are shown at the UGA Conference Center in
Athens. See more JHS prom photos on page 7B. Photo by Wesleigh Sagon
JCCHS STUDENTS
READY FOR
2017 PROM
At the Jackson County
Comprehensive High
School prom, Melissa
Clark and Madison
Rodriguez pose with
their dates Cory
Ramey and Camden
Costa. See more
JCCHS prom photos
on page 8B.
Photo by Kyle Funderburk
By Ron Bridgeman
The assistant principal at Commerce High School
will be the new principal.
Will Smith will replace Donnie Drew, who has been
principal at CHS for 34 years. Drew will end his tenure
in mid-June.
In his new position, Smith will be the principal, ath
letic director and director of Career, Technical, Agricul
tural and Education programs.
While at his previous high school in Lakeland, Fla.,
Smith was the dean of students and athletic director
from 2013 to 2016. That high school had 2,400 stu
dents and six assistant principals, Smith said. CHS has
about 440 students this year and anticipates 470 to 480
for 2017-18, Smith said.
Before working in education, Smith was in private
business. He worked for Florida Dealers Finance for 10
years and was the finance director.
He said after the finance company was sold, he
decided he would do what he had wanted to do “origi
nally,” teach and coach baseball.
Smith is working on a doctorate in educational lead
ership through American College of Education.
continued on page 2A
New rules may curb trucks
By Alex Pace
Action taken by
Braselton leaders this
week may curb truck
traffic in residential
areas.
The Braselton Town
Council voted Monday
to change a traffic con
trol ordinance within the
town. The change lists
roads that tractor-trail
ers are prohibited from
traveling on (except for
deliveries or pick-ups).
In addition to all res
idential subdivisions in
the town, the following
streets are included on
the list:
•Davis Street
•East Lake Drive
•Grand Hickory Drive
•Harrison Street
•Henry Braselton Drive
•Henry Street
•Lakeshore Circle
•Lakeshore Drive
•Piedmont Avenue
•Pinecrest Lane
“No Through Trucks”
signage will be posted at
the selected roads inter
sections.
Trucks will also be
prohibited from parking
in the town’s rights of
way overnight.
Galilee Christian volunteers tackle city clean-up
Over 300 volunteers from
Galilee Christian Church
dispersed out into Jackson
County on the morning of
Saturday, May 6, to take on
an annual one-day service
project meant to “Serve the
City.”
These volunteers teamed
up to tackle 32 projects large
and small across the county
in an effort to serve the peo
ple of Jackson County.
Several volunteer teams
served at many of the
Jefferson city and Jackson
County schools helping take
care of lawn maintenance,
trash pick-up and flower
planting jobs.
Other teams served
in the historic city center
focused on beautification
of green-spaces in historic
downtown Jefferson, pre
paring flower beds for the
spring season, spreading
mulch and pruning trees.
Teams also volunteered at
two of the local historic
cemeteries, Paradise African
Methodist Episcopal Church
and Woodbine Cemetery.
Others went to various
homes across the county for
applicants with needs such
as. roof repair, lawn mainte
nance needs, deck repair and
various painting projects.
“Galilee Christian Church
is a non-denominational
congregation open to all
believers, made up of peo
ple of all walks of life and
social backgrounds with
one uniting belief in Jesus
Christ,” leaders state.
For more information on
Galilee Christian Church,
visit Galilee.org or contact
minister Nick Vipperman at
Nick@galilee.org.
CREWS WORK TO CLEAN UP CITY CEMETERY
Galilee Christian Church volunteers gathered Saturday to clean up the City
of Jefferson. Crews worked around the schools, several homes, historic
landmarks and at the historic cemeteries in Jefferson. The annual “Serve
the City” one-day event drew over 300 volunteers. See more on 2A.
Photo by Clark Buffington
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