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PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. APRIL 22. 2021
School employees to receive substantial bonuses
Public comments policy to change; graduation planning underway
Atlantic Coast
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/EVENTS/5 1 59354762365 1 9/
PRESENTS
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READING WITH
Dr. Mark Roberts
Southern author
and President of
Reinhardt
University
Thurs. 4/22 at 5:00 pm
80 South Main Street
Jasper, GA
By Larry Cavender
Progress Contributor
from federal funds the state
received as a part of coron-
avirus relief. However, Su
perintendent Young decided
to double the $1,000 bonus
stipulated by the state with
additional funds from
CARES II recently approved
by Congress. The consensus
of the members of the board
was the bonuses are well-de
served in light of the difficul
ties caused by the pandemic
over the past year.
Students recognized
Recognitions were made
of several students for excel
lence in achievement in both
Employees of the Pickens
County Board of Education
can soon expect a bonus of as
much as $2,000, according to
Superintendent Tony Young.
The announcement was made
by Young at the regular
monthly meeting of the Pick
ens County Board of Educa
tion meeting on Thursday,
April 15 th.
The maximum amount
will go to all full-time staff
members, not just to include
certified personnel, but also
bus drivers, lunchroom staff,
and anyone employed full
time. However, other staff
members can also expect a
substantial bonus, albeit, in a
lesser amount. Those part-
time staff, known as 49 per
cent employees, will be
awarded $980. The superin
tendent was quick to note that
the awarding of these
bonuses will not affect the
school's general funds or any
other board of education ac
counts.
The bonus money is partly
the result of funds allocated
for this purpose by Governor
Brian Kemp and will come
Two students were honored for being Georgia Young Au
thors ' Writing Contest regional winners. Emy Youngblood
of the Pickens Virtual Academy and Beau Tate of Hill City
Elementary both placed first in region competition.
Out of 750 virtual auditions from across the district, eight Pickens High Band members were named to the District Honors Band.
The Pickens High girls cross country team was recognized for placing eighth in state competition, the highest ever in
the history of the program.
academic and athletic areas.
Two students were hon
ored for being Georgia
Young Authors' Writing Con
test regional winners. They
were Emy Youngblood of the
Pickens Virtual Academy and
Beau Tate of Hill City Ele
mentary. Pickens County Di
rector of Public Relations
Destini Shope in making the
recognitions, noted that both
Youngblood and Tate placed
first in region competition.
Eight Pickens High Band
members were named to the
District Honors Band, ac
cording to Band Director
Michael Oubre who pointed
out that there were over 750
virtual auditions from across
the district for that honor.
PHS band members named to
the District Honors Band
were Piper Duncan, Mary
Forrester, Eli Galligan, Owen
Galligan, Luis Gonzales,
Jerry Knight, Levi Kuyper,
and Conner Williams.
Both the Pickens High
boys and girls cross country
teams were recognized for
placing the highest in state
competition in the history of
both programs. In introduc
ing the teams to the board,
PHS Athletic Director Chris
Williams said the boys
placed third in the state while
the girls placed eighth. The
boys team has become a pre
eminent powerhouse in Re
gion 7-AAAA cross country
competition having won the
region championship four out
of the past five years. Among
the experienced and "close-
knit" boys team, Williams
singled out Seth White who
finished fifth overall in state
competition.
Schools preparing
for graduation
ceremony
In his report to the board
on operations and construc
tion, Chief Operations Offi
cer Stacy Gilleland stated his
department is busy preparing
The PHS boys cross country team has become a powerhouse in region 7AAAA compe
tition, winning their fourth region championship of the past five years. The experienced
and "close-knit” team finished third in the state this year.
for graduation and other end-
of-the-year activities. Gille
land noted that the week of
May 3rd through the 7th has
been designated as National
School Food Service Em
ployee Appreciation Week.
Public Comments
Policy
Finally, Young com
mented on the new statutes
mandated by the state allow
ing for public comments at
local board meetings. Young
pointed out that Pickens al
ready has a public comments
policy in place that mostly
aligns with the new statute,
with one exception. The cur
rent policy requires notice of
five days to be placed on the
agenda while the new state
mandates require only
twenty-four hour notice. Ac
cording to Young, board at
torney Phil Landrum is
presently reworking their
policy to be in accordance
with the new statute, and
hopefully, he will present an
amended policy at the regular
May meeting.
THE OLD
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the neighborhood tavern
with a creative chef-driven
menu, a full cocktail bar,
our signature mules, and
features beer and wine
from Georgia.
(706) 253-3440
OLDMULEHOUSE.COM
2 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga 30143
Open at I I a.m.Wed-Sun
closed Mon&Tues
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April is the Great American Cleanup!
Roadside Trash Pickup • Adopt-A-Road • Tire Recycling
Roadside Cleanup
Waste Reduction
Beautification
Recycling
Teamwork
Cooperation
Volunteerism
Community Pride
Help KPB and Pickens County for Cleanup Month!
Join the team!
& Be a part of the success!
Visit KeepPickensBeautiful.org for more information
The Great American Cleanup is a
national beautification effort
in partnership with Keep America Beautiful
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