Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JULY 15. 2021
School Board, meeting
“It’s long overdue”: Board approves
raises for non-certified employees
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
For the 275 non-certified
employees who work for the
school system, there was
some good news from the
July board of education
meeting where a new salary
schedule that includes annual
pay raises was approved.
Prior to the approval,
those employees received
next to no raises in the last 20
years. Non-certified employ
ees include positions such as
bus drivers, cafeteria work
ers, secretaries, and others.
“This new salary schedule
recognizes the importance
and value of our non-certified
employees in our district,”
said Superintendent Tony
Young. “In the past, staff re
ceived a yearly longevity
raise of $125.
“Along with this $125 per
year raise they might receive
an additional raise when a su
perintendent asks and a board
approved a specific raise for
a specific group, meaning
these staff members could go
for years with only a $125
per year pay increase,” he
added. “We have staff mem
bers who have been here for
25-30 years and make very
little more than when they
started. This is not fair, and
did not recognize the impor
tance of these people. Our
doors would not open each
day for the teachers to do the
wonderful things they do
without those buses rolling,
those kitchens cooking, those
bookkeepers bookkeeping,
those secretaries greeting vis
itors with a smile each day,
and I’ve only mentioned a
small part of our support
staff.”
In addition to guaranteed
raises each year - 1.5 percent
- current employees’ salaries
will be bumped up to where
they are on the pay scale in
terms of years worked. For
example, a secretary who has
been with the system 10
years will see a pay increase
to the hourly rate shown on
the new pay scale for a 10-
year employee. School CFO
Amy Smith told the Progress
this change will cost the sys
tem about $380,000 in the
FY 2022 budget.
The new pay schedule had
broad and enthusiastic sup
port from school board mem
bers. Board member Tommy
Gartrell said the move was
“long overdue,” a sentiment
echoed by other board mem
bers.
School maintenance on
track
Operations Director Stacy
Gilleland told the board sum
mer maintenance at school
campuses is on target.
Among maintenance
items discussed, he reported
that it could be August before
the aging bleachers at Pick
ens Junior High School are
replaced due to a manufactur
ing delay, but that work to re
pair the plaster ceiling at Tate
Elementary should be com
plete next week.
Maintenance crews have
also re-caulked and painted
the windows at the Tate cam
pus.
A groundbreaking cere
mony for a new ag center at
Pickens Junior High Campus
should be scheduled soon.
Gilleland hopes the project is
completed by December.
In other news from the
meeting:
•The school system is
feeding around 600 kids a
day through their Seamless
Summer meal program at a
variety of locations. They are
also serving kids in school
sports and band programs.
Human Resources Direc
tor Chris Parker was recog
nized for receiving a
Platinum Award in the area
of Employee Handbooks
from the Georgia Associa
tion of School Personnel Ad
ministrators (GASPA).
The board recognized students in the Technology Students Association for qualifying for and placing in national level
TSA competitions. The following students participated: Biotechnology Design - Luke Quarles and Michael Rumsey;
Chapter Team - Brooke Bell, Dylan Coley, Brett Menard, Jeri Speights, Luke Quarles, and Michael Rumsey; Data Science
and Analytics - Jeri Speights and Luke Quarles; Digital Music Production - Brett Menard, Dylan Coley; Extemporaneous
Speech - Jeri Speights; Engineering Design - Brooke Bell, Brett Menard, and Michael Rumsey; Technology Bowl -
Brooke Bell, Brett Menard, and Michael Rumsey.
Prepare for unexpected
power outages with a
Generac home standby
generator
REQUEST A FREE QUOTE!
877-318-8496
P P P 7-Year Extended Warranty*
rVtCC A$695Value!
Limited Time Offer - Call for Details
GENERAC
Special Financing Available
Subject to Credit Approval
'To qualify, consumers must request a quote, purchase,
install and activate the generator with a participating dealer.
Call for a full list of terms and conditions.
METAL ROOFING
DAWSONVILLE
METAL PRODUCTS
Your Metal Roofing Specialist
BUY DIRECT in Dawsonville
Painted Galvalume Metal Roofing
18 Colors In Stock
Delivery & Contractor Referrals Available
82 Etowah River Road • Dawsonville
706-265-3099 • 800-519-4616
RENASANT
MORTGAGE LENDING
Get A Home Loan From
THE BEST BANK
IN THE SOUTH
There's something to be said for developing a relationship with a bank
whose people live and work in your community. We get to know you.
We understand your individual needs. Whether you're building, buying,
renovating, or refinancing your home, Donna can help.
DONNA TORRES
678.895.7599
dtorres@renasant.com
www.donnatorres-renasant.com
NMLS#: 1204791
Ask about our single-close construction-permanent
options for new construction or renovation!
criiri ©2019 R e na sa nt Bank. All l°an s °r °ffer s of credit am object
sSS rUlt to credit and underwriting approval. Other fees, conditions, and
restrictions may apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Please contact a loan
officerfor details and questions. Bank NMLS: 402669 I Effective Date 04/11/2019
04112019-ACT-1
Good Samaritan
HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER
Restoring Health. Saving Lives.
School board proposes budget increase so minute
its counted in decimals, says finance director
All kinds of care for all ages.
All types of payments.
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Speaking to a public of
one, the school’s finance di
rector said for the next fiscal
year budget - likely to be
adopted within the month -
the increase over FY2021 is
“so minute” it would be a
decimal and several zeros to
show the amount.
The proposal is for a
$48,740,089 budget that as
presented is about $42,000
Sen. Chuck Payne appointed
to chair Age of Mandatory
Education Study Committee
Atlanta - Last week, Lt.
Governor Geoff Duncan an
nounced his selection of ap
pointments to five Senate
Study Committees. Among
the list of members, Sen.
Chuck Payne (R - Dalton)
was chosen to chair the Sen
ate Study Committee on Age
of Mandatory Education,
which was created pursuant
to Senate Resolution 192.
Payne represents the west
ern half of Pickens County as
part of his district.
“The topic of raising the
legal high school dropout age
of 16 to 17 was a highly de
bated one this past legislative
session,” said Sen. Payne.
“The conversation really
started while we vetted Sen
ate Bill 3 in the Senate Com
mittee of Education and
Youth, of which I serve as
chair. We discussed conver
sations such as whether or
not students should be al
lowed to make the decision
to drop out of school, espe
cially considering they are
not legally allowed to make
decisions such as voting, get
ting tattoos, buying alcohol
or tobacco, or signing up for
a credit card at that age. On
the other hand, if students are
not planning on obtaining a
postsecondary education,
perhaps we should allow
them to pursue other oppor
tunities instead. I am honored
to chair this study committee,
and serve alongside other
members as we discuss the
implications of raising the
dropout age from 16 to 17.”
The following members
were appointed to serve
alongside Sen. Payne:
Sen. Gail Davenport (D -
Jonesboro)
Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R -
Marietta)
Sen. John Albers (R -
Roswell)
Sen. Lester Jackson (D -
Savannah)
Sen. Chuck Payne serves as
the chairman of Education and
Youth. He represents the 54th
Senate District, which includes
Whitfield and Murray Counties
and parts of Gordon and Pickens
Counties. He may be reached at
404.463.5402 or by email at
ehuek.payne@senate.ga.gov.
Small ads
produce
results
Progress classifieds
706-253-2457
higher than last year. It would
actually calculate out as a
0.0855 percent increase. In a
follow-up e-mail Smith ex
plained that she could not
project the effect of the flat
budget on local property tax
bills as it will depend on what
the tax digest does for this
year and that has not been
completed.
CFO Amy Smith said this
budget allows them to offer
raises to non-certified staff
members, but otherwise very
closely mirrors previous
years’ budgets. She said there
were no major shifts or sur
prises from last year.
The only member of the
public at the hearing, which
was combined with a called
meeting, asked a specific
question about whether the
budget included funds for a
type of filter in all the
HVACs.
Operations manager Stacy
Gilleland explained that the
more sensitive filters are not
required nor recommended
and he didn’t think they
would ever be feasible to use
in a school situation. He said
they might work in a hospital
patient’s room where there
are only one or two people in
it at a time, but simply
wouldn’t stand up to class
rooms with multiple people.
The school board will
hold a second public hearing
on the budget July 19th at 6
p.m. at the central office
meeting room on D.B. Car-
roll Street.
At the request of board
Chair Sue Finley, Smith ex
plained some of the possible
COVID funds the schools
could tap into next year.
Smith said it’s possible they
could see an additional $ 11.7
million in federal funds that
“would touch every depart
ment across the system.” But
she said these are highly de
pendent on the schools show
ing they can put the money
directly to “remediate” chil
dren who had learning loss.
“We will be eligible until all
kids are back to performing
on grade level,” she said.
“There are extensive require
ments.” She said the schools
are required to show what
they are doing is helping.
She said the barrage of
different grant opportunities
range from $624 to the
largest at $7.1 million.
In a follow-up e-mail,
Smith explained, “The grant
funds run across three years
FY20, FY21, and FY22. The
last and largest piece has not
yet been approved by the
Georgia Department of Edu
cation. It will be recorded in
Special Revenue and will be
presented to the Board for ap
proval after it has been ap
proved at the state level.”
All under one roof.
Medical • Dental
Behavorial Health • Pharmacy
Open Monday - Friday.
Call 706-253-4673 for appointments.
175 Samaritan Drive • Jasper GA 30143
goodsamhwc.org
We accept a wide variety of insurance: Blue Cross Blue Shield,
Cigna, United Healthcare, plus Medicare, Medicaid & Veterans
Choice. Plus, we have a low-cost sliding fee scale for
ndividuals without insurance.
Georgia Mountain
Ophthalmology
is pleased to
announce that
Dr. Charles
Newcomer, OD,
has joined
our team.
GE9RGIA
M9UNTAIN
OPHTHALMOLOGY
(706) 253-2267
150 Interstate S. Drive, Jasper, GA 30143