Newspaper Page Text
Newton Students Improve Scores in State Testing
By JEANNE SMITH
It was good news time at the
meeting of the Newton County
School Board Tuesday, December
9, as the board members received
the score results for the 1975
Statewide Testing Program for
Newton County students. Newton
County showed considerable im
provement over the 1974 results.
The most dramatic improvement
was seen in the 4th grade test
results. The 1975 test results
* (Hit ingtnn Ntins
Volume 110 No. 13
Redistricting
Need Is Cited
By ART BOWMAN
The Newton County Board of
Commissioners Tuesday discussed
redistricting in the county that is
required by the U. S. Department
of Justice.
Chairman Jack Morgan told the
board that a group of elected
county officials met in County
Attorney John Howell’s office last
week to draw new lines. Howell
and State Rep. Bobby Sigman
finally went to Atlanta to seek aid
from the state Attorney General
who has had more experience with
redistricting.
Morgan said when the final map
is drawn it will be presented to
community leaders for approval.
He said Sigman would then in
troduce it into the legislature for
approval and then before the
people in a referendum.
State Sen. Don Ballard came to
the meeting later and elaborated on
the subject. He said the legislation
will decide more than just what the
districts will be. He said the
Inside
NewH
A Prize-Winning
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1975
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Contests
Editorial 2A
Santa's Impeachment. ... 4A
Society IB
Obituaries 118
Sports ID
Classifieds 5D
Legals 7D
.Newton County Chamber of Commerce officers
for 1976 were installed Monday night at the An
nual Business Meeting held at the Newton County
Comprehensive High School. Standing (1-r) are:
Tom Gaither, municipal vice-president; Bill
Foster, chairman of finance committee: Lee
Mayfield, municipal vice-president; Sam Ram-
showed the average reading grade
level of Newton County 4th graders
to be 3.62 in comparison with 3.36
last year. Competence in
mathematics increased from 3.62 in
1974 to 3.79 in 1975. Both scores
in mathematics and reading for
Newton County 4th graders are
above the 1974 state averages. The
1975 state averages will not be
available until late January .
Better yet, 21.4 per cent of all
Newton County 4th graders were
working at or above grade level in
New Law Planned
commissioners and the school
board will be placed under a new
law.
“We will have to decide whether
we want a one man commission, an
elected superintendent or what,”
said Ballard.
“Didn’t the people just decide
that (appointed superintendent) a
little. while ago?”, asked Com
missioner Oliver Capes.
“Yes,” said Ballard.
Ballard said the cheapest and
fastest way to get everything done
was present it to the U. S. District
Court, like Albany did, and let
them do the work.
The other method, said Ballard,
would be to formulate the laws in
the General Assembly and present
them to the people in a referendum
because “we want to do what the
people want.”
He said if the referendum was
defeated Newton County would
really be in a mess.
Ballard had come to the board to
discuss the governmental study
group that had been approved in
A. n
S h oppi ng
Till
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Try Newton
County First
Chamber Officers
1974 and this increased to 32.1 per
cent in 1975.
In 1974, 5.4 per cent of all
Newton County 4th graders were
working at sth grade level or above
and this also increased to 8.6 per
cent in 1975. Superintendent
Frank Cloer pointed out that this
test was taken in September, the
very beginning of the 4th grade
work for these students.
Scores were up for Bth graders
too. Reading ability increased from
6.9 in 1974 to 7.00 in 1975 and
the past General Assembly.
“Bobby (Sigman) never called me
so I don’t know what’s happened,”
said Ballard. “As far as I know it
could still meet, call Bobby. We
have a good problem for it now
(redistricting).”
Sigman later called The News and
said, “The bill did not designate
who headed the committee. It was
nearsightedness on my part but we
(Sigman and Ballard) are equally
guilty.
‘‘The committee was to have
reported by Dec. 1 so the deadline
has passed.
"I sent a letter to the cities, con
tacted people, but got only a small
response. They should have been
concerned about this a long time
ago,” said Sigman.
Tn other business, the com
missioners met with the con
stitutional officers to discuss
Courthouse hours. Attending the
meeting were Clerk James Har
deman, Judge Donald Stephenson
and Tax Commissioner Bonham
(Please Turn To Page 9A)
Unemployment
Newton County’s unemployment
rate rose in October to 8.4 per cent,
reversing a trend that had gone
steadily downward, according to
the Department of Labor.
Even though the local rate went
up, the state reached its lowest
level of unemployment of the year.
The 8.8 per cent rate was the
sey, president; Al Pearson, industrial vice
president; John Degonia chairman of mem
bership committee; Nelson Allen, member of in
dustrial development committee. Seated are: Art
Cassel la. executive director; Mrs. Sam Ramsey
and Mrs. S. J. Morcock.
A prize-winning newspaper serving Newton County for 110 years
Covington, Georgia — Thursday, December 11,1975
By ART BOWMAN
mathematics improved from 6.97
in 1974 to 7.10 in 1975. State
averages for 1974 were 7.10 in
reading and 7.10 in mathematics.
Newton County Bth graders had
18.2 per cent scored above the
national average in 1974, but 29.5
per cent scored above the national
average in basic skills in 1975.
The 11th grade students are given
a different type of test which does
not give grade equivalency scores.
Newton County students improved
in composition from 44.12 in 1974
Gary Curtis (I) and Ray Geiger (c) of Covington
are presented their certificates of honor by City
Manager Frank Turner. Curtis and Geiger are two
of four Georgia men who passed with honor the
lowest since a 7.4 per cent
unemployment rate was recorded
last December, said Labor
Commissioner Sam Caldwell.
The Newton County labor force
contains 13,476 people; 1,128 of
them are unemployed. Even though
there were only 43 more people
without jobs, there were 96 more
job openings in October.
The local 8.4 per cent figure is the
highest since the July-August
period. The rate was 8.5 in July
and 8.3 in August.
Caldwell remains optimistic for
the state. “I believe what is
C of C Progress
By LEO S. MALLARD
Chamber of Commerce President
Sam Kamsey praised the progress
of the organization during its first
full year of operation with an
executive director at the Annual
Business Meeting Monday night at
Newton County Comprehensive
High School.
"Past President Wes Jefferies and
the Chamber directors made a wise
choice in selecting Art Casseila as
our executive director, and as a
result our Chamber has become a
Hl
ore meaningful force here in
Newton County," Ramsey said.
Ramsey pointed out that mem
bership gain during the past year
had increased Chamber income
from SB,OOO to $21,000 annually,
and that during this first year of
operation with an executive director
to 44.84 in 1975. Reading im
proved from 43.55 in 1974 to
44.64 in 1975. No improvement
was seen in the mathematics
average. However, while 24.5 per
cent of Newton County 1 Ith
graders scored above the national
average in 1974, 27.6 per cent
scored above the national average
in mathematics in 1975.
State averages will be available in
January and Newton County scores
can be compared to these then.
Cloer told the school board that
Honor Roll Citation
certified building inspector’s exam of American
Society of Building and Construction Inspec
tors. The 244 question test was successfully
completed by 83 per cent of those taking it.
Rises to 8.4%
significant here is the fact that we
are again reaching toward having
two million Georgians on johs. We
first reached that milestone mark in
May of 1973 — the first time in
history we ever had that many
Georgians working — and the
Octoiter figures show that more
than 1,991,600 Georgians are now
employed. And the picture has to
be somewhat better for November
and December."
Newton County is doing much
better than the average of the 15-
county Standard Metropolitan
Statistical Area. The average for
it had only been necessary to dip
into reserve funds for SI,OOO to
carry out Chamber programs.
"The Chamber has been in
strumental in organizing the
Newton County Industrial
Association which is made up of
the managers of the industries of
our county, and we are presently in
the process of forming the Newton
County Trade Association in order
to promote business in this county
in a united effort," Ramsey said.
"We have been working diligently
to determine what we must do in
Newton County to increase in
dustrial employment and attract
new industry here, and we have
received excellent cooperation from
city and county officials in this
respect," said Ramsey.
Officers elected to serve the
Chamber during 1976 are:
while some of these increases had
been anticipated, the 4th grade
results in particular exceeded
expectations. He also pointed out
that these tests were not a
measurement of the new reading
program embarked upon this
school year and which is designed
to substantially increase student
reading ability.
"The all important thing in any
school system is the child," Cloer
(Please Turn To Page 9A)
Fifteen Cents
the area is 9.6 per cent, up from
9.3 in September. About 40 per
cent of the state's jobs are located
in the area that includes Newton,
Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb,
Gwinnett, Butts, Cherokee,
Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Henry,
Paulding, Rockdale and Walton.
Macon and Augusta also suffered
a rise in unemployment. Macon
went from 7.5 per cent ot 8.3 while
Augusta rose from 7.4 to 7.5 per
cent.
State Labor paid out only $32
(Ph•ase Turn To Page 9A|
Praised
Ramsey, president; Tom Gaither
and Lee Mayfield, municipal vice
presidents and co-chairmen of the
Newton County Trade Association;
Bill Foster, chairman of the finance
committee; Al Pearson, and John
Degonia, industrial vice-presidents.
Art Cassella will continue to serve
as executive director and Mrs. Rita
Carswell will serve as secretary.
After the business meeting the
group adjourned to the gymnasium
for a Community Christmas
Caroling program sponsored jointly
by the Chamber and the Newton
County School System.
Performing were the choirs and
bands of Cousins Middle School,
Sharp Middle School and Newton
County Comprehensive High
School. The audience joined in
singing favorite Christmas carols. ■-
