About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2020)
Rare flower blooms at UNG to great height, odor. ufe,4a Tuesday, May 12,2020 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Hall County Schools to delay budget System to pass spending resolution, adjust for expected state cuts I Inside I I Cl II UUUI I Ly Will UUI I III IUC Obl IUUI BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com The Hall County School District will not approve a budget at the end of June as originally planned. During a Monday evening meeting, the school board approved a spending resolution that will push the school district’s budgeting decisions back to July 27. The decision comes in response to guidance from state legislation advising all state-funded agencies to expect a 14% decrease in fund ing. The cutback would account for a loss of around $22 million in school funds, according to Hall County superintendent Will Schofield. “We have such spotty infor mation in terms of what state revenues are going to look like,” Schofield said. “We believe that the legal arm that is available to us, which is to pass a spending resolution, a continuation of the FY20 budget if you will, for an additional month while we get more information when the legis lature gets back in session, when they start getting more estimates from OPB, is the wise thing to do.” OPB is the Office of Planning and Budget. The Gainesville City School System made a similar decision last Monday. Schofield said the school dis trict will look into a number of options to save money in accor dance with expected cutbacks, adding that while there is not currently a hiring freeze on the school district “if there’s any chance we can get through a I lunch delivery into June with I adjusted delivery schedule, 3A school year next year without adding positions, we certainly are not adding those positions.” “We’re going to have to sharpen our pencil in every area we pos sibly can to make it through this drought we’re going to go through for the next year or two, three years,” Schofield said. ‘They ’ve done a great job’ Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Parents of Spout Springs School of Enrichment students drop off equipment Monday, May 11, and pick up more supplies. They were greeted with thank-you signs placed around the school. Tokens of thanks between schools, parents at supplies event BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Spout Springs School of Enrichment staff hand school supplies to parents Monday, May 11, at the school. Those returning checked out school items to Spout Springs School of Enrich ment Monday afternoon were met with a message of thanks from Spouts Springs teachers to all parents, grandparents and caretakers. Items checked out from Hall schools, like laptops and library books, are being returned this week, offering staff a chance to — from a distance — see some students and family for the first time in weeks. At some schools, parents drove up to return supplies as masked staff mem bers greeted them and waved excitedly at students sitting in the backseat. At Spout Springs, teachers wanted the experience to be special for the parents. So before every day of the six-day dropoff period, a group of Spout Springs teachers will be placing signs and balloons around the outside of the school thanking the par ents for all they’ve done to make school from home run smoothly. “We have a very, very supportive parent group,” said fifth grade teacher Michelle Blaylock. “So we just felt like we needed to show them some appreciation. ” Blaylock said it was important to her and the rest of the teaching staff to com municate that they understood the par ents’ struggles. Despite much of the community suffer ing from the effects of COVID-19 through out the last couple months of the school year, Blaylock said Spout Springs stu dents were almost always at their virtual classes on time. “We realize that some of these par ents have lost their jobs,” Blaylock said. “Some of them are going through some very challenging times that we don’t really know about. But yet, every day, these kids have been logged in. They’re doing their digital assignments. They’re logging into their Zoom meetings with their teachers.... (the parents) have been a very, very important part. They’ve done a great job.” Mia Yeager, parent of a kindergarten student at Spout Springs, said both she and her kids enjoyed the unexpected wel come waiting for them at the school. “I thought it was very special and meaningful,” she said. “I feel like (the teachers) are the ones that really have done most of the work. But it did make me feel special.” Blaylock said dropoff May 18 — desig nated for the return of materials checked out by fifth graders — will have a bit of extra flair. Teachers will be putting out extra signs, including messages like “Reach for the stars,” “You did a great job,” and “Next stop, middle school.” Spout Springs would typically celebrate ■ Please see SUPPLIES, 6A Some Hall departments to reopen for appointments BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com Many departments will reopen at the Hall County Government Center Monday, May 18, but community members will need to make an appointment. Twelve departments will be available to the public beginning May 18 by appointment only: ■ Board of Commissioners ■ Building Inspections ■ Business License ■ Elections ■ Engineering ■ Environmental Health ■ Financial Services ■ Human Resources ■ Marshal’s Office ■ Planning & Development ■ Public Works ■ Tax Assessors To schedule an appointment to meet with one of the reopening departments, call 770-535- 8288. Appointments will be available between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Appointments must be booked by 5 p.m. the day before. ■ Please see COUNTY, 6A Probate Court will resume processing carry licenses BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com With Probate Court resuming processing of weapons carry license applications on Thurs day, Judge Patty Laine said certain processes will be changed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We try to answer every phone call that comes in to our office, but literally it has rung off the hook since the virus started,” she said. Beginning 8 a.m. Thursday, May 14, the court will resume processing new and renewal appli cations while limiting the number of people in the courthouse. Applicants are asked to print and complete the checklist before arriving at the fifth level of the Hall County Courthouse parking deck. “There will be information there and an employee of the court will be able to assist you with reserving your spot in line and ensuring you are ready to proceed. We will ask that you remain in your vehicle for your safety and the safety of others,” according to the new Probate Court guidelines. ■ Please see WEAPONS, 3A This e-edition sponsored by:
