Newspaper Page Text
Inside
Forsyth’s
Christmas
parade earns
high honors
SEE PAGE 13A
Snorts
Bulldogs go
Brazilian
SEE PAGE 2B
Deaths
William E. “Bill” Bassett
Alma Irene “Patsy” Smith
Harold Slaton King
Barbara Ann Zellner
SEE OBITUARIES
PAGE 2A
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Schools OK 8%
budget hike
Too early to know how spending plan will affect taxes
What we pay them under new budget
Maggie Bowden, ass’t. sup’t. for teaching & learning
Jennifer Clements, director of instructional support
Sheila Smith, director of personnel and testing
Dr. Keith Hamon, director of administrative technology
Dr. Lori Rodgers, director of Federal programs
Dr. Mike Hickman, principal BSMS
Angie Dillon, principal HES
Rayceen King, principal MCAC,
Jim Finch, principal MPHS
Jeffrey Turner, director of student services
Anthony Pack, superintendent
Steve Edwards, principal WHMS
Rodney Walker, MP ath. dir./football coach (49% teacher) $54, 588
Neil Rigole, director of instructional technology
Dr. Richard Bazemore, principal T.G. Scott
Shana Wood, director of school nutrition
Jackson Daniel, ass’t. sup’t. for support services
Robert Worthy, MPHS head basketball coach $76,786
Source: Monroe County Board of Education
BY GINA
HERRING
School employees,
including teachers,
custodians and cleri
cal staff, will receive a
2.5 percent pay
increase next month.
Good news for them,
but maybe not so good
for Monroe County
taxpayers. The pay
increases, along with
higher fuel prices,
textbooks and buses,
means an 8 percent
increase in the educa
tion budget, money
that will have to come
from taxes.
The Monroe County
Board of Education
approved the $32.7
million budget, up
over $2.5 million from
last year, for the
2008-09 school year
during its meeting
June 10.
According to Jackson Daniel, assistant
superintendent for support services, the
majority of the increase is because of the pay
raises. Earlier this year, the legislature
approved a 2.5 percent raise for all teachers.
The school board also voted to give the same
2.5 percent raise to other employees, includ
ing lunchroom workers, clerical staff, para-
pros and custodians and increased the base
See BUDGET page 7A
Johnny Reb turns 100
Cabaniss UDC Chapter No 415 and the Monroe
County Historical Society are sponsoring a celebra
tion in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Con
federate monument on the northeast corner of the
square at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21. The keynote
speaker will be Janice Langford, president general
of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, with
special music from Sharon Steele-Smith and
“Tunes of the Battlefield.” Attendees are encour
aged to bring a folding chair. (Photo/Gina Herring)
Want to run for
school board?
Niblett not running; Qualifying opens Mon.
Qualifying opens at 9 a.m. Monday,
June 23 for three non-partisan seats
on the Monroe County Board of
Education. Qualifying remains open
until noon on Friday, June 27.
Candidates must qualify in the office
of Election Superintendent Karen
Pitman.
The seats up for re-election are:
• BOE District 2 - $27 (Dr. J. Ray
Grant);
• BOE District 4 - $27 (Ricky
Niblett);
• BOE District 6 - $27 (Tammy
Fletcher).
Two have announced that they are
seeking re-election for their seat. Dr. J.
Ray Grant, district 2, currently serves
as the board chairman and has been
on the board for 14 years. Tammy
Fletcher, district 6, just finishing up
her second
term, says
she has "j'
enjoyed serv- glgg
ing the coun- ' ■ U
ty and hopes
to be re-elect
ed. However, ' 4
district 4 will
be open.
Ricky Niblett, who has served for two
terms, says he is not running again.
He is building a house just outside his
district and will be moving in soon.
As of press time Monday, no one has
announced their intent to challenge
any of the board members. Since the
offices are non-partisan, they will not
be on the ballot in the primary in July,
but will be on the ballot in the general
election Nov. 4.
Mon
roe
County
school board
districts 2 (Dr.
J. Ray Grant),
4 (Ricky
Niblett) and 6
(Tammy
Fletcher) are
up for re-elec
tion this fall.
Qualifying is
June 23-27.
Reporter
unveils
new blog
on politics
Seeking questions
for July 10 forum
There’s a new place in town to talk
Monroe County politics, and you don’t
have to burn gas to get there. The
Monroe County Reporter this week
unveils a political blog, Monroe County
Elections 2008. The Web address is
www.mymcr.net/elections2008/, and it’s acces
sible through the paper’s website.
The blog is one of many ways Monroe
County voters can submit questions which
may be posed to candidates at the political
forum set for July 10. The Reporter and
Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of
Commerce will host a candidates forum at
6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 10. In preparation
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for the forum, the newspaper is asking read
ers to submit questions for candidates at the
forum. Readers can also submit questions by
email to publisher@mymcr.net, mail to PO
Box 795, Forsyth, fax to 994-2358 or drop by
our office at 50 N. Jackson Street. The name
of the person submitting the question is not
required.
See BLOG page 5A
Monroe
students
outscore
state
BY GINA HERRING
Monroe County students may not have
exceeded last year’s scores, but they are still
performing better than most other students
See TEST SCORES page 4B
Monroe County Schools
2008 CRCT Scores
HES
Scott
GA 2007 MC
scores
1st
Reading
90
96
90
ELA
84
88
84
Math
91
QQ
Rfi
2nd
Reading
97
95
92
ELA
87
87
84
Math
92
93
85
3rd
Reading
97
88
87
ELA
93
93
87
Math
82
75
71
Science
87
72
74
Social Studies
97
91
89
4th
Reading
99
89
87
ELA
86
89
86
Math
75
76
70
Science
83
76
74
Social Studies
97
9?
91
5th
Reading
91
88
87
ELA
95
94
90
Math
72
58
72
Science
69
67
72
Social Studies
93
90
89
6th
Reading
97
98
91
ELA
95
98
87
Math
82
88
69
Science
76
78
66
Social Studies
25
34
NA*
7th
Reading
95
95
88
ELA
94
97
90
Math
84
96
80
Science
72
79
75
Social Studies
14
25
NA*
Btfi
Reading
93
97
91
ELA
96
98
89
Math
71
84
62
Science
Social Studies
47
70
60
* score discarded,
tests flawed
Equal or above state
