Newspaper Page Text
Page 2C
February 14, 2018
^Reporter
School board hears of need to change salary scale
School board members Stuart Pippin, Priscilla Doster and Judy Pettigrew and Asst. Supt.
Jackson Daniel work on a team-building project at their Feb. 3 work session.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
The school system
needs to begin looking
at its salary scale for
employees differently
Assistant Superintendent
Jackson Daniel told the
school board at its train
ing session on Saturday,
Feb. 3. He said that, for
decades the local school
system has followed the
state salary schedule as
its guideline, but now the
state gives local boards
more flexibility and less
funding for paying per
sonnel.
Daniel pointed out that.
88.2 percent, of Monroe
County Schools’ FY2018
$39 million budget, goes
to personnel. The base
salary for a first, year
teacher with a bachelor’s
degree is $38,119, but. the
cost, to the school system
when the benefits pack
age is added is $58,783.
The cost, to the school
system for a teacher with
10 years experience and
a specialist degree is over
$88,000.
Although this is the
local pay scale, it. mir
rors the state scale; for,
example, the pay for the
first-year teacher is the
state base of $34,092
plus a local supplement,
of $2,727 plus the $1,300
supplement, that, has
been given as a lump
payment, in January the
last, two years.
‘There is no funding
for teacher raises in the
2019 state budget.,” said
Daniel.
He said that, costs keep
rising for local school
systems because of the
increased required con
tribution to the Teacher
Retirement. System (TRS)
and the increasing cost, of
health insurance. He said
that, teachers pay 6 per
cent. of their pay to TRS,
but. the school system’s
contribution is at. 16.81
percent, of each teacher’s
salary this year and 20.9
percent, next. year.
For health insurance,
the school system must,
pay $11,340 for each
employee, whether the
employee elects to be
covered under the policies
offered by the school or
not.. The school system’s
contribution for each
classified (non-certified)
employee will also be
$11,340 next, year, up
from $10,940 this year.
The rate for classified
employees has been ris
ing each year until it.
matched that, of certified
employees.
Daniel said that for
FY18, Monroe County
schools will pay $10.8
million in benefits
(TRS, health insurance
and social security) for
employees. That, amount,
will increase to $11.7
million in FY19. He com
mented that, no industry
has escaped the rising
cost, of employee benefits.
“That, would be for the
same people at. the same
salaries,” said Daniel.
“Local taxpayers have to
pick up the difference.”
Daniel picked three
nearby school systems
to compare present,
teacher salaries for first,
year teachers, accord
ing to a RESA (Regional
Educational Service
Agency) study. Monroe
County paid $800 more
than Henry County
and $1,100 more than
Houston County but. $600
less than Oconee County.
“A young teacher will
hop counties for $600,”
said Daniel.
He said the board has
several possibilities to
consider. It. can keep the
status quo, keep the base
salary as a minimum and
combine the two supple
ments, develop a local
pay scale that, combines
all three or develop a
completely new salary
structure for teachers.
In a related issue,
Daniel said the board
should review how
Monroe County pays
coaches.
“We need to be com
petitive and pay them for
the time they put. in,” he
advised.
Factors to consider are
the length of the season,
practice time, the number
of coaching assignments,
extended year days and
possibly team success.
Superintendent. Dr. Mike
Hickman noted that, all
physical education teach
ers are required to coach
two sports.
Board member Stuart.
Pippin pointed out. that, if
the school system factors
in team success, it. would
also need to consider
merit, pay for teachers.
Daniel said another
group for whom the board
needs to revise salaries is
bus drivers. He said that,
for 20 years bus drivers
have been paid for four
hours/day for 183 days
per year, excluding extra
trips like competitions
and field trips. The three
days over the 180-day
student calendar are for
training.
Over those 20 years
the number of Monroe
County routes have gone
from about. 48 to 68 as
the number of schools
has increased and other
routes, like Special
Education and Gordon
College, have been added.
He said a normal morn
ing for a bus driver now
runs from 5:05-8:40
a.m. Special education
students have adapted
schedules that, call for
transporting them to and
from school for three,
four or five hours per
day. Drivers take ROTC-
and health students from
Mary Persons to the
Education Center and
back, take middle school
band students to the high
school, C-team football
players to the field for
practice and gifted stu
dents to their classes on
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
‘The day when bus driv
ers did two hours in the
morning and two hours
in the afternoon are
gone,” said Daniel. “We
need to accommodate
driver hours.”
Another pay issue is the
administrative pay scale
established in 2010 that,
was first, updated last,
year.
“We have to be com
petitive with leadership
positions,” said Daniel.
Pippin asked if Monroe
County Schools has had
any problem recruit
ing administrators, and
Daniel said that, whenev
er a position has opened,
the school system has
had a number of qualified
applicants. However, he
said it. is also important,
too retain good people,
and some Monroe County
administrators have
‘maxed out.’ on the cur
rent. salary schedule.
Daniel said that, he
has built, a notebook of
salaries since he came to
work for Monroe County
School System in 1995.
Because of the strategic
waiver system, which
is now in place for the
majority of school sys
tems in Georgia, local
school systems are now
allowed more flexibility in
pay and hiring guidelines
than than they have been
in the last. 22 years. The
waivers allow greater
flexibility in return for
greater accountability for
student achievement..
He said the school sys
tem now has many posi
tions that, did not. exist. 22
years ago and were not.
on the salary scale, like
technology positions and
a full-time behavior spe
cialist., even though the
state scale has gone down
from 21 levels to 15.
“Compensation both
state-wide and locally has
changed,” he said.
City refuses to close unused road
grtllLT SURF*
fa- PARCEL MO. 2
SO* ROADWAY PARCEL
SHARP STREET
40' ft/W f ASSUMED)
20'ASPHALT SURFACE
Jhavier Locus, left, was No. 19 in the order of spellers, but he
finished the Bee as No. 1. He is pictured with Superintendent
Dr. Mike Hickman and the second-best speller of the night,
Hannah Simpson.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Forsyth denied a
request, from Walter
Goodson to close an
abandoned roadway that,
runs between Sharp
Street, and Powell Street.
. Council also said it. will
find a way to maintain
the abandoned road as
a city street. The road
way fronts three parcels
of land that, have two
structures, one of which
is inhabited as a rental
unit..
Goodson asked council
at. its Dec. 18 meeting
to close the roadway
and said he would like
to buy the land. He said
he owns the property
around the abandoned
roadway and wants to
do some construction on
the property. Goodson
said the road was not. in
shape to drive and he
did not. want, to fix it. if
he did not. own it..
City attorney Bobby
Melton said that, if the
road is closed, the owner
on either side of the
street would be given
the chance to buy it.. If
an adjacent, owner did
not. exercise the right,
to purchase, the land
would be advertised.
City manager Janice
Hall said the roadway is
not. maintained by the
city and is not. used as
primary access to either
of the structures, both of
which have addresses on
other streets. However,
if it. is abandoned, the
middle land parcel will
be landlocked. Also, the
map looked as though
one of the structures
encroaches on the city’s
right, of way to the road.
At. the Feb. 5 council
meeting, Hall shared
with council members
the Jan. 23, 1986 docu
ment. by which George
Willis Jr. deeded the
roadway to the city and
the subsequent resolu
tion by council to accept,
it. as a public city road
way. Hall said she did
not. have any evidence
that, the road was ever
named or maintained by
the city.
Melton said that,
although it. appears
from the map that, the
road runs through the
inhabited structure, it. is
possible that, the struc
ture just encroaches on
the right.-of-way. No one
had any explanation as
to how a house could
have been built, in a city
roadway. Goodson was
not. present, at. the Feb. 5
council meeting.
LOCUS
Continued from Front
cess from last. year. His
experience in winning
spelling bees over the
last, two years showed
in the confidence he dis
played at. the microphone
each time it. was his
turn. Hannah Simpson,
a 6t.h grader, was the
runner-up. Jhavier will
compete in the Region
Spelling Bee in Fort.
Valley on Saturday, Feb.
24. Hannah will take his
place if he cannot, partici
pate for some reason.
The last, one to miss a
word before only Jhavier
and Hannah were left,
was fifth grader Maela
McKallip. She went. out.
on the word “premoni
tion” in the 10th round
after Hannah spelled
“facilitate” and Jhavier
spelled “massacres” cor
rectly. Hannah went, on to
spell “celerity” but. then
missed “germinate” while
Javier rolled through
“parenthetical,” “subter
ranean,” and “petulance”
to take the title of top
speller in the district.
There were five contes
tants left, until 6th grader
Ashley Dupre went. out.
on “mandible” in the 8th
round, and 7th grader
Gabriella Miller was
tripped up by “meren-
gue,” a style of dance, in
the 6th round, a round
that, also saw 7th grader
Madison Rawlins go out.
on “fluorescent.” but. saw
Hannah spell “ricochet.,”
Maela spell ‘Methuselah”
and Ashley spell “trucu
lently” correctly.
As Wachter declared
at. the beginning of the
Spelling Bee, “You are
already winners if you
are standing on that,
stage.”
Public Hearing Notice
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners would like
to start the process to close two railroad crossings in Smarr,
Georgia and open one railroad crossing for public access
that will better serve your community. Please join us on the
date below for a Public Hearing to start this process.
Written comments and questions can be mailed to:
Monroe County Board of Commissioners
PO BOX 189
Forsyth, GA 31029
Or emailed to:
Anita Buice, County Manager
abuice@monroecoga.org
Copy to:
Kelsey Fortner, Deputy Zoning Officer
kfortner@monroecoga. org
Location: New Providence Baptist Church
2560 HWY 41 South
Smarr, GA 31086
Date: Tursday, March 1,2018
Time: 6:00 pm
Crossings in discussion:
Railroad Crossing #718 343U
Railroad Crossing # 904 840H
The Banks Scholarship Trust
The Estates of Bera Denham Banks and Gilbert A.
Banks, Jr., have gifted assets to fund The Banks
Scholarship Trust.
Wells Fargo Bank serves as Trustee with selections ad
ministered by the Scholarship Committee of the Forsyth
United Methodist Church, Robert L. Harris, Chairman.
Scholarships funded by the Banks Scholarship Trust
are currently being accepted for the 2018-2019 school
year and will be awarded to eligible students based on
academic merit and/or financial need who have lived
in Monroe County for a period of two years at the time
of application. This financial award will provide for
expenses of an undergraduate degree to attend a fully
accredited, tax exempt, four-year College or University
in the United States.
Application form and detailed requirements may be
obtained from www.csascholars.org.
Deadline for submission is 5:00 p.m. on March 22,2018.
Rick Cantrell
478-992-7042
Elite Land Services
LAND CLEARING / FORESTRY MULCHING
BRUSH MOWING / RIGHT OF WAYS / BOUNDARY LINES
NO DEBRIS TO HAUL OFF / NO BURNING / ECO FRIENDLY