Newspaper Page Text
Page 2B
May 18, 2022
ARfeporter
MONROE IN COLLEGE
Anna Grace Free
man of Juliette made the
spring 2022 Dean's List
at the University of
North Georgia (UNG)
for achieving at least a 3.5
grade point average, carry
ing 12 or more credit hours
in one semester and having
no grade lower than B. The
University of North Geor
gia is a University System
of Georgia leadership insti
tution and is The Military
College of Georgia. With
almost 19,000 students, it
is one of the state's largest
public universities.
Berry College an
nounced its newest class of
graduates for 2022, includ
ing Rowan Sandy of
Forsyth. Sandy earned a BS
degree in Finance, Ac
counting.
The Berry College
Spring 2022 Dean's List
honors students who post
ed an academic average of
3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale
while carrying a class load
of at least 12 hours dur
ing the semester. Among
students named to the
Spring 2022 Deans List are
Marcelene Leverett
of Forsyth and Rowan
Sandy of Forsyth.
Georgia Farm Bureau
awarded $3,000 scholar
ships to each of 10 students
planning to enter college
this fall at Abraham Bald
win Agricultural College
(ABAC) and the Uni
versity of Georgia
College of Agricultural &
Environmental Sciences
(CAES), including Mar-
lee Coffman of Monroe
County. The students plan
to pursue degrees in ag
education, ag communica
tions, biological sciences &
avian biology, ag engineer
ing, ag science & environ
mental systems, animal
science, poultry science,
regenerative bioscience,
and ag & applied econom
ics. A total of 24 Georgia
students will receive
$65,000 in scholarships
from the Georgia Founda
tion for Agriculture (GFA)
for the 2022-23 academic
year. The scholarships are
awarded to students who
have excelled academically
and/or with their extracur
ricular activities.
Anniston Nooks of
Forsyth was initiated into
the Mercer University
Circle of Omicron Delta
Kappa, the National Lead
ership Honor Society. The
Society welcomed 1,971
new initiates from 78 uni
versities during April 2022.
Students initiated into the
Society must be sopho
mores, juniors, seniors, or
graduate/professional stu
dents in the top 35 percent
of their class, demonstrate
leadership experience in at
least one of the five pillars,
and embrace the ODK ide
als. Fewer than five percent
of students on a campus are
invited to join each year.
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Fast fingers with no typos!
K. B. Sutton School Elementary had a
March Madness Typing Contest. These
winners went against their class and then
their grade level to become grade level
champs:
3rd Grade Winners Word Per Minute
- Winning with 30 words per minute—
Abby Daniel (Sparks’ class); Accuracy
- Winning with 100% accuracy—Weston
Raffield (Williams’ class)
4th Grade Winners Words Per Minute
- Winning with 43 words per minute—
Fily Jernigan(G.Watkins’ class); Accuracy
- Winning with 100% accuracy—Zoey
Gilvin (Sillay’s class)
5th Grade Winners Word Per Min
ute - Winning with 43 words per min
ute—Chloe Girard (Fancaster’s class);
Accuracy - a tie for 1st place with 100%
accuracy—Mattie Bagwell (Washington’s
class) & Emma Williams (Turpin’s class)
BOE eyes $3.9 million budget increase for 2022-23
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Monroe County Board of
Education took its first look
at the 2023 Budget for the
fiscal year that begins July
1,2022 at its May 10 meet
ing and saw an increase
of almost $4 million over
2022. The preliminary
proposed budget is $50.2
million compared to $46.3
million last year.
The maj ority of the
increased expenses is for
salaries and benefit pack
ages for teachers and staff,
accounting for about $3
million of the increase. In
presenting the preliminary
budget to the board, as
sistant superintendent Jack-
son Daniel told the board
that over 90 percent of the
Monroe County Schools
budget is for employees.
Daniel presented new
salary scales for all em
ployees to the board,
explaining that he needed
the salary scales approved
first as he works to build
a final budget. He said the
salary scales are based on
the state scale to which the
local board adds supple
ments. Board member Eva
Bilderback said she wanted
time to study the proposed
salary scales before voting
on them; she voted against
approving them at the May
10 meeting, but approval
passed, 5-1, as all other
board members voted to
approve.
Daniel said the state
scales incorporate the
$2,000 annual raise for
teachers approved by the
legislature, but Monroe
County Schools will fund a
$2,000 raise for administra
tors. The school system em
ploys more teachers than it
“earns” by state guidelines
for its student enrollment
and will also fund $2,000
raises for additional teach
ers as well as funding their
salaries.
Starting pay for a
10-month certified teacher
with a four-year degree is
$39,092 with a local supple
ment of $4,027. Depart
ment chairs/team leaders/
grade level leaders receive
$750 supplements. Special
fields, such as music and
vocational, receive addi
tional supplements. The top
level shown on the scale,
with additional degrees and
over 20 years experience,
is $78,981 base plus $8,451
local supplement. Local
supplements are approxi
mately 10 percent of base
pay.
The proposed salary
increases for other em
ployees are 10.8 percent
for paraprofessionals and
maintenance & custo
dial employees and a
5.4 percent increase for
clerical, bus drivers, bus
monitors and school
nurses. Daniel said the
increases are to bring the
salaries in line with those
of comparable jobs and
with the pay of surround
ing school systems. He said
the greatest increases are
for paraprofessionals and
maintenance/custodial em
ployees because the system
has experienced the most
difficulty in hiring and re
taining employees in these
areas. He said this year
several people have even
accepted jobs and then
declined because of finding
better opportunities.
In FY2022 clerical and
paraprofessional pay in
creased 3 percent, CARES
funds were used to increase
school nurses’ pay, bus
driver local supplement
increased 5 percent, and
starting pay for bus moni
tors and maintenance &
custodial workers increased
to $10.50/hour.
Daniel didn’t present a
change in pay for substitute
teachers because the board
will consider hiring a com
pany to provide substitute
teachers to Monroe County
schools.
The proposed budget
increases each athletic
coaching supplement by
$300 and adds a $2,800
supplement for the new
swim team coach. Monroe
County Schools has 35
different coaching supple
ments, ranging from $1,300
for the junior varsity cheer
leading coach to $7,500 for
the assistant head football
coach. Coaching supple
ments were added for flag
football and bass fishing
last year.
By law the local school
system must contribute
almost 20 percent of teach
ers’ salaries to the Teacher
Retirement System (TRS).
The increased amount for
TRS in FY2023 is added to
the budget as a $445,000
expense. Individual teach
ers contribute 6 percent of
their salaries to TRS.
The local school system
isn’t mandated to contrib
ute to the Public School
Employee Retirement fund,
which covers other system
employees such as clerical,
paraprofessional, custodial,
bus drivers and nutrition
workers as well as being
open to teachers. However,
the school board is con
sidering up to a 6 percent
matching contribution in
FY23, which Daniel figured
into the proposed budget at
$196,000.
Daniel said he expects
Monroe County Schools to
need six more bus driv
ers next year; he added
$198,000 to the budget for
them. Also, transportation
director Jake Davis needs
help with the growing
school system; so $80,000
was budgeted for a trans
portation administrator.
Daniel said Roger On-
stott, director of buildings
and maintenance, also
needs an assistant. This
position was budgeted,
although not filled, last year
so it isn’t an addition to the
budget over last year.
Daniel said the increase
in expenses for FY2023 is
expected to be covered by
an increase in local revenue
because the tax digest is
increasing, with 221 new
homes built in 2020, 344
new homes in 2021 and
146 new homes in the first
four months of2022. The
tax office will send Monroe
County assessment notices
on May 15. He anticipates
$27.3 million in local
revenue, (up from $26.6
million last year) and $23.2
million (up from $21 mil
lion last year) for a total of
$51 million in revenue for
FY 2023.
Daniel will continue to
work on the budget with
information he receives
and will bring it back to the
board on June 14 for ap
proval. Two public hearings
will be held, and the board
should be able to vote on
the FY2023 budget at its
July 12 meeting.
The Reporter is happy to publish birth
announcements and birthday greetings
for children up to age 12 free of charge.
Email photo and information to Diane
Glidewell at news@mymcr.net by Friday
before the date of publication.
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
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1 6 East Johnson St.
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