Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. APRIL 1, 2009 - PAGE 5A
City Schools Uneasily Await
Word On FY 09-10 Funding
By Mark Beardsley
Commerce School
System officials remain on
pins and needles while the
General Assembly decides
how to fund schools next
year.
“The governor has
approved an FY 2010 bud
get that cuts Commerce
funding by $1 million,’'
worries James E. “Mac’’
McCoy superintendent of
schools.
Fortunately there are
House and Senate versions
less worrisome, but part
of the issue is the uncer
tainty as a budget deadline
looms.
By law, if school systems
do not offer contracts by
April 15, personnel are
automatically considered
to be under contract. That
would not preclude a sys
tem from conducting a
reduction in force (RIF),
notes McCoy, but it would
require the system to go
through public hearings.
A House bill that would
have given systems another
30 days to offer contracts
appears to have stalled in
the Senate, according to
McCoy.
One of the hang-ups is
federal stimulus money.
According to McCoy, the
House version of the bud
get uses $400 million in
federal funding, while the
Senate version and gover
nor’s version have lower
amounts.
“It creates, not a panic,
but long days and sleep
less nights when you’re sit
ting here trying to figure
out what you can do,’’ said
McCoy.
The Commerce system is
losing eight people to attri
tion. At least two of those
will be replaced, McCoy
said. Whether further cuts
in personnel will be nec
essary depends upon the
General Assembly.
McCoy considers Gov.
Sonny Perdue’s version of
the budget to be the worst-
case scenario.
“That would mean we
would be cutting programs
and positions,’’ he stated.
But even the “final’’ ver
sion of the 2010 budget
may not be final, if last
year is an indicator.
“We had the budget set
by the end of school and
we got our QBE allotment
sheet in July, and it has
changed four times during
this (school) year,’’ McCoy
points out. “It started with
a $93,000 austerity cut
then went to a half million
dollars the state removed
from QBE this year.’’
“It makes it interesting
times,’’ the superintendent
said. “It’s a sad time in pub
lic education right now, it
really is.’’
Fire Department Chickenque Set April 18
The Commerce Fire
Department will hold
its annual Chickenque
Saturday, April 18.
Firemen, their families
and volunteers will man
drive-through lanes at the
J. Nolan Spear Jr. Public
Safety Complex from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m„ selling 2,600
plates that contain a half a
chicken, bread, beans and
chips.
Corn on the cob will also
be available on the side at
$1 apiece.
Tickets are $6 from any
local fireman.
— Are You There Betty Jean?
Cont. from Page 4A
"Betty Jean" is suffi
cient to identify one as
a Southerner. My little
episode was slightly
embarrassing, but at
least I didn't commit
the common Southern
solecism of assuming
more familiarity than
the other party desired.
Years ago, while I was
still working, the com
pany hired a young
lady, definitely not
from the South. Tom, a
typical loud, easy-going
Southern good ole boy,
encountered her in the
break room at lunch
time, getting her lunch
from the refrigerator. He
accosted her with: "How
you doin', sugar?" The
girl spun around, fire
flashing from her eyes,
and replied, "I'm doing
fine — sugah!"
I never knew the word
"sugar" could express
contempt and loathing
but it can. It must be a
Northern accent.
Willis Cook is a retired
electrical engineer who was
born in New Orleans and
grew up in the Mississippi
Delta. He lives on Varner
Road in Franklin County.
APRIL 2009
KEEP JACKSON COUNTY BEAUTIFUL
GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP
April 4 - Clean Out Your Files/Household Hazardous Waste Day, Paint, Fluorescent Bulbs, Electronics,
Paper Recycling, Aluminum Cans, Batteries and more on E-Recycle Collection Day - Jackson County
Landfill/Transfer Station From 8 a.m. -1 p.m.
ONE DAY ONLY - Recycle Plastic Water Bottles
April 1-30 - Countywide Cleanup - Got A Special Area Near Your Home Or Business You’d Like To See
Cleaned? Conduct Your Own Cleanup Through Keep Jackson County Clean And Beautiful And Well
Supply Your Bags, Gloves And A Few Goodies. (Churches, Civic Clubs And Organizations, Individuals,
Families, School Groups, Garden Clubs, Homeowners Associations And Anyone Interested In Jackson
County). Pickup litter, plant flowers or trees.
April 1-30 & Mav 1-31 - How many broken crayons can we collect? Join the Crayon Recycle Project for
the Crayon Lady. We’ll collect them from your school or you can bring them to the KJCB office and we’ll
take them off your hands and you’ll know they didn’t go into the landfill. Please call for information.
Only Losers Litter And. The Winners
Help Keep Jackson County Beautiful
We’re celebrating the Great American Cleanup and Keep Georgia
Beautiful Month in Jackson County and WE’RE COUNTING on
YOU!! Call Susan Trepagnier at (706) 708-7198.
strepagnier@jacksoncountygov.com
A
Keep
lackson
ftounty
Beautiful
ff/ott ’/H? ^7/itiifecf 0o f77u>...
20 th Annual Easter Parade
and Egg Hunt
“A True Commerce Tradition”
Sat., April 11
10:45 a.m. Kids’ Easter Parade
(For kids ages 12 and under) begins in the drive-thru parking
lot of Community Bank & Trust on North Elm Street and
ends at the First Baptist Church. Walk and carry an Easter
basket or enter the contests:
• Best Decorated Bike • Best Decorated Wagon
• Best Decorated Battery-Operated Car
(Kids must be accompanied by an adult. No gasoline-operated
vehicles. Those entering the contest must be at the CB&T
parking lot by 9:45 a.m.)
11:00 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt
at the First Baptist Church with the Easter Bunny!! More than
20,000 candy eggs and special prize eggs. Come and have fun!!
In case of rain, this event 'will be canceled.
Sponsored By Your Friends At
S
Community
Bank &Tr ust
Commerce Area Business Association and
Commerce Downtown Development Authority
County BOE Outlines Budget Cuts
By Kerri Testement
The Jackson County Board
of Education approved a
sweeping set of financial
cutbacks March 25, includ
ing the elimination of 38
teaching and non-teach
ing positions, closing the
Regional Evening School,
furloughing 12-month
employees for five days and
the suspension or elimina
tion of several programs.
The moves are expected
to save more than $2.3
million during the 2009-10
school year.
Included in the cuts is the
elimination of an assistant
superintendent’s position.
Dr. Keith Everson, assistant
superintendent for human
resources and support ser
vices, is one of the 12 certi
fied positions in the district
that will be eliminated for
the 2009-2010 school year,
saving the school system
$152,200 in salary and ben
efits. Everson’s duties will be
shifted to other positions.
The actions come after last
week’s in-house BOE retreat,
during which the board dis
cussed the system’s financ
es in detail. While much of
the district’s state-provided
funds remains uncertain,
the school system clearly
faces a drop in.
The tentative budget is
$88 million — which is a 2.95
percent drop from the cur
rent budget of $90 million.
More than 86 percent of
the district’s budget is tied
to employee salaries and
benefits.
“No matter how much you
cut, there’s only so much
you can cut before you get
to personnel,’’ said Brian
Smith, an attorney for the
law firm Harben, Hartley
and Hawkins, which repre
sents the school system.
Board chairperson Kathy
Wilbanks said district offi
cials reviewed all options
to reduce costs without
compromising the quality
of education.
“Dr. Shannon Adams
and his staff have really
worked hard working on a
plan to reduce our budget,’’
she said. “We’ve known for
some time that we’d have
some decreased revenue
now and probably in the
foreseeable future.’’
Wilbanks said she believed
that in reviewing each posi
tion and program in the dis
trict, the school system will
ultimately become stronger.
“It’s been a struggle and we
really attempting to try to do
it equally across the board,’’
she said. “We’ve looked at
elementary school, middle
school and high schools,
as well as the central office
and administration.’’
Overall, the school sys
tem anticipates starting the
2009-2010 school year with
more than 530 teachers,
compared to 545 in the cur
rent school year.
Superintendent Adams
outlined a number of issues
last week that have led to
the school system’s finan
cial woes.
“Obviously, we didn’t get
here overnight,’’ he said.
The district’s reserve
funds have been reduced
in recent years to construct,
supply and staff three large
new schools. Meanwhile,
the district has also pledged
to fund comprehensive
and equitable programs at
its two high schools. The
reserve fund is under $1
million, officials said.
Realtor: Beware Of Mortgage Scams
A local real estate com
pany warns that con artists
are using the mortgage fore
closure crisis to perpetuate
a new wave of scams.
“The often confusing
statements coming from
the federal government
with the collection of
‘alphabet agencies,’ initia
tives and resolutions has
caused a shift in scams
used to take advantage of
individuals and businesses,
particularly in the foreclo
sure rescue and access to
federal loan programs,’’
says Chuck Knoblock of
Knoblock & Associates,
a local real estate service
company. “Of particular
note are the foreclosure
rescue schemes, while they
have not made the news
from direct involvement in
this area, are present on the
Internet.’’
The scams require signing
a contract or, more likely,
paying an upfront fee for
assistance in taking advan
tage of a government pro
gram.
Knoblock has the follow
ing advice for people facing
a foreclosure:
• Lenders and bankers do
not want to own real estate.
Foreclosure is an expen
sive proposition for these
firms and an expense that
they typically would like to
avoid.
• Bad news never improves
with age. If there is going t<
be a problem, it is best t<
inform your lender early.
• Work with firms or ind
viduals you know or whicl
can verify their past bus
ness history and exper
ence.
•There is no such thin;
as a sacrifice-free prograrr
Examine your situatioi
with a critical eye becaus'
there is no free money, am
making hard choices will b
required.
•Think long-term. Whil
it may be easy to walk awa;
from a situation, most o
the reputable businesse
and individuals you wr
deal with in the future di
have long memories.
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