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PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 3. 2009
BOC ..cont’dfrom 1A
shortfall looming, commis
sioners have gone through the
budget, line by line, looking
for cuts.
Last Wednesday, BOC
members talked about then-
own expense accounts, which
cover such things as phone,
travel and education expens
es.
Commissioner Bruce Scogin
said that when he took office
10 years ago, board members
each had a $12,000 annual
expense account. He noted
that soon after he took office,
the board reduced its annual
expense account to $5,000.
The group later agreed to
shave $2,000 off of their indi
vidual accounts to help pay for
a D.A.R.E. vehicle.
Now the district BOC
expense accounts range from
about $1,600 to $2,960, while
the chairman's account at
$5,400 is higher, since he has
more responsibilities than the
district members. The BOC
members already agreed to a
five-percent reduction in then-
expense accounts in 2010.
And Chairman Anthony Dove
said Wednesday that he would
shave another five percent
off his account, from $5,700
to $5,400. He said he would
cover some of his training
costs out of his own pocket.
Scogin said that whittling
too much out of the expense
accounts leaves the BOC with
out funds for proper training.
“I think we need to be care
ful and not cut out our train
ing,” said Scogin. “It (train
ing) helps us find better ways
to save the county money ... I
just want to see commission
ers get all the training they
need to do this job.”
Commissioner Stanley
Thomas agreed, noting that
he no longer has a county
cell phone, lap top or fax line.
He said commissioners rarely
turn in any mileage reimburse
ment, even though they travel
the county to look at roads
and investigate other issues.
He said training is not a perk,
but a way for board members
to learn how to act efficiently
and gamer more grant money
for the county.
“I’ve given all of that back,”
he said of the computer, phone
and fax equipment. “But when
it comes to training, I've gone
to classes where you pick up
a lot of information and you
learn what's going on around
the state. And I’ve learned as
much from other commission
ers and how they do things as
I have from the classes.”
Commissioner John Pethel
said he agreed with the need
for training, but he said there's
no money to add to the expense
accounts.
“I agree that we don’t have
adequate money in the budget
to receive the training that we
really need,” said Pethel. “But
with the economy like it is, I
think I'd prefer to leave mine
like it is for this year. Because
we’re facing some critical
times now and we still are
going to have to do something
other than what we've already
done to this budget. I don’t
know whether that will be fur
loughs or layoffs or what, but
something's got to happen.”
Pethel then cut $300 from
his $ 1,910 expense account for
2010. And no members added
anything to their accounts
Wednesday.
The BOC also met
Wednesday with leaders for
the road department, tax asses
sor’s office, senior center and
buildings and grounds depart
ment. The group agreed that
they could not fund proposed
increases to road department
salaries. But they spoke at
length about the need for a
skilled motor grader operator
at the road department. They
learned that such big equip
ment operators are in short
supply. The board seemed to
favor training someone on the
road department's mowing
crew to use the motor grader
and then filling that person’s
slot on the mowing crew.
However, the group took no
official action on the matter.
The board was scheduled to
meet with Sheriff Kip Thomas
Wednesday, Sept. 2, to discuss
his budget requests. Thomas,
who submitted requests for $1
million in increased expenses
in 2010, postponed meetings
with the BOC on two occa
sions, asking for more time
to review his budget. See next
week’s issue for coverage of
that meeting.
Teacher .cont’dfrom 1A
really a tight-knit group. I
think they were as happy for
her as if they won it their
self.”
Krolikowski teaches sixth
grade classes in both small
group settings (where only
special needs students are
present ) and large group set
tings with a regular edu
cation teacher. Boggs said
Krolikowski’s math skills
come in handy in those larg
er co-teaching settings.
“It's hard to tell which
one is the math teacher and
which one is the special
education teacher ... It's
neat to watch them interact
with each other and the kids
when you have two strong
teachers up there working
together.”
Like in any teaching job,
Krolikowski notes the chal
lenges of students growing
frustrated, overwhelmed or
distracted.
But the payoff is when she
sees her students “get it,”
Krolikowski said.
“So many of my students
feel that they are not smart
because they are served in
special ed," Krolikowski
said. “It thrills me to see
how proud they are when
they realize that they are just
as smart as the other sixth
grade students.”
Krolikowski was first
recognized for her teach
ing efforts by being named
middle school teacher of the
year. She was then awarded
county teacher of the year
at a system-wide meeting
Aug. 3.
She was surprised and
humbled by both accolades.
“In Madison County, there
are many, many wonderful
educators who are worthy of
the honor, some even more
so than me,” she said.
Krolikowski, who's cur
rently at work on a specialist
degree at Piedmont, credits
her home life for making
her a better teacher. She has
a husband. Gage, and two
children who provide essen
tial support, she said.
“(Gage) does not mind
when I bring work home
or stay late at work getting
things done,” she said.
Krolikowski adds that her
children, ages 7 and 4, “have
taught me patience and com
passion, which spill over into
my job as a teacher.”
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Doing whatever is needed
County schools’ support
employee of year keeps Ila
grades 4-5 running
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
I f it weren’t for paraprofessionals
like Ila Elementary's Willie Lou
Stoyle, that heap of paperwork
on a teacher's desk might be a lot more
daunting.
“She does the busy work for the
teachers so the teachers can have more
time with planning and the actual
instruction,” Ila principal Lynne Jeffers
said.
For her efforts, Stoyle is the Madison
County School System’s support
employee of the year.
Stoyle serves six classrooms as a
fourth and fifth grade paraprofessional
at Ila. Among other things, Stoyle’s
daily routine includes making copies,
filing papers, laminating papers or cov
ering a classroom for a teacher.
“I just do whatever is needed,” Stoyle
said.
Stoyle isn’t from Madison County,
“but it seems like I've been here for
ever,” she said.
Stoyle grew up in Banks County and
attended school there before marrying a
Madison County native, Jerry Stoyle.
The two have been wed for 38 years
and lived in the county together for that
entire span.
The Stoyles have two children, Jessica
Willie Lou Stoyle
and Eddie. Jessica is a nurse and Eddie
is a respiratory therapist. Stoyle also
has two grandsons.
Ila Elementary has been counting on
Stoyle's services for 20 years now. She
worked with special needs students for
17 years before moving on to her fourth
and fifth grade paraprofessional job.
Winning the county-wide support
employee award this year was some
thing Stoyle took in stride.
“I didn’t even think about the county
wide thing ... There are a lot of people
as worthy as I am to win it,” she said.
“I just appreciate people voting for me.”
And so are Stoyle's co-workers, who
are thrilled that she's known as the
county's best.
“She’s a great, great woman,” Jeffers
said. “She does anything and everything
she can for kids.”
Certified Steward Award presented
Forester Mark Wiles presented Madison County residents Scott Edwards and
Carl Dietrich with a “Certified Steward Award” for going “above and beyond”
in their efforts to clean up property on Roy Woods Road near the Broad River
at Monday night’s BOC meeting. The property was once a dumping ground for
debris. The men now operate an organic flower garden called “Fertile Crescent
Gardens” on the property. Pictured (L-R) are Wiles, District 2 Commissioner
John Pethel, Edward and Dietrich. Margie Richards/staff
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