Newspaper Page Text
THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 29. 2009 — PAGE 7A
MCHS grads performing well at college
Remedial Instruction Rates
2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008
■ State ■ Madison County High School
By Kristi Reed
kreed@barrowjoumal.com.
F or some graduates
of Madison County
High School, aca
demic success has continued
beyond high school. High
college grade point averag
es, good HOPE scholarship
retention rates and low reme
dial rates are just some of the
areas in which MCHS gradu
ates have performed well.
For other students in the
Madison County School
System, success has been
more elusive.
REMEDIAL RATES
In recent years, the Georgia
Department of Education
expanded its efforts to better
prepare students for college
by adopting a more rigor
ous curriculum, implement
ing new graduation rules and
strengthening the require
ments for the HOPE scholar
ship.
Despite these changes, 22
percent of students state
wide still required remedial
instruction once admitted
to the University System of
Georgia (USG). According to
USG, the cost for provid
ing this remedial instruction
is approximately $25 million
each year.
After years of better than
average performance in col
lege, the remedial instruc
tion rates for graduates of
Madison County High School
began to climb.
In 2002, only eight percent
of MCHS graduates were
required to take remedial
courses in English, reading
or mathematics. By 2004, the
rate had risen to 18 percent -
above the state average of 17
percent. After dropping well
below the state average in
2005 and 2006, the remedial
instruction rate spiked again
in 2007 with 25 percent of
MCHS graduates requiring
remedial instruction.
Last year, the rate improved,
dropping to 22 percent - just
one percent above the state
average.
Madison County High
School principal Chad Stone
attributes this improvement
to more advanced placement
courses and an increased
emphasis on preparing stu
dents for the next level.
MAKING THE GRADE
While remedial instruction
rates have fluctuated over
the past several years, one
constant for MCHS gradu
ates has been a good grade
point average at the end of the
freshman year of college.
Since 2002, Madison
County High School gradu
ates have, on average, con
sistently met the 3.0 GPA
required for retention of the
HOPE scholarship.
The Helping Outstanding
Pupils Educationally (HOPE)
program was started by for
mer Governor Zell Miller to
give deserving students the
opportunity to continue their
education.
To be eligible for HOPE,
students must maintain at
least a 3.0 average in core
curriculum classes.
In 2008, 75 percent of
MCHS graduates who attend
ed a University System of
Georgia institution received a
HOPE scholarship. Statewide,
only 50 percent of high school
graduates in the USG were
HOPE eligible.
COLLEGE BOUND
Though MCHS graduates
are performing well at college,
fewer and fewer are choosing
to enroll in the University
System of Georgia.
In 2008, only 23 percent of
Madison County High School
graduates enrolled in USG
institutions. The statewide
average was 37 percent for all
public high school graduates.
The 2008 results were con
sistent with previous years
in which the college-going
rate for MCHS graduates has
averaged 11 percent lower
than the statewide percent
age.
While graduates may shun
the University System of
Georgia, interest remains
high in Georgia public tech
nical and adult schools.
In 2007, the most recent
year for which data is avail
able, over 26 percent of
MCHS graduates chose to
continue their education in
a career or technical school.
Statewide, only 10 percent
of students chose to pursue
this path.
Stone said he and his staff
are focused on helping stu
dents pursue a postsecondary
education.
“We’re pushing that edu
cation does not stop at high
school,” he said.
In addition to inviting col
leges to campus and taking
students on field trips to visit
local colleges, the school has
also received a grant targeted
on improving college enroll
ment rates.
“We want our kids to do
what is best for them,” he
said. “We want them to con
tinue at the secondary level
outside of high school. We
just try to get them into an
area that they will be success
ful with.”
RAISING THE BAR
While Madison County
High School graduates attend
ing college are doing well,
many students in the Madison
County School system are not
making it out of high school.
In the past five years, the
graduation rates at MCHS
have consistently been below
the state average. In 2008,
only 62 percent of MCHS
seniors graduated. This num
ber was 13 percent lower than
the statewide average of 75
percent.
In 2009, the rate improved
dramatically to 70 percent.
While this was still below
the state average of 78 per
cent, it represented a signifi
cant achievement for school
administrators, teachers and
students.
“We're very pleased,” Stone
said. “Our teachers have gone
the extra mile and helped our
kids. They have worked with
kids that were struggling.”
Stone said a credit recovery
program and graduation test
reviews also helped get sev
eral students back on track to
graduate.
Recognizing that a stu
dent's chances for a success
ful career are severely dimin
ished without a high school
diploma, Stone and his staff
have worked to help those
who fail to graduate on time.
Stone said once a student
fails to graduate, he and his
staff members show the stu
dents different options includ
ing online diplomas, GED
and technical school choices.
“The more education you
get, the better off you are
going to be,” Stone said. “We
just try to let them know it is
not the end of the world. Even
though we want everyone
to graduate, there are other
options you can pursue to
help you succeed in life.”
Spence
• • • continued from page 1A
and “not let it get as far as it
did.”
“I do know it was a mistake
and I regret it terribly,” she
said.
Spence said that in 2004 she
was experiencing financial and
marital difficulties and that her
supervisor and friend, Fortson,
helped her out financially.
"Morris helped us get
through some things,” she
said.
She said that one day Fortson
came in her office and told her
that he could not support his
family and hers on his salary.
She alleges that he told her
that “this is how I can help
you” and instructed her on
how to alter cash amounts on
county deposit slips. Spence
said she filled out the slips
as instructed, placing all the
money and checks in the bag.
She testified that she did not
keep cash out of the bag, but
sent the entire amount along
with both copies of deposit
slips with Fortson to be depos
ited.
“Then when I needed
money, he would give it to
me,” she said, adding that
though he occasionally gave
her cash, if it were a large
amount he would write her a
check or transfer the money to
her account.
Spence added that over
the years she thinks that
she received approximate
ly $25,000 from Fortson
but “never saw” the other
$60,000.
“Will you abide by the res
titution amount set by this
court?” her attorney Alan
Alexander asked.
“Yes,” Spence replied.
“If additional charges are
brought in this case, will you
testify before a grand jury?”
“Yes,” Spence replied.
Fortson denied the accusa
tion and has not been charged
with any crime.
Spence pled guilty Oct. 19
to the charges, for which she
is accused of stealing $1,700
from senior center funds and
another $85,982.47 from
county bank deposits from
2004 - 2008. Judge Thomas
Hodges granted Spence First
Offender Status, which means
the felony conviction will not
remain on her record if she
does not violate her proba
tion.
“I’m sure you're a nice per
son,” Judge Hodges said. “But
whether you were told to do it
or not, you did it knowing it
was wrong and admitted that
you received benefit from it.”
Spence was sentenced to
two years confinement on
count two ($1,700 senior cen
ter funds) with eight years
probation. Spence, according
to the court, has already repaid
that money. She was also sen
tenced to 10 years probation
on count one ($85,982 theft
from county bank deposits),
to be served consecutively.
Spence was told that she must
provide full restitution of the
amount, but that if someone
else were to be convicted of
the crime, they would share
the responsibility of restitution
with her.
Spence was given until 5
p.m. Tuesday afternoon to
turn herself in to the Madison
County Detention Center to
begin her incarceration.
DETAILS OF THE
CRIME
County finance director
RE-ELECT
Mayor
Billy
Burroughs
Tuesday
November 3
Paid for by the candidate.
if
Kathy Clark took the stand
to assist district attorney Bob
Lavender in showing “how
it (the crime) was done” and
how the investigation recre
ated the process.
Clark, along with two First
Citizens' Bank employees,
head teller Carrie Burroughs
and operations specialist Carla
Patterson, testified that there
were discrepancies between
deposits and actual account
balances that were discov
ered between June 2004 and
February 2008.
Clark said original cop
ies of deposits, “white cop
ies,” which were kept by the
bank, sometimes carried only
the date and deposit totals,
without an itemized list of
checks and cash, but that the
corresponding deposit copies,
“yellow copies,” kept by the
county office did contain a
cash amount deposited as well
as an itemized list of checks.
Though both totals matched,
the witnesses said bank docu
ments showed that less cash
was sometimes deposited than
what was listed on the yel
low deposit slips. Additional
checks that were not listed on
the yellow copies were used
to cover the difference and
make the totals match, they
testified.
Burroughs testified that the
bank records itemized transac
tions of each deposit listing a
cash total and each individual
check whether or not they
are listed on the customer’s
deposit slip.
It was these records,
Burroughs said, that were
used to trace the discrepancies
in deposits.
“We found discrepancies
on numerous occasions,”
Burroughs said. She and
Patterson said those discrepan
cies often included less cash,
but more checks, than coun
ty “yellow copies” showed,
though the totals were always
the same.
Patterson verified that the
bank system records every
check and cash amount that
makes up each deposit.
FORTSON TAKES
THE STAND
Morris Fortson also took the
stand Tuesday.
He told the court that he was
Spence’s supervisor and that
he worked closely with her but
denied that he had anything to
do with the theft of any county
money.
Fortson said his part in the
deposit process was to physi
cally take county deposits to
the bank each day.
Fortson said he would open
the bank bag, verify the total,
but that he did not look over
the itemized checks and cash
total before depositing the
funds in the bank.
“I did not stand over her
(Spence) and watch her make
out the deposit slips,” Fortson
said. He said the “totals always
matched” when he made the
deposits.
Fortson said the discovery
of the thefts began when he
noticed a cash deposit (from
the Senior Center) was missing
in February 2008. Fortson said
both he and Spence searched
both his office and hers for the
missing money, which could
not be found. Fortson said he
then informed the board of
commissioners, who called
5th Annual Holiday Market
One Stop Holiday Shoppe
At the Jefferson Civic Center
Dessert & Cider Reception
with early shopping
Friday, November 6,7pm-9pm
‘Friday Night admission—$5.00‘
Jeflc
Soonsorcd bv:
Jefferson Civic Center & Main Street Jefferson
Holiday Market
Saturday, November 7,9am - 5pm
‘Saturday admission—$1.00‘
“Admission to benefit:
Friends of the Library
(Jefferson Public Library)
OVER 60 BOOTHS
Storytelling &Singing with Santa
Friday. 7:30-8:30p
SaturdayJOa- 12p &2- 4p
JHS & JMS Chorus Carolers
Friday, 7-9p
Saturday, 9-lla, 12-2p, 3-5p
Contact Information: Michele Head, 706-367-5754
law enforcement. The Georgia
Bureau of Investigation was
called in to investigate. Spence
admitted to taking the money
in late April.
“I placed a great deal of trust
in Mrs. Spence,” Fortson said,
adding that both he and then
chairman Wesley Nash felt her
a very capable employee. “I
never felt the need to check up
on her because I did not feel
her capable of that (stealing),”
he said.
“The yellow and white
copy (deposit slip) totals
matched and those (unlisted)
checks used to replace that
cash had paid for something,”
Alexander said when he cross-
examined Fortson. Alexander
asked Fortson how he could
not have known of the discrep
ancies or been “suspicious” of
the deposits.
Fortson explained that the
clerk's office received pay
ments from various county
departments, and that the
unlisted checks came from
EMS, whose billing services
were contracted out at the
time. Fortson said it was part
of Spence's duties to make
two copies of checks, but that
on those particular checks she
made only one copy.
Fortson said this caused
the EMS billing contractor to
show those accounts unpaid
on their books.
Fortson said that no one
caught the discrepancies,
including himself, his staff or
county auditors.
Alexander asked Fortson if
he instructed Spence to alter
the deposits, to which he
replied “absolutely not.”
BOC
approves
drug testing
amendment
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County employ
ees won’t receive any
advance warning if they are
selected for random drug
testing.
County commissioners
approved an amendment to
the county personnel policy
Monday stipulating that no
advance warning of tests
will be given to employ
ees.
“Employees selected for
random testing shall not
be notified of the test until
it is time to proceed to the
collection site, and shall
proceed to the collection
site as quickly as possi
ble upon notification, and
in any event no later than
4:30 p.m.,” the amendment
states.
The amendment also
states that if a selected
employee is off duty or
otherwise unavailable
at the time the employer
desires to conduct the test,
“a replacement shall be
randomly selected, and the
employee's supervisor or
the human resources man
ager shall document the
reason for the individual's
unavailability.”
Inconvenience to the
employee or employer will
not be considered a valid
reason for missing the test.
Dr. Neelagaru, M.D. (Dr. Neel)
Dr. Neel is:
• Associated with Northeast Georgia
Heart Center in Gainesville,
Georgia. He performs all invasive
cardiology procedures at the
Ronnie Green Heart Center at
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Clinic.
• Affiliated with BJC.
• Accepts most insurances.
Commerce Cardiology Clinic
Call for appointment.
706-335-2000