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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