Newspaper Page Text
o
o
APRIL 27, 2023
Madison County Journal
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumaITODAY.com
Vol. 40 No. 12 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
$1.00
EDUCATION
INTERNET
Eyeing the numbers
Madison County BOE meets on 2023-24 budget
Schools — By the numbers
•Proposed operating budget: $66.1 million (Revenues — State: $42.5 million,
local: $18.67 million; other — federal/state grants: $4.2)
•How funds are used in Madison County (proposed 2023-24): Instruction
and support: 78.7%; administration: 8.4%; business support services: 1.84%;
maintenance and transportation: 11.06%
•Salary increases: $1,344,160 ($2,000 for certified, 5.1% for school nutrition,
nurses and transportation, 5% for classified)
•Unassigned fund balance: FY2018 — $3,389,535; FY2019 — $4,301,484;
FY2020 —$5,927,137; FY2021 —$13,776,887; FY2022 —$17,969,470; FY2023
— $18,469,470
•FICA/TRS (retirement) increase: $252,400
•Health insurance increase: $3,977,720
•Georgia Network for Educational Therapeutic Support (GNETS) in
crease: $300,000
•Equalization funds declining: With Madison County's property value in
creases over the past two years, the school system is getting less "equalization"
funding from the state that levels the playing field between wealthy and poor
counties. The system received $6,996,400 in 2021. That funding is projected at
$4,638,610 in 2024, down $2,357,790
By Alison Smith
While the school system's unal
located reserves are healthy.
Superintendent Michael Williams
and his staff warned the Madison
County Board of Education to look
ahead and plan for increasing costs.
Williams reported last Friday
morning in a budget work session
for the 2024 fiscal year that the unas
signed fund balance, or the funds
not designated for spending in the
current fiscal year, will increase
$500,000 to at least $18.5 million
by the end of this year. The fund has
increased over $12.5 million since
2020, largely due to Elementary and
Secondary School Emergency Relief
Fund (ESSER) funding as part of
the Federal CARES Act for COVID
relief.
The schools leader reminded the
group the state suggests that districts
reserve 16-to-20 percent of their bud
get for unforeseen expenses. District
2 board member Dan Lampe iden
tified the projected fund balance is
closer to 30 percent of the tentative
budget plans.
Even with the positive financial
position, Williams encouraged the
board to look toward a possible eco
nomic downturn, future facilities
needs, inflation, and state-mandated
expenditures as budget pressures for
the next few years.
The superintendent’s office noted
that it has not yet received its allot
ment figures when projecting the
budget suggestions, but the prelim
inary budget on Friday totaled over
$66 million with revenues projected
at about $65 million. Williams indi
cated he had been told by tax com
missioner Lamar Dalton to expect at
minimum a three-percent increase in
the overall tax digest for next year.
The system’s budget faces a few
new costs that push the numbers
higher than last year.
First are the unfunded state mandat
ed increases in expenditures. These
include over $1 million in salary
increases. Certified staff will receive
a $2,000 increase in salary. Nutrition,
nursing, and transportation staff will
see 5.1 percent increases in pay.
Increasing salaries also mean bal
looning retirement funds and FICA
(Federal Insurance Contributions
Act) matching funds for the county.
Health insurance costs are to balloon
by almost $4 million, and services
for students with social, emotion
al, and/or behavioral challenges will
gain an extra $300,000 next year.
These costs do not include infla
tionary pressures of other purchases
within the county system.
Another budget pressure is the
funding equation that grants tax dol
lars from the state. Increases in prop
erty values increased the property tax
base. However, because of the boost
in values, the county no longer quali
fies for extra funding provided by the
state for low-wealth counties.
“Madison County is not considered
a low-wealth district anymore, so
low-wealth funding is not an option
See ‘BOE’ on 2A
BOC Chairman
offers update on
broadband project
By Zach Mitcham
zach @ mainstreetnews.com
Madison County Commission Chairman Todd Higdon
offered an update on a planned broadband expansion
project in Madison County that will lay roughly 600
miles of fiber in the ground in the county.
Spectrum Southeast was awarded an $18.4 million
grant to expand broadband internet services in Madison
County, with a completion date of December 2026. The
project will include several phases, with ground construc
tion scheduled to begin in approximately 12 months.
“To be honest with you, ground construction has
already started, and if you’re worried about what area
of the county it’s going in, we did see the maps,” said
Higdon, who recently met with Spectrum officials. “It is
all over the county, which I was a little surprised about,
because I knew how the awards went, to see so much in
Harrison. Charter Spectrum, they already have all the cit
ies (in Madison County). So the vast amount of the $18.4
million is going outside the cities. I don’t think I saw an
area that won’t get it in the county.”
Higdon said Spectrum is developing a website so citi
zens “can find out when it’s coming to your house or if
your house is on that market.”
COMP PLAN
In a separate matter, the board postponed official
approval of the 20-year county comprehensive land
use plan Monday. That plan comes after a year of input
from the public and many meetings to determine the
best path forward for the county in terms of land use,
growth, infrastructure and other long-term outlooks.
Drago Tesanovich of Colbert praised the commissioners
Monday for their work on the comp plan over the past
year, noting that the board did a lot to get input from the
public. Tesanovich also asked commissioners to consider
adopting guidelines on light pollution in the county.
Commissioner Terry Chandler asked fellow board
members to put off final approval of the comprehen
sive plan Monday until the group hears back from the
planning commission on several zoning ordinance rec
ommendations. The group agreed to consider the matter
again at its May 22 meeting. The deadline for completion
of plan is June 30.
GRANT APPLICATIONS
The Madison County commissioners, with the assis
tance of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission,
recently submitted nine applications for three projects
through three potential funding sources. The board is
seeking $7 million in financial aid. The commissioners
are seeking to upgrade county infrastructure.
See ‘BOC’ on 2A
COMMUNITY
At The Perch:
Afterschool program bridging
learning and social gaps post pandemic
After school students work on crafts projects at The
Perch in Comer.
Index:
News — 1-2A
Crime — 3A
Opinions — 4-6A
Church — 7 A
Social — 8A
Sports — 1B
School — 2B, 5B, 8B
Classifieds — 3B
Obituaries — 4-5B
Legals — 6-7B
Contact:
Phone: 706-367-5233
Web: MadisonJournal
TODAY.com
News submissions:
zach@
mainstreetnews.com
8 ■■04879 14144
By Alison Smith
Schools shut down in the
spring of 2020, and many
students lost connection to
their peers and communi
ties.
The Center for Disease
Control and Prevention
(CDC) declares mental
health issues like depres
sion. sadness, and hope
lessness are still impact
ing high school students.
However, data from a
March 2022 report reveals
that students who felt con
nections to adults and peers
during that time have sig
nificantly less issues with
their mental health.
Angie Martin saw that
potential problem and has
addressed it head-on with
an afterschool program
in Comer at the Perch
Community Center.
Martin’s background
in education over several
states gives her insight into
serving middle and high
school students, but her
work with refugees served
by Jubilee Partners for two
years also encouraged her
to connect with the youth.
“This is the age group
with the least afterschool
programming,” she said.
Even more, she estimates
the language barrier with
some of the immigrant
families who have settled in
Comer as a potential cause
to enlarge the impacts of
COVID isolation on teen
agers in the area.
She says the main goal
of the program is socializa
tion. Martin and her group
of volunteers hope to help
their participants navigate
the tricky adolescent years
by developing social skills
and supporting in-person
activities without a depen
dence on their electronic
devices.
“I hope to encourage
them to feel safe and com
fortable with being them
selves,” the director pledg
es.
The afterschool pro
gram began in fall of 2021
with the aid of a Building
Opportunities in Out-of-
School Time (BOOST)
grant from the Georgia
Afterschool Network
(GASN). According to
the GASN website, the
BOOST grants aim to
expand access to programs
for students who were most
impacted academically and
socially by the pandem
ic. Those target groups
include students in rural
areas, English learners, and
migratory youth. The grant
is issued in a three-year
cycle with annual renewals.
On a typical day, Martin
serves the students a
healthy afterschool snack.
They’re a mix of cultural
and ethnic backgrounds.
“They’re always hungry,”
she jokes.
Angie especially appre
ciates the support of the
school system.
“If the schools didn’t
provide transportation, we
wouldn’t be able to func
tion.” she said.
The kids arrive sepa
rately by bus but quick
ly connect with the adults
and other students. One
recent afternoon, the first
student to arrive recount
ed her sibling’s schedule
with play practice. The sib
ling is missing the physical
connection with the after
school program, but Martin
promises to go see the play.
Likewise, Angie pro
vides another example of
the group’s connection.
Last year, after a student’s
family experienced a car
accident, participants and
volunteers were able to
provide both physical and
emotional support with vis
its to the hospital.
“The connections still
exist, even when the kids
aren’t here anymore.” she
said.
Initially, the afterschool
program networked with
in the community through
other non-profits. Martin
and volunteers still have
connections with the fam-
See ‘The Perch’ on 2A
