Newspaper Page Text
AUGUST 3, 2023
Merged with The Comer News and The Daniclsvillc Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
Vol. 40 No. 26* Publication No. 1074-987* Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. *12 Pages, 1 Section Plus Supplements
$1.00
ELECTIONS
Qualifying
starts soon
Qualifying for this year’s
municipal elections starts
Aug. 21.
Here is a brief look at the
county’s municipal elec
tions:
CARLTON
The positions up for
grabs in Carlton include the
mayor’s post, held by Cyn
thia Hobbs, and three coun
cil seats.
Council post no. 1 is up
for grabs, which is current
ly held by Tim Seymour, as
well as council post no. 2
currently held by Amanda
Willis. There is also a spe
cial election to fill the va
cant post no. 5, previously
held by Pete Wagenaar. The
term for post no. 5 will ex
pire Dec. 31, 2025.
Qualifying will be held
from Aug. 22 to 24 at the
city hall. Visit the city hall
to qualify during these days
from 8 a.m. to noon and
from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fees
will be $45 for the mayor’s
post and $30 for council
positions.
COLBERT
Colbert’s seats up for
grabs include the mayor’s
post, held by Tim Wyatt,
and council positions no. 1
and 2. One council position
is currently filled by Rog
er Fortson and the other is
vacant after Jonathan Pou
recently resigned.
Qualifying for the offices
listed above will be held at
Colbert City Hall begin
ning at 8:30 a.m. on Aug.
21 and ending at 1 p.m.
on Aug. 23. Fees will be
$122.60 for the mayor’s
post and $49.93 for council
positions.
COMER
The positions up for
grabs in Comer include the
mayor’s post, held by Jim
my Yarbrough, and council
See Qualifying, page 2A
Index
News — 1-3A
Opinions — 4A
Crime — 6A
Socials — 3Aand 7A, 12A
Schools — 1-3A, 5A
Churches — 7A
Obituaries —8-9A
Sports — 5A
Classifieds — 10A
Legals —11A
Contact
Phone: 706-367-5233
Email: hannah@mainstreetnews.
com
Web: MadisonJoumalTODAYcom
MAILING LABEL
EDUCATION
Students exceed state average in most Milestones
Madison County students ex
ceeded the state average in most
Georgia Milestones tests this past
year.
According to results released
by the Georgia Department of
Education, Madison County beat
the state averages in English,
math and science at the elemen
tary school level in grades three
through five.
Grades six through eight also beat
the state averages in math. 7th grad
ers scored above the state average in
English, however, 6th and 8th grad
ers scored slightly below. 8th grad
ers beat the average in high school
physical science and social studies.
At the high school level, Madi
son County beat the state average in
most End-of-Course tests. Students
exceeded the average in American
literature, exceeded the average in
biology and equaled the average in
Algebra I. Students scored slightly
lower than the state average in US
history.
“We’re still currently reviewing
those [results] and working to im
prove in every area and we’ll con
tinue to do that throughout the year,”
superintendent Michael Williams
said. “We feel that there’s always
room for improvement, but we’re
proud of the effort of our students
and staff and we’ll continue to work
to see those numbers increase.”
For full results and state sum
maries, visit https://www.gadoe.
org/Extemal-Affairs-and-Policy/
communications/Pages/PressRe-
leaseDetails. aspx?PressView=de-
fault&pid=1060.
WELCOME BACK
Photo submitted
Gov. Brian Kemp speaks at this year’s convocation, welcoming school system personnel
back and thanking them for all they do. See more convocation coverage on 3A and online.
School leaders talk new year
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreetnews.com
The new school year
is upon the county and
schools are excited to see
students.
Updates from across
the district for this year
include a new literacy
curriculum at the elemen
tary schools, renovations
to Hull-Sanford’s media
center, a new weight room
coming to the high school
and new personnel.
Read the latest from
each facility and its lead
ers below.
Madison County
Early Learning
Center
The Madison Coun
ty Early Learning Cen
ter, home to the county’s
youngest learners, will
have about 180 students
making up the Class of
2037. There will be eight
lottery-funded Pre-K
classes, up from seven last
year, and two classes for
children with disabilities.
“We are thrilled to be
awarded an additional
Pre-K classroom and to
have the opportunity to
serve more children in our
community,” director Mi
chele Barrett
said. “We have been
working hard to set up the
new room and fill it with
a variety of engaging ma
terials to spark creativity
and facilitate learning. In
addition, we continue to
offer a shuttle-bus ser
vice to transport students
to/from the ELC and the
elementary schools each
day.”
“We are beginning
our 5th year at the Early
Learning Center and hope
to continue growing to meet
the needs of families in our
community,” Barrett add
ed. “We are proud to edu
cate our district’s youngest
learners and to serve as a
gateway for children begin
ning their educational jour
ney. We look forward to a
great year in Pre-K.”
Colbert
Elementary
Colbert Elementary
School, home of the Cou
gars, expects around 440
students at the start of the
year.
New staff include assis
tant principal Jolaine White-
head, who is taking over for
Maggie Cowne who became
principal at Hull-Sanford
Elementary School. There
are eight new teachers and
three new paraprofessionals
this year, including sever
al recent Madison Coun
ty graduates like Parker
Minish and Amanda-Cate
Moore, as well as master
teachers like Cindy Pattil-
lo and Theresa Bettis. “We
have lost some great teach
ers to retirement and trans
fers, but I am really excited
with the mix of newcomers
we have lined up,” principal
Jamie Fahmey said.
New facility updates are
focused around increasing
safety, with additional ac
cess control and camera
upgrades being implement
ed. Fahmey credits school
resource officer Rick Carter
for his help in identifying
areas where safety can be
improved.
To build upon student en
gagement, Colbert Elemen
tary will start a chorus pro
gram this year with the help
of “resident songbird” and
front office secretary Lizzy
Williamson. Fahmey adds
that the program’s details
are still being worked out,
but the school anticipates a
strong turnout.
Academically, Fahmey
says the school saw “tre
mendous growth” last year,
so they plan to double down
on the support changes
implemented to continue
that improvement. He says
Colbert Elementary will be
adding additional support
for students in the early in
tervention program and will
increase capacity to help
students that need the high
est levels of support in En
glish and math.
“This is my 13th year as a
school principal and 23rd in
education,” Fahmey says in
his welcome comments. “In
that time, I have had the op
portunity to work with some
of the best educators in the
state. I can honestly say
that the teachers and staff
at Colbert Elementary are
second to none. My daugh
ter, Ellonie, will be starting
kindergarten this year and I
am even more excited than
she is . . . and that is saying
something. She has told me
at least once a day for the
past year that she can’t wait
to be a ‘Cover Cougart.’”
Comer
Elementary
Comer Elementary
School, home of the Com
ets and mascot Comet the
Tiger, expects to have about
400 students for the start of
the year.
Comer Elementary is cel
ebrating its 50th year in its
current facility, after the fa
cility was built with funds
from the Gholston Trust and
opened in 1973.
See School, page 2A
BOE
BOE “has no
intention” of
increasing millage
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreetnews.com
The Board of Education
held the first two hearings
for its millage rate on
Tuesday.
While numbers haven’t
been proposed or set yet,
chairman Robert Hoop
er said the board “has no
intention of doing an in
crease.” He said they are
“ definitely considering”
a rollback from the cur
rent 15.49 mills.
In regards to adver
tisements, Hooper said
that the state requires an
advertisement of an “in
crease” any time there
is an increase in the tax
digest and taxes won’t
increase unless property
values are re-assessed.
The millage rate can
not go below 14 mills, he
noted, or the school sys
tem will lose equalization
funding from the state. He
also added that much of the
budget increase has to do
with increased state man
dates.
During one of the pub
lic hearings, resident Bill
Smith stressed considering
taxpayers in how to roll
back as many are strug
gling with inflation and
mandates of their own.
Hooper said that the
school system wants to
eliminate the tax burden
as much as possible and be
good stewards, while still
being able to provide for
students.
The next public hearing
is scheduled for Aug. 10
at 6:30 p.m. with a vote on
the final millage rate set for
7 p.m.
BOC
County budget
tops $25 million
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreetnews.com
The Madison County
Board of Commissioners
approved its FY24 budget
Monday. It totals rough
ly $25.2 million, up from
around $22 million in
FY23.
As discussed at the
BOC’s recent budget
work sessions, the budget
increase is largely due to
operational and supply
cost increases related to
inflation and cost of liv
ing.
FY24 capital outlay
amounts to about $1.56
million and its purchase
list was approved as part
of the budget.
Future capital outlay
discussed at the BOC
meeting and in budget
requests include fiber
installation for multiple
buildings; HVAC and cam
eras at the Old Daniels
ville Gym; equipment for
EMS; equipment for the
recreation department; and
heavy equipment for the
road department.
Equipment for the recre
ation department includes
a John Deere Pro Gator
utility vehicle, riding lawn
mower and utility trailer.
The department’s capital
outlay also includes soccer
benches for football/soc
cer field conversion, new
scoreboards at Sammy
Haggard Park, windscreens
for fields one through three
and batting cage netting at
Sammy Haggard Park.
A large portion of the
capital outlay is vehicles
with many needing to
See Budget, page 2A
TAXES
IDEA to keep
millage rate at 1 mill
The Industrial De
velopment & Building
Authority discussed its
millage rate at its July 26
meeting.
The authority unani
mously voted to keep the
millage rate at 1 mill for
2024.
The authority also con
tinued its talks on sewer
access for the proposed
Waffle House on Hwy.
29. Representatives from
Waffle House were present
at the meeting. While plans
are still moving forward, a
permit from the Georgia
Department of Transporta
tion is needed to bore un
der Hwy. 29. An easement
from Ingles is also needed
to access the lift station
and move sewage to the
nearby treatment facility.
o
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