CMYK Thursday, March 5, 2015
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Work of area artists may aid healing. 3B
Money woes impact Jackson Co. schools By LEANNE AKIN
lakin@clickthepaper.com
The Jackson County School System is facing a quandry: Prioritizing its limited financial resources for operations and capital improvements. The hope of rebuilding the fund balance in a couple of years has been dashed as the fiscal reality now finds the budget-cutting knife being sharpened with some decisions looming large. District leaders are accountable for their schools so administrators were meeting last week with staff members to get input related to budget decisions which are ahead. Several administrative positions may be eliminated but Superintendent Dr. April Howard and Finance Director Jamie Hitzges agree the system is understaffed in classrooms and is very lean elsewhere, however, the cost of having smaller schools – those with
fewer than 350 students – means some core reductions are ahead. “We will be taking a look at those positions which are not fully funded by QBE and will take a scaled approach,” said Howard. What that means is that an assistant principal position, media resource specialist or other staffer may be considered for handling multiple schools or they could see their position eliminated. At the middle and high school levels, some previous staffing reductions must be added back because of growth. Having 34 students in a classroom is not desirable for a sound learning environment, notes Howard. The system is currently lending toward a decision to choose to operate as an Investing in Educational Excellence School System (IE2), which would give added flexibility. One component of that flexibility would be negotiation with the state related to the
state salary schedule. Because salaries and benefits, including health benefits and retirement, are mostly determined by the state, the average teacher in Jackson County costs taxpayers approximately $77,000. The teacher retirement system determines what will be paid for each teacher and a 1.2 percent increase will be coming – meaning an additional $300,000 to be paid by the system. Dedicated and talented teachers are a desired commodity. “We want to try to limit calendar reduction days,” said Hitzges, who noted the system’s ability to attract and retain good teachers could be negatively impacted if Jackson County is the only area system implementing furlough days. Howard and Hitzges also are concerned about the need to reinvest in instructional support materials and they are hopeful that encouraging innovation and incorporating
technology will be embraced. The decisions ahead could include the reduction or perhaps elimination of some programs altogether as locally funded offerings including electives will be evaluated. Some of those electives are among the most beneficial for students so will the community financial contribution to continue the offering be forthcoming? “What is best for the kids is not always the best decision financially,” said Hitzges. “We are faced with a challenge and sacrifices are going to have to be made,” said Howard. The system has been spotlighting some financial realities which have brought school officials to this point on its Facebook page and conversations with staff are ongoing. Financial matters will likely be discussed at the March 5 board of education work session and the board retreat set for March 25.
BRASELTON COUNCIL
Vote on cemetery proposed for town to be taken Monday By FARAH BOHANNON
fbohannon@clickthepaper.com
LeAnne Akin The Paper
West Jackson Primary School offered a pear surprise, strawberries and bananas, a choice of chicken casserole or steak nuggets, carrots and green beans and a whole grain roll for lunch on Tuesday. Nuggets and raw vegetables with dip are popular options for students who appreciate “finger food.”
School nutrition: Co-op and choices
By FARAH BOHANNON
fbohannon@clickthepaper.com
The Jackson County, Jefferson and Commerce school systems are working diligently to tweak the menus to better suit the children who attend those schools in more ways than one. Nutrition and food service coordinators Debra Morris, Sue Hamm and Susan Harvin have collaborated to make eating at school more fun and enjoyable for everyone. “Our batting power is much better when we are all working together,” said Harvin, who represents the Commerce City Schools. Morris, who represents the Jackson County School System, mentions that federal guidelines regarding child nutrition will be followed but a few tweaks will be made to what is served each day in the cafeterias. Harvin notes that the school systems are a part of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, which ensures that each meal has appropriate amounts of calories, sodium and other important nutritional compo-
nents. Again, the amounts that the children will receive will remain the same, the only changes that will be made are omitting less popular food items and adding ones that the children would like to see more. This is the time that revisions can be made in the United States Department of Agriculture commodities selected so Morris said her department opted to survey students on their preferences and take into account the participation rates they observe when certain less popular food items are served. The survey will also be an aid when the three systems co-op together for the next school year purchases for the nutrition programs. “The only thing that will change is the food bid for three school systems instead of us making changes on our own,” said Morris. “We decided to work together in this because we are all in the same county and our kids spend a lot of time together outside of school. We are simply narrowing down the food choices and offering options that our kids enjoy, but still offering the appropriate nutritional needs for
the children.” Morris’ example regarding narrowing down the food choices were the popular chicken patties or nuggets that the children love. All three school systems will order the same type of chicken products instead of each school ordering different ones. The school nutrition directors from these school systems all began noticing that certain days received very low participation rates in the cafeterias, and they were determined to see which food items were not enjoyed among the students. Morris shares an example of the pork tenderloin that is regularly served at Jackson County public schools. She said that on the days that a meal with this particular type of meat, there is a very low participation rate, meaning that a significant amount of children are either not eating it or not even picking it up when it is served. Morris and the other school nutrition directors agreed that it is much more efficient in many ways to ensure the
See NUTRITION, 2A
The Braselton Town Council members are nearing the voting date for the proposed cemetery plans from prominent Gainesville businessman Jack Frost. The vote was originally supposed to take place in February, but there has been an abundance of uncertainty expressed by Braselton residents and council members collaborated and decided that an extra month of discussion and consideration would be beneficial to the town and its residents. The matter is expected to be considered at the council’s March 9 voting session that convenes at 7 p.m. in the council meeting room in the Braselton Police & Municipal Court Building. At the previous hearings on the proposal, council members have said they consider Frost’s plan to be professional and well designed, but that they understand the concerns of the residents who do not agree with the proposed location of the cemetery. They wanted to weigh the pros and cons carefully before making a decision. With more time, Councilwoman Peggy Slappey mentioned that there will be opportunities for Frost, the council and concerned residents to delve into the details of this project. She said the council believes it is a quality project, but due to the concern of many residents and those involved with the Braselton Family Cemetery, the extra time to think and discuss should be worthwhile. “This is a very nice plan that
is before us,” said Slappey. “We have had much community opposition, and I want to ensure that the community and Mr. Frost had the time to get together to look at the options and see the business plan. I struggled with this, and I think each council member has as well. This is a multi-generational decision that is very important, and it deserves our time and attention.” Slappey also said there are many pros and cons involved with this project, so a 30-day window should be sufficient time to decide what the best option would be. The pros are that Braselton would be adding a beautiful, new, state-of-the-art funeral home to the downtown area. Braselton residents, such as Kenneth Gary, will be able to call their hometown their place of rest when that time comes. Gary said he supports Frost’s plans because he and his wife both want to be buried there. Cons include parking concerns from downtown businesses as well as not proposing an area with more shopping and restaurants. Braselton family members are also concerned about the protection of the Braselton Family Cemetery, which is adjacent to the proposed location of Frost’s cemetery. Mayor Bill Orr agrees with the fact that an extra 30 days is beneficial. “I would hope that by doing that, that the two parties can come together regarding a plan for the cemetery that is being proposed,” said Orr, regarding those who are for the cemetery
See BRASELTON, 5A
Hoschton Depot to host amateur radio field day By FARAH BOHANNON
fbohannon@clickthepaper.com
The Hoschton City Council agreed Monday to allow the Tri-County Amateur Radio Club to use the Hoschton Depot again this year for the club’s annual Field Day weekend. The group will use the venue for no charge for this event that will take place June 27-28. Councilman David Poteet spoke up and said this is a great event, and he is excited that the Tri-County Amateur Radio Club chooses Hoschton for their location. Dianne Harris, Tri-County Amateur Radio Club president, spoke to the council members and briefly reminded them what field day entails. There was no hesitation from the
INSIDE Church Entertainment Events Features
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council when the decision was made. LaShea Ackerman, founder of Jackson County Homeschoolers, requested use of the historic depot for no charge for homeschool art classes. Ackerman currently hosts two back-to-back classes at the Braselton Library, but said she believes the Depot would serve as a more efficient workspace. “The Braselton Library has been so gracious to us, but I am worn out from teaching two back-to-back art classes of 15 students each,” said Ackerman. “Hosting my art classes at the depot will allow me to lead one large class instead of two smaller ones.” Ackerman says she plans to host her classes for homeschooled children on Thursdays from 2-4:30 p.m., but is open to adjusting
Volume 9, Number 18 Forum Obituaries Puzzles Sports
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the time. Councilman Jim Cleveland mentioned that the depot parking lot becomes congested in the afternoons due to school pickup at Georgia Kids Academy, meaning that area will be twice as crowded if the depot is in use. Since Councilman Scott Butler was absent due to a family emergency, other council members agreed to discuss this matter at a later time when Butler can share his thoughts and opinions as well. The council members said they are in support of free homeschool art classes for children in the area, they just need more time to discuss logistics. Mayor Theresa Kenerly suggested tabling the decision until April’s meeting and everyone agreed.
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City Administrator/Clerk Jacqueline Crouse’s report was a positive one—she started off by informing the council members about the updated list of local businesses on the city’s website. She said that a handful of business have just recently come in, and she plans to add those as soon as possible. She also mentioned she has collected $25,534 in revenues for the city’s 15 licenses, and businesses that have not renewed or have not obtained business licenses have been notified. There was also a positive report on Kenerly and Crouse’s visit to West Jackson Middle School to discuss city government and the role the officials play, and Kenerly said
See HOSCHTON, 2A
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