Board hears administrators' plans and goals for new year

A new school and the upcoming SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) referendum were two of the items under discussion at the Lincoln County Board of Education's annual planning session held recently at the board office.

During the planning session, the principals of LCES, LCMS, and LCHS presented their plans and goals for the upcoming school year. Several longterm goals were also discussed.

The plans, goals, needs, and dreams outlined by the administrators included:

..LCES Principal Marilyn Bell - Possibly use Title I funds to implement an after-school program for students who are below grade level; hold a monthly collaborative planning session for teachers to enhance continuity between the different grades; adopt a series of mathematics textbooks; hire a new assistant principal.

Revise the Promotion/Retention Policy to better correlate with the GPS (Georgia Performance Standards) and CRCT (Criterion Referenced Competency Tests); initiate self-containment for grades K-2; hold a Parent Conference Day in the fall to give parents and teachers the opportunity to discuss the first nine weeks of school, review the student's report card, and set goals for the year.

Paint classrooms; utilize state capital outlay funds for projects such as reroofing the main building, remodeling the restrooms in the main building and the gymnasium, and replacing the flooring in the halls, one Pre-K classroom, and the resource coordinator's room; replace 10 air-conditioning units in the main building; upgrade the electrical system in the main building; and install a system-wide security system.

..LCMS Principal Pam Carmichael - Re-roof the building; expand the present security system; install a storm drainage system in front of the school; upgrade the telephone system; paint classrooms; replace the carpeting in five classrooms and four offices.

Renovate the restrooms and install bathroom facilities on the first wing; re-key the building; cement the existing courtyard and replace the benches; create a courtyard-type area with benches around the flag pole; construct entry barriers with brick and wrought iron gates to improve aesthetics and security at both LCMS and LCHS.

Establish ground cover to discourage foot traffic above the retaining wall in front of the school; landscape the area directly in front of the middle school entrance; install an underground sprinkler system; construct a multipurpose building to relieve overcrowding in the gymnasium during middle and high school P.E. classes; install speed bumps; construct a faculty parking area behind the media center to replace the 18 parking spaces lost due to the construction of the choral music building; and renovate the kitchen.

According to Principal Carmichael, "Most of the facility needs for the past couple of years have been addressed on an as-needed basis because of the possibility of our school relocating to a new campus. Now that it looks as if we may remain at our present location, repairs to our facility are needed to maintain the excellence and safety of the school."

Commenting on instructional matters, the principal said, "In 2006, we continued to implement the new Georgia Performance Standards in languages arts (all grades), math (grades 6 and 7), and science (grades 6-7). In 2007, we will be adding eighth-grade math, social studies (all grades), and eighth-grade science to the implementation list.

"All academic areas will be following the new performance standards next year. This has been a major undertaking for the teachers, students, and administrators. The results of the 2006 CRCT will give us an indication as to how well we are progressing."

LCMS' plans and goals in the area of instruction include: apply for a grant for the hiring of an academic coach to promote the development of professional practices, impact student achievement, and improve the school; purchase Smartboards for every academic classroom; teach reading as a subject separate from language arts in grades 6 and 8; pilot a program during the 2007-2008 school year to separate sixth-grade students by gender; hire a full-time assistant principal, a seventh-grade science teacher, a part-time social worker, and a graduation coach; and provide release time for teachers to allow them to establish curriculum mapping and benchmarking for meeting the new Georgia Performance Standards.

.. LCHS Principal Becky Barden - Dr. Barden echoed Principal Carmichael's request for a multi-purpose building, saying, "Proposed HB 280 requires every child K-7 to have P.E. every day. A multi-purpose building would help with the overload of students in the gym and also give extracurricular groups a place to practice."

She pointed out that if a new school is built, the multi-purpose building could be used for storage.

Dr. Barden's other recommendations included: upgrade the fire alarm and telephone systems; extend the retaining wall to the end of the existing sidewalk; incorporate a handicap ramp into the retaining wall in front of the high school building.

Install a handicap ramp leading to the entrance doors to the right wing of the main building; purchase and install hot water heaters for the restrooms; install a cabinet and wall in the health occupations classroom; hire a health occupations teacher; increase the part-time history position to full time.

Decrease the consumer science position to part time; hire a driver's education teacher; provide full funding for the graduation coach position; allocate staff development funds for teachers of AP courses to gain gifted endorsement; add an SAT prep class; offer remedial reading classes; and place a stronger emphasis on the sequencing of math classes.

After discussing the proposals made by the principals, the board heard from the system-level administrators.

The first to speak was Kaye Bufford, system comptroller.

Referring to the referendum set for March 20, Bufford explained that the ballot asks voters to approve the continuation of the current SPLOST and the issuance of General Obligation Bonds in the amount of $25,150,000 for the construction of a new school. The bonds are to be paid back over a period of 30 years.

The comptroller went on to note that the new SPLOST's total collections are estimated at $8 million. "If SPLOST collections continue to increase, we may avoid having to impose a bond millage. However, a conservative fiscal approach requires the realization that we may have to impose a bond millage rate of .5 to 1.5 mills."

In other items of information, Bufford said, "The governor has proposed a three-percent salary increase for teachers, bus drivers, and lunchroom employees. He says he is providing an increase for all of our educators, but he fails to provide the funding for salary increases for secretaries, maintenance and custodial workers, paraprofessionals, and so forth. We estimate this increase will add $300,000 to our budget."

Likewise, the employer's percentage for health insurance will increase from 16.713 percent to 18.534 percent. "Again, the governor will say he is funding this, but he only provides funds for selected employee groups," stated Bufford. "Our payroll cost will increase by another $120,000 as a result of this percentage increase in benefits."

The comptroller also informed the board that equalization funds from the state may be lower than they were last year due to the fact that the millage rate dropped. As local participation decreases so does state funding.

On the bright side, the QBE allotment should increase, but it is doubtful whether the increase will cover the cost of salaries and benefits, Bufford said.

In conclusion, she stated that the system has received notification from the USAC that its Funding Year 2005 application has been approved for $374,472.70. "This is a huge boost to our technology budget. The money is earmarked for cabling, video equipment, and a curriculum presentation system."

Following Bufford's comments, the board heard from Ficklen Guin, assistant superintendent in charge of transportation, school food services, and social work.

Reporting on the transportation system, Guin pointed out that Lincoln County will earn $52,704 in depreciation funds from the state for 2007-2008. Since the system purchased two extra buses this year with special funds allocated by the governor, it will use these depreciation funds to purchase one 24 to 36-passenger bus during the next fiscal year.

Concerning school food services, Guin indicated that the number of students receiving free or reduced breakfasts and lunches dropped from 60.75 percent in 2005-2006 to 59.74 percent during the current school year. "In spite of a few complaints, in general, we have good participation in our breakfast and lunch programs," he stated.

The next administrator to address the board was Judy Kirkland, assistant superintendent for special services (prekindergarten, special education, and other federal and state programs).

In her presentation, she compared the local percentage of special education students placed in general education classes to the s t a t e percentage - 68.8 percent of Lincoln County students compared to 54 percent statewide were placed in general education classes over 80 percent of the time.

In other remarks, Kirkland noted that the number of disabled students at LCES passing the CRCT surpassed the state average in every category. "However, we have some work to do at the middle and high school levels," she said.

In his report, Guy McDeavitt, head of the system's technology department, recommended that the board continue the technology plan by entering into a second lease for the elementary school computers and related equipment and install a districtwide security system comprised of fire and burglar alarms, security cameras, etc.

He further stated that his department has applied for funds for cellular phone service covering 50 phones, which will be used by bus drivers and various administrators.

Also addressing the board was Joe Willis, assistant superintendent for the alternative school, Title I, curriculum, and staff development.

In his comments, Willis indicated that all of the system's Title I schools made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) last year. "It was the fourth consecutive year for the middle and elementary schools which earned them a place on the state's Distinguished Schools list and a monetary award ($525). We are very proud of the schools for their performance.

"As you know, the requirements for making AYP were significantly increased in both reading and math last year," he continued, "but our staff and students met the challenge."

Concerning staff development, Willis said, "There have been some major changes in staff development this year. First and foremost is the fact that staff development continues to suffer the most from budget cuts. The program has lost nearly 40 percent of its funding over the last couple of years, and we have had to pull monies from other federal programs in order to fund professional development."

As for the alternative school, four students are currently assigned to the program. "Last year, we served a to- tal of 27 students. Our enrollment seems to always pick up during the spring," said Willis.

The last administrator to speak was School Superintendent Randall Edmunds who addressed future projects for the system including the formation of a steering committee to supervise the campaign for the new school.

During the meeting, draft brochures, designed to answer questions voters might have about the SPLOST renewal and bond referendum, were distributed to the board by Tom Owens, an analyst for Knox Wall.

In further business, the board assessed the system's accomplishments for 2006 by scanning the "Year in Review" articles in The Lincoln Journal.

Also during the meeting, the board:

.. Heard a request from Stan Tankersley for the board's support as regards the construction of a press box at the baseball field located at the Curry Colvin Recreation Complex.

.. Voted to approve a contract with OneSource Development, LLC for site improvements at the new school complex which will be located off of Metasville Road.

.. Voted to hire the architectural firm of Hughes/Beattie/O'Neal/Law and Associates, PC to develop plans for the new school as well as the re-roofing project at LCES.

.. Voted to enter into executive session to deliberate upon the employment and compensation of personnel. Upon returning to regular session, the board:

.. Voted to approve an adjustment to the salary of comptroller Kaye Bufford.

.. Voted to approve two-year contracts for Marilyn Bell, Pam Carmichael, and Dr. Becky Barden to serve as principal of LCES, LCMS, and LCHS, respectively, with supplemental adjustments.

Following the planning session, Superintendent Edmunds stated, "It was a productive day. We looked at a lot of our schools' needs, and we're hoping to address as many of these as we can in the FY 2007 Budget."