Board announces TOTY; bonds sold for new school

The Lincoln County Teachers of the Year were announced at the regular meeting of the Lincoln County Board of Education held Tuesday, October 2.

The gifted educators are: Sharon Danner, primary grades; Jill Clark, elementary grades; Patty Arthur, LCMS; and Carol O'Neill, LCHS.

Teachers of the Year are nominated by their peers or administrators; the final selections are then made by a team of educators from outside the county.

The system-wide Teacher of the Year will be named at the board's regular November meeting.

In other business, the board:

.. Voted to appropriate $3,500 to the musical theater class at LCHS to cover the cost of the costumes for the spring musical, "Beauty and the Beast."

Present at the meeting were teachers Randy Smith and Carolee Hobbins.

"We were shocked when we started adding up the numbers," said Smith. "The costumes will cost $3,000, which doesn't include an estimated $600 for shipping."

He went on to say the school is saving money by using a student to choreograph the dance numbers. It will also save money on the set by using a castle from last year, with some minor alterations.

Discussing ticket prices, the teacher noted, "We don't make money on the spring musical. Most of the time, we just break even."

Smith pointed out that musical theater is a classroom activity involving 50 students.

In her comments, Hobbins said, "The royalty and rental fees for 'Beauty and the Beast' are higher than usual because it is one of MTI's (Musical Theater International) most popular, successful, and frequently-rented shows. The fee is $1,500, and my choir budget just won't cover it.

"Nevertheless, the costumes are the biggest issue," she continued. "They are specialized and feature, among other things, a tea pot, a tea cup, a grandfather clock, a candlestick, and of course, the Beast, which is incredibly detailed. We've done a lot of different types of shows, but we've never done anything like 'Beauty and the Beast.'"

.. Reviewed the General Fund Report for the period from July 1, 2007, through September 30, 2007, and the SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) Fund Report through September 30, 2007.

Commenting on revenues from the SPLOST that expired this past June, School Superintendent Randall Edmunds said the fund contains approximately $1 million; half of this amount will be used to cover bond indebtedness on the 'old bonds' and half to develop athletic fields at the site of the new high school off of Metasville Road.

The revenues generated by the current SPLOST will be applied toward payments and interest on bonds for the new school.

Reporting on the resolution made by the board at its last meeting to sell $9,525,000 in bonds, the superintendent said, "The bonds have sold, and we've invested $2.5 million with Farmers State Bank and about $7 million in the State Local Government Investment Pool (Georgia Fund 1)."

Edmunds indicated that construction crews should start moving dirt in the next few months.

In a related item of business, the board voted to adopt resolutions authorizing the investment of system funds in Georgia Fund 1.

It was further agreed that in the event Farmers & Merchants Bank or Farmers State Bank is willing to match or exceed the yield rate offered by Georgia Fund 1, the monies will be transferred to the local bank.

.. Voted to approve a request from the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce and the Miss Classic South Association for the use of the LCHS Auditorium for the Miss Lincoln County Pageant, with the date to be determined.

.. Voted to appoint Virginia Williams to represent the board on the Lincoln County Board of Elections and Registration.

.. Agreed that Dr. Robert Williams, board chairman, will serve as the group's legislative liaison for FY 2008.

.. Was informed by Superintendent Edmunds that LCES and LCMS will be honored at the Title I Schools of Excellence Banquet set for November 2 in Atlanta.

According to Edmunds, "The bad news is that in the past, there have been monetary rewards for schools that have made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for five consecutive years, but these were discontinued this year because the federal government cut state funding."

.. Heard Dr. Edmunds express his concern about the lack of Impact Aid payments from the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Federal Impact Aid is paid to counties by the corps in lieu of property taxes.

Impact Aid has decreased from $263,924 for FY 2006 to $79,430 in FY 2007.

He likewise pointed out that none of the revenue from the sale of timber on corps lands goes to the county or the school system.

Congress will have to change the law to prevent this practice, said Edmunds.

.. Heard the superintendent report that system enrollment is down about 20 to 25 students from this time last year.

"The middle school and the high school are showing a total increase of about 11 students," he said. "However, enrollment has decreased at LCES because there are only 81 students in kindergarten. Last year, we had 109. I don't know the reason for this, but I expect kindergarten enrollment to increase to 100 for the 2008- 2009 school year. That's where we normally are."

.. Heard Dr. Edmunds give a brief description of the new graduation rule, designed to give all students a strong foundation in mathematics, English, social studies, and science regardless of their post-secondary plans. (See the feature article in the September 27, 2007 issue of The Lincoln Journal.)

.. Agreed to allow a senior, whose mother has moved to another county, to finish school at LCHS.

.. Heard the second reading of the Heat Index Policy, which was approved as read.

The new policy states that a heat index reading "should be obtained immediately prior to participation in and periodically throughout outdoor activities." When the heat index reaches 105 degrees, practices or activities will be moved into an airconditioned building.

The policy also includes guidelines for water availability and rest breaks when the heat index falls between 95 and 99 degrees and 100 and 104 degrees.

"The state gives schools no guidelines for this," said Superintendent Edmunds. "However, the Georgia High School Association is conducting a survey, and we hope to have some guidelines this spring, which means we may have to come back and adjust the policy next summer."

.. Heard the first readings of revisions to the Noncertificated Personnel, Testing Programs Student Assessment, and Software License Agreement policies.

Changes to the testing policy will bring the system into compliance with state requirements on testing, said Dr. Edmunds.

.. Reviewed the following policies: Complaints and Grievances, Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace, Personnel Section, Personnel, and Staff/Faculty Users Acceptance Form. No changes were made to the policies.

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

.. Voted to accept the resignation of Harold Kates from his position as maintenance supervisor at LCES, effective September 28, 2007.

.. Voted to accept the resignation of Melissa Parks from her regular bus driver position. The motion also approved Parks to serve as a substitute bus driver, effective October 5, 2007.

.. Voted to approve Carlean Mercier to serve at the will of the board as a

Pros and cons

(continued from page 1) dress these issues.

Among the community's weaknesses identified at last fall's meeting were:

.. No places to shop. .. A resistance to change. .. Out-shopping. .. High school dropout rate.

.. Limited job opportunities locally.

.. Not enough recreation activities for young people.

.. Transportation access - need better access to Augusta.

.. Need more paved roads.

.. Lack of a local hospital.

.. Need more retail opportunities outside the city limits, need growth outside the city limits.

.. New development needs to tie in with the look of the area.

On the other hand, participants in the public forum found many things to value in the community. Included on the list were:

.. Our people and quality of life.

.. Friendliness and fellowship of residents of the community - closeness.

.. Entrepreneurship - the percentage is higher. Folks know how to pull themselves up and do the right thing and not wait for the dole.

.. A Christian attitude. .. Leadership. .. High percentage of involvement.

.. A great place to raise kids.

.. Great recreational amenities in the community.

.. An abundance of natural resources.

.. Concern for preserving the history of Lincoln County - a great historical park.

.. Quality of life. Good educational system - not always reflected in the scores.

For more information about the meeting, contact Alana Burke, executive director of the Lincoln County Development Authority, at 706-359- 7970. regular bus driver.

.. Voted to approve Dana Jones to serve as a substitute bus driver provided that all federal, state, and local requirements are met.

.. Voted to approve Adrienne Calloway to serve as a substitute nutrition worker.

.. Voted to approve Stephen Rayner to serve at the will of the board as a part-time worker.

.. Voted to approve JoAnn Hamilton and Patsy Murray to serve as substitute maintenance/custodial workers.

The next regular meeting of the board will be held Tuesday, November 6, at 7 p.m. at the board office on Metasville Road.