ATLANTA – A coalition of contractors and environmental groups is pushing a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that they estimate will generate 11,000 jobs upgrading state buildings with energy-efficient fixtures.
Taxpayers for Energy Efficiency announced Tuesday the launch of its $150,000 Yes To Amendment 4 campaign, with a website and a page on the Facebook social-media networking site. The amendment would change the constitution to permit certain multiyear contracts for the retrofitting of the state's 15,000 buildings.
Supporters say it will provide an economic stimulus while reducing energy consumption. And the work would be paid for with the energy savings rather than a new expense to the state's tight budget.
So-called performance-contracting payment schemes aren't practical as long as the state government can only sign contracts for one year at a time because the annual energy savings won't recoup the cost of the upgrades. But the legislature overwhelmingly approved putting on the ballot a bipartisan constitutional amendment.
Since government tends to hold on to its buildings, many of them have aging lighting fixtures and heat-and-air systems. Budget cuts caused by the recent recession have led many state agencies to put off making repairs and upgrades.
"Amendment 4 is a win-win proposal that will cut government waste, save taxpayers money, create more than 11,000 jobs and make Georgia a more energy efficient state," said Jason Rooks, director of the campaign.
Rooks said Wednesday he didn't know of any organized opposition but worried voters angry at politicians may be leery of supporting the amendment without a campaign to convince them.
Nearly Two Million Georgians Uninsured in 2009
On September 16th, the Census Bureau released new figures on health insurance in the United States. In 2009, the number of uninsured Americans topped 50 million, propelled by unprecedented declines in employer-sponsored coverage during the recession. Here in Georgia, there were 1.9 million individuals without health insurance, or one in five Georgians. The Affordable Care Act will extend coverage to most of these uninsured Georgians by 2014, when the law is fully implemented. To read the Census Bureau’s report on the new health insurance figures, click here. To read more about the implications for Georgia, click here.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal filed a new financial disclosure statement Thursday after a week of questions about his financial state, including questions about his personal solvency.
The latest disclosure, the second amendment in seven days for Deal, comes after media pressure to explain apparent omissions of assets and debts, and after a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Deal’s personal finances appeared to be in turmoil.
Deal’s campaign, which began 16 months ago, acknowledged errors in previous filings, saying that it was not familiar with state requirements after the former state legislator had spent 18 years in Congress.
Thursday’s release paints a brighter financial picture for the Gainesville Republican. Deal reports a net worth of $2.86 million, up 38 percent from his disclosure of just a week ago. Deal’s claimed real estate holdings jumped from $1.97 million a week ago to $5.66 million Thursday.
Deal reported substantially more assets and liabilities in the latest disclosure, which included business assets and debts previously not disclosed in congressional or state financial statements.
Jimmy Allen, a Tifton-based forensic accountant and Deal supporter hired by the campaign to review his finances, sat down with the AJC and The Associated Press on Thursday to explain changes to Deal’s financial reports.
The campaign called the meeting Thursday on short notice. Deal was not present. Read more on the financial revisions.
The Henry County Board of Education has continued to review its school bus scheduling and routing options, which also include providing school transportation services to all students.
There are no plans to change current bus routing practices, but “change is always a consideration,” said board member, Pam Nutt.
Changes to transportation practices, she said, are more likely to happen a couple of years from now, when revenues for education are healthier.
“Finances are getting worse and worse,” she said. “And 2011 is supposed to be the ‘drop-dead’ year. The money is really going to continue to be an issue in just providing the basic transportation.”
Nutt said the school board is still reviewing three options for bus routing.
The veteran board member said the first option is continuing the use of a 20-year-old policy that acknowledges non-transportation zones, in which most students living within a mile radius of their assigned schools are not provided transportation services.
Another option, Nutt added, would place elementary school students, living within a mile of their school, back on the school bus at a price tag of about $150,000. The second option involves eliminating the use of non-transportation zones for elementary school students. All elementary school students would be provided school transportation, but their middle and high school counterparts would not receive the same service.
Nutt said the school board’s final option — eliminating the use of non-transportation zone routes altogether — would require about $190,000 more in additional funding, as well as four more school buses, and costs associated with their operation and maintenance.
The one-mile non-transportation-zone policy was originally implemented due to the need for additional bus seats, according to Cliff Shearouse, Henry’s transportation director. “The school system was not able to purchase the number of buses needed,” he explained. “Therefore, the decision from the Board was to strictly enforce the current Board Policy EDD.”
The school board transportation policy, which is available at the school system’s web site, stipulates that only in temporary situations will a bus be loaded more than 20 percent beyond its seating capacity.
The policy, adopted on Aug. 1, 1990, specifies that “those students who live less than one mile from the school to which they are assigned may be transported to, and from, school provided that: The pick-up points are on a route traveled by a bus, and no students are required to stand as a result of those students who live less than one mile frsom their assigned school riding the bus.”
Policy EDD also provides guidance on school bus stops. It states that “all students who reside less than 0.3 miles from an established bus stop will be required to walk to that stop to board a bus.” Exceptions may be made with regard to student and individual safety, special education student riders, inadequate turn-arounds, or risk of property damage.
School officials said, for several years after the policy was adopted, the school system provided courtesy transportation services to even those students living within the one-mile radius, and within the 0.3-mile distance from an existing bus stop.
Then, in 2009, the school board began implementing bus schedules and routes that acknowledged the 1990 school board policy.
“This measure was not taken in order to save money,” said Shearouse, adding that the school board’s “transportation budget was reduced by more than $560,000 by strictly enforcing Board Policy EDD. From this reduction, more than $91,000 was attributed to the implementation of the one-mile, non-transportation zones.”
The transportation director reiterated that implementing the school board policy saved his department from having to purchase additional school buses with funds it did not readily have. The department is responsible for transporting more than 23,000 students daily.
“For the current school year, there are no changes to the current operation of school bus transportation,” continued Shearouse. “At this time, we are planning to continue operating the same next year as we are this year.”
The Covington News recently hired Tharon Giddens to be its new editor. Giddens worked at The Augusta Chronicle for 18 years, spending the last handful as the features editor.
“We’re excited to have Tharon as part of the Covington News team, because of his expertise and years of experience in the newspaper industry,” said Publisher Charles Hill Morris Jr. “He’ll be a great addition, and the entire staff is looking forward to working with him to improve the content and products.”
Giddens has also worked for the Gwinnett Daily News, Anderson Independent-Mail in South Carolina and the Rome News-Tribune and has covered a variety of beats, including local government, cops and courts and features.
“I’m excited to be here. This is a dynamic community,” Giddens said. “It’s a great job opportunity.”
As editor Giddens is responsible for overseeing all editorial content. If a resident has a story idea or wishes to discuss news coverage, please contact Giddens by e-mail at tgiddens@covnews.com or by phone at (678) 750-5011.
CONYERS — C.J. Hicks Elementary School will continue its path to become Rockdale County’s next charter school.
During its monthly meeting last week, the Rockdale County Board of Education unanimously approved a charter petition from the school to submit to the Georgia Department of Education.
C.J. Hicks Principal Sherrod Willaford wants his building to be the first authorized International Baccalaureate World School implementing the IB Primary Years Programme in Rockdale County Public Schools. The entire process could take a couple of years.
Already, school and system officials have conducted research, visited other IB schools, surveyed staff and parents and developed plans for the program. It would focus on such practices as creative and service-oriented activities; fostering broader social improvement; requiring acquisition of a second language; requiring parental support and time commitment; providing rigorous and ongoing professional training and development; and emphasizing the importance of reflection on a personal and academic level.
The school still would follow federal No Child Left Behind standards, and students would continue taking state-required assessments like the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests. As currently decided, the makeup of the school would be the zoned attendance area, but an opt-out option should be available, school officials have said.
In April, the school board approved the school’s letter of intent to seek admittance to the program, and the school submitted it to the GaDOE for approval.
Now, the school must submit its petition to the GaDOE by Nov. 1 for approval to move forward with the next steps.
If approved, before the program is fully implemented, a one-year trial period would occur, followed by IB team visits for one year.
COVINGTON — The Newton County Board of Education approved a new plan that focuses on student achievement and more effective teaching, while implementing a new principal evaluation system.
During its monthly meeting Tuesday night, the school board unanimously approved a recommendation from Superintendent Gary Mathews that calls for two nonnegotiable goals for the school system — increased student achievement and more effective teaching.
AT A GLANCE
Principal Evaluation Ratings
90-100 points — exemplary/exceeds goals/substantial progress80-89 points — proficient/met goal/meaningful progress70-79 points — minimally acceptable/some progress (Below 75 points necessitates a professional development plan unless the principal’s school has earned Adequate Yearly Progress the prior year or two out of the last three years.)Below 70 points — unsatisfactory/no progressSource: Newton County School System“We asked the board to join us in a body of research,” Mathews said Tuesday, adding that the new initiatives are meant to improve the capacity of every teacher to aim for high-quality results.
Taking the idea from the book “District Leadership That Works” by Robert Marzano and Timothy Waters, who study boards of education, Mathews aims to focus attention and improvement on all levels at NCSS, citing students performance that is below state levels and standards on recent results of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, Georgia High School Graduation Tests and college entrance exams, among others.
Accompanying the focus is a new principal evaluation form developed by county office staff and the principals based on the nonnegotiables. Mathews said research shows that more effective principals bring on more effective faculty, thus producing better learning results for students.
“What the principal does and doesn’t do has a big impact on the overall academic health of a school,” Mathews said last week.
Principals earn points when they and their schools achieve certain goals. They could attain more than 40 points when their schools have demonstrated increased student achievement, another 40 points or more for more effective teaching and more points in other areas, according to the forms.
Under increased student achievement, principals could earn 17 points for attaining the primary goal for all schools: earning Adequate Yearly Progress at the end of the year. Additionally, high school principals could earn more points for significant gains on college entrance exams like the ACT and SAT, as well as Advanced Placement and End of Course Tests.
All principals can earn 13 points for their schools achieving a secondary goal: demonstrating an increase of 3 percent in student proficiency in each subgroup over the prior school year in reading, English, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. Additionally, principals whose students make significant gains in those areas will receive more points.
The third focused goal of achieving a minimum safe harbor — or reducing the failure rate from the previous year — for the Students With Disabilities subgroup will earn a principal 10 points under the increased student achievement section.
The 40 points that principals can earn under more effective teaching come from paralleling learning taking place in monthly leadership meetings and providing a portfolio demonstrating accomplishments.
Principals also earn points for their teaching and learning environments, up to seven points; staff performance and capacity, 15 points; administrative practices, seven points; community relations, six points; and personal development, 10 points.
According to a rating scale, principals who earn between 90 and 100 points — and more is technically possible — are said to be exemplary, exceed goals or have made substantial progress. Those who achieve between 80 and 89 points are proficient and have met goal or made meaningful progress. Between 70 and 79 points is minimally acceptable with some progress being made — scoring below 75 points necessitates a professional development plan unless the principal’s school has earned Adequate Yearly Progress the prior year or two out of the last three years. And those who score below 70 points are performing unsatisfactory and making no progress.
Last week, Mathews said that there is no plan or intent to begin merit pay for NCSS principals based on these evaluations until at least more research is conducted on the effectiveness of such. He said the primary purpose of the new evaluation process is to improve leadership for learning in each of the schools.
The new goals and principal evaluation form are part of the NCSS improvement initiatives, which Mathews said won’t change testing results and other results overnight and could take up to three to five years for a better outcome overall.
“It’s going to take some time,” he said Tuesday.
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