Enrollment Up in Jasper Schools
Enrollment in the Jasper County Charter School System is up by 43 students this year over last year, with some 2,461 enrolled as of the 26th day of school, according to Dr. RaNae Fendley who reported the figures to the Jasper County School Board Tuesday.
Dr. Fendley also gave the absentee report, which includes several students who already have excessive absences. She said there has been some sickness, and some students have been out a full week with sickness.
The board received a facilities update at its work session last Tuesday,
when they learned the first game to be played at the new stadium will be a soccer game. The rest of this season’s home football games will be played at Rose Bowl Field. The new softball field is ready, and the girls have played on it a couple times. The tennis courts are also very close to ready, but the track and the football/soccer field are taking a little longer. Although some parts of the renovation are usable, Supt. Kenny Garland said there is still signage needed, and other finishing touches that will be needed before it is complete.
Graduation will take place at the new stadium. It is scheduled for Friday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m.
The board voted at the work session, 4-1, with Dr. Shannon Barton dissenting to hire the architect firm of RLR, with architect Jeff Couch for the renovation at Jasper County Primary School which will begin at the end of this school year. Staff members—Supt. Garland, Anne Harrison, chief financial officer, and Perry Hyde, maintenance superintendent, agreed that changing architects would push the project back a year. Dr. Barton said she didn’t want to see the project pushed back, but she has problems with that architect, and says there’s plenty of others out there who will gladly work for the percentage of the job they get.
Board members learned at the work session that the system’s Advanced Placement (AP) scores were outstanding, and the Milestones test showed improvement in 14 of 24 areas.
They also learned that three Head Start buses were to be ordered last week.
At the regular meeting, Elizabeth Caldwell with the U.S. Forest Service, talked about the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program. She had high praise for the four students who had worked with her this year, and Chase Pitt was in attendance. Mr. Pitt worked with her during the summer, and will work with her again next year as a group leader. Other students who worked with the USFS last summer were Levi Moseley, Savannah Rhodes, and Brianna Minter. She said she wanted them to know how proud of the students she and the other foresters are. They are mannerly and greet the public with respect, she said.
Mrs. Caldwell thanked the board for agreeing to work with the USFS, and said the agreement runs through 2020, so it is about time for a new one. She said other Forest Service offices are watching this one to see how the students work out in this pilot program, and they may copy it. She said the students were a tremendous help.
Board members voted to put two policy changes on the table for 30 days for possible approval. The first one is a retention policy that uses a standard that is no longer used, so it needed changing, and the other is an employee tobacco use policy. Supt. Garland said the Georgia School Boards Association recommended no policy on employee tobacco use, but the board members said they wanted one in place. The current one doesn’t include vaping, for example, so the new policy has been updated. Copies are available at the school board office, if anyone wants to view them and comment to their school board members.
The board took action on several personnel items at the work session and regular meeting. Among others, Jessica Babb, a teacher at Jasper County pre-kindergarten resigned. Emily Phillips, a paraprofessional in the pre-kindergarten class transferred to become a pre-K teacher.
They also heard a report from Larry Dorsey, chair of the school governance team (SGT) at Jasper County High School who reviewed test scores, attendance and other issues at that school. At the regular meeting, the board approved to “surplus” numerous technology items as well as a few school nutrition items which will be sold as they are no longer being used by the system.
School board members include Bill Schilling, chairman, from District 4; Towander Dennis, District 1; Erin Lynch, District 2; Dr. Shannon Barton, District 3, and Lewis Rice, District 5.
