State cuts hit Camden schools

In the fallout of losing $8.8 million in state funding, the Camden County Board of Education has sliced a total of four teaching positions at the elementary and middle school grade levels so far in this budget season.

More cuts are likely to follow as a team at the board's administrative office continues to meticulously comb through the budget with critical eyes examining every program, said Superintendent Dr. Will Hardin. Nothing is immune from consideration for the chopping block in the wake of deepening state funding cuts totaling $8.8 million.

Although four full-time teachers and six part-time retired teachers were notified that their positions are on the list of likely cuts, Hardin said nothing on the budget cut list is final until the board votes on May 12 during its regular meeting.

"Athletics, after school programs, academic programs, everything is being reviewed," Hardin said. "This is a dynamic process because the numbers we are hearing from the state seem to change weekly."

Hardin said the school system notified 10 individuals on April 10 that their positions were on the budget cut list even though the list isn't final until the 2009-2010 budget is approved next month.

"We thought it was only fair to go ahead and let them know so they would have the opportunity to look for other employment, and I also explained that we hope to invite them back as employees if at all possible," Hardin said. "We didn't have to tell them until May 15, but we went ahead because we want to be fair to them."

The state determines the number of teaching positions to fund for all school systems based on number and types of students. This year, as the recession continues to tighten its grip on state coffers, Gov. Sonny Perdue increased the number of students allowed in classrooms at the middle and elementary school grade levels. Increasing class sizes resulted in a reduction in the number of teachers the state has agreed to fund for these grade levels for the upcoming fiscal year.

Hardin said this was a factor that played into determining which positions would be cut.

"I will not be happy until we are able to ask these four teachers back as full-time employees by the way of attrition or by the way of finding other alternative funding sources," Hardin said.

When the BOE was faced with state cuts of funding for a total of 43 teaching positions in Camden County, Hardin said the budget team began scrambling at the administrative office to save as many positions as possible by making cuts at the top first.

Positions such as director of policy and public information held by Michael Wooden and the public relations director position held by John La Boone were the first cuts to be announced earlier this year. Wooden will be moving to the principal position at Woodbine Elementary School starting in the fall, and La Boone is retiring.

After the first round of administrative cuts and slicing expenses at the administrative office, the budget team then cut six part-time positions held by retired teachers. Also. seven full-time teachers were offered full-time substitute teaching positions and will be paid based on experience.

"We decided that cutting six part-time positions held by retired teachers who are supplementing their incomes was more fair than cutting more of the first-year teachers," Hardin said. "Full-time substitute teachers don't have the same advantages as full-time teachers such as a permanent classroom, or a homeroom, but offering them positions based on experience like this was a better option than sending them home."

Then the budget team resorted to cutting four full-time teachers based on hire date, Hardin said. If by chance the attrition that typically opens a handful of positions each year happens as usual this year, the board will offer any freshly vacated positions to the four individuals who have been cut first based on qualification.

"Every year spouses get transferred or people leave for other reasons. It is very uncommon for us to not have at least four positions that become available over the summer due to attrition," Hardin said.

After calculating all of these cuts, Hardin said the budget team is within $200,000 of its goal. At this point the team is now examining 74 programs, each of which could be considered for cuts.

"Considering what we've been faced with I think we have done a good job. We started out with the loss of funding for 43 and we've made enough cuts elsewhere to save all but four of those full-time positions," Hardin said.

As the budget season unfolds, more cuts will be announced, Hardin said. The board will discuss the proposed budget at the work session scheduled for 6 p.m. May 7 and will vote on it May 12.

Coleman eyeing AG Commissioner's post, but not ready to declare.

Terry Coleman has his eyes on the Agriculture Commissioner's race, say the guys over at The Insider Advantage Georgia. Unless you are subscribed with them, you cannot see the article. I sure can't.

Coleman is our best hope of retaining the AG Commissioner's post after Tommy Irvin retires next year. Gary Black (R) who lost to Irvin in 2006 will run again for the post. Black is a former lobbyist for Big Ahriculture & that will be a problem for him in 2010 as folks seem to dislike lobbyist, especially family farms, small farmers, & independent farmers who always gets screwed by the big boys.

Jim Marshall speaks to Dodge County Students.

On Friday, April 17, 2009 we were very pleased to have Congressman Jim Marshall come to Dodge County High School to speak with a select group of students about helping the community. He also spoke about his position in Congress and the moments in his life leading to that point. Congressman Marshall was concerned about students not being aware of the many opportunities that are available. As a co-chairman of the Air Force Caucus and a service to the Board of Visitors of the United States Military Academy, he felt obligated to inform students in his district about getting involved with community service. Congressman Marshall also spoke to several different schools in addition to Dodge County High School.

Poverty a problem in Liberty County.

Coastal Courier, serving Liberty County: As facilitators tried to close the countywide planning workshop Friday on St. Simons Island, Liberty County officials let it be known they weren’t quite finished hashing out issues.
Human services issues, like local poverty, homelessness and health care for the elderly, brought several officials to their feet, hands in the air, waiting for a turn to chime in.
And it’s no wonder such topics drew countless comments and questions from workshop attendees as 17 percent of their constituents are living under the poverty line and more than half of the county’s school-aged children qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
Elected and non-elected leaders wrapped up their stay at the Sea Palms resort by creating course of actions to improve human services, economic development, transportation and water for residents.
In order to come up with a solution, however, everyone needs to completely understand the problem, according to Kathy Love, president of Savannah Technical College’s Liberty campus.
Love pushed for a local poverty simulation exercise, similar to Savannah’s Step Up program.
“Most of us have never lived in that situation,” Love said. “The poverty simulation will show where the cracks are in your system.”
Leaders agreed assitance often isn’t utilized because eligible recipients aren’t aware it’s available.
Rather than taking advantage of services, commissioner Connie Thrift said the needy, particularly the homeless, often “go from church to church to church.”
“And they really knock on the church door and that really needs to be under control,” Thrift said.
Using Meals on Wheels as an example, Elise Stafford with Liberty Regional Medical Center said there are new state-funded programs to help keep the elderly from having to stay in the hospital or a care facility.
“If a person has to go through several different phases of care, Medicaid dollars will follow them,” Stafford said.
“[That’s an] Example of taking service to the individual, which is the ideal way to provide it,” said Gail Evans, who sits on Flemington city council.
She agreed with Stafford there often are not enough beds and caregivers to go around and the baby boomer population will make it a bigger issue in a few years.
“Thank goodness they wised up and realized it’s a lot less expensive providing it this way,” Evans said of the state.
Many community leaders say they face obstacles in spreading the word and making sure people who need help know it’s out there.
“One of the biggest challenges is that turnover every year by the soldiers,” said Paul Andreshak, director of the Friends of Liberty.
But that’s no excuse, according to former mayor Tom Ratcliffe, foundations should in place “and then start tweaking it where it needs to be tweaked.”
“If you want to know where the gaps are, then go out there and test the agencies and see what kind of response you get,” Ratcliffe said, mentioning a secret shopper concept.
In addition, popular information mediums such as the Internet aren’t always the best way to reach underprivileged groups.
Former Hinesville mayor Tom Ratcliffe suggested partnering with the Board of Education and Comcast to put students on TV to talk about local services.
“Everybody will watch their own child on TV,” Ratcliffe said.
“What I’m afraid of is, it’s going to be separate endeavors and it doesn’t need to be,” said Rene Harwell, marketing director for Liberty Regional Medical Center.
“We all have pieces of the project, we just have to put together,” agreed Thrift.
But Sonny Timmerman, director of the Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission, was optimistic.
“Maybe you won’t recognize our community in six months,” Timmerman said. “We want to bring a central point of information together so we are all reading in the same hymn book, preferably on the same song.”

Thurbert Baker in Decatur County ( Bainbridge ) Monday Night

Georgia's Attorney General Thurbert Baker applauded local educators at a banquet for retiring teachers Monday night, but said he believes education can still be improved within the state.

As the guest speaker at the Decatur County Retiring Educators banquet held at Bainbridge High School Monday, Baker outlined which areas of focus still need work and called on teachers to show strong commitment to their mission of serving children. He said he hoped teachers' service acts as an encouragement to others.

Baker has announced plans to run for governor in 2010, after serving nine years in the General Assembly and so far, three terms as the state's leading law enforcer.

Baker, who said his wife and one of his daughters are teachers, said he believes "full funding" should be allocated for education in Georgia and called financial support for schools an "investment" in the state's future.

"If we're going to make sure education is fully funded, we also need to give teachers an opportunity to teach," Baker said.

Baker said the state government should provide incentives to attract the best teachers to Georgia schools and keep them there.

Other education topics Baker touched on included safe transportation of students and safe schools.

"If we're going to tackle these issues, it will take leadership and without doubt, a commitment to do the right thing," Baker said.

In the state assembly, Baker was one of the lawmakers key to passing the legislation that created the HOPE college scholarship—funded by a state lottery system. He said he likes to tell young people they don't need a backup plan, or "plan B," but rather a "plan E," for an education, which he said allows people to handle a variety of tasks.

"Education provides a window of opportunity," Baker said. "This world is all about opening up opportunities so we can thrive. Education made my life possible."

Baker has finally come to rural Georgia.

Great article by Hastings Wyman of Southern Political Report.

The Peach State 2010 governor’s race was moving at a fairly slow pace until mid-April, when Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R) suddenly withdrew from the contest, announcing that pending surgery for a spinal condition made a race for Georgia CEO inadvisable (he will, however, seek re-election as lieutenant governor).

Then out of the blue came US Rep. Nathan Deal (R), announcing that he will seek the GOP nomination for governor, competing with five other contenders, Secretary of State Karen Handel, state Sen. President Eric Johnson, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, state Rep. Austin Scott and former candidate Roy McBerry. The next shoe to drop -- a big one -- will be on the Democratic side: Will former Gov. Roy Barnes get in the race?

With Gov. Sonny Perdue ineligible to seek a third term, the Republicans “have a highly competitive primary with at least four very strong candidates,” says Ralph Reed, Atlanta consultant and 2006 candidate for lieutenant governor. “No one in this race can rest on their laurels or take anything for granted.”

The GOP race “is wide open,” agrees University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock, who says, however, that Handel “has the inside track.” Bullock says she will benefit from being the only woman in the race. “All else being equal, Republican women would vote for a woman,” says Bullock, noting his impression from speaking to GOP women’s clubs around the state. Handel has voter recognition, especially in the vote-rich North Fulton area from her previous service as chairman of the Fulton County Commission. She may also may draw support from some of the business community and from more moderate Republicans, though her support for a picture ID requirement for voting has helped her with conservatives. Most of all, it is possible that she will have the support of the still popular Perdue, either up-front or behind the scenes.

Deal’s entry into the race was very much a surprise. The Peach State rumor mill had it that he was going to retire in 2010. That he’s running for governor “tells us something about the race,” says Southern Political Report editor Tom Baxter, formerly chief political correspondent for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution; “he would have had to have some pretty powerful folks backing him.” Deal may get the support of some of the business community, since he serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee. In addition, he is expected to have the endorsement of most of the seven Republican US House members from Georgia. He also benefits by being from the heavily Republican 9^th District (75% for McCain in 2008) in GOP-heavy North Georgia. Some 60% of the Republican Primary vote comes from North of I-20. Indeed, the withdrawal from the race of fellow North Georgian Cagle was a major factor in Deal’s decision to run.

Oxendine has significant name ID from having won three statewide elections. He has good fundraising potential from having served as Insurance Commissioner since 1995. And he is making a pitch to social conservatives, most recently by opposing (unsuccessfully) the sale of alcohol beverages in the state on Sunday.

Johnson has served in the legislature for 17 years and has many influential friends across the state. In the Senate, he backed a school voucher proposal, popular with conservatives, opposed by liberals and many educators. He will draw votes especially in Savannah, his hometown, and in South Georgia generally. He already has the backing of US Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) of the 1^st District (Savannah, etc.)

Scott got press coverage recently by opposing a state House resolution honoring Obama on his election as president. However, in the big “stars and bars” battle of eight years ago, Scott supported the Barnes-backed flag to replace the “Confederate” version. He is from Tifton, which is not a large population center.

McBerry ran against Perdue in the 2006 GOP primary, charging the governor with reneging on his promise to let the people vote on the state flag change. He garnered some 12% of the vote. He stresses that he is the states’ rights candidate.

On the Democratic side, whether it’s a go or a no-go for Barnes, his decision won’t be a big surprise, as there is considerable speculation that he will run and that he won’t.

Evidence for the “yes, he will run” position is plentiful. Barnes is behaving like a candidate, speaking around the state and staying in the public eye. Moreover, as one observer put it, “I have rarely seen a guy more devastated by [his 2002] defeat -- maybe Jimmy Carter -- and rarely seen a guy more driven for redemption.”

But there is equally compelling evidence that he won’t take the leap. Close associates to the former governor are saying there is less than a 50% chance that he will get in the race. “He has not closed the door, but it’s looking less likely,” says one source. Several factors discourage him. One, says Bullock, is that “he would like for the last chapter in his political career not to be a defeat. So he would have to have a strong feeling that he could win for him to run.” Barnes is expected to make a decision by next month.

The presence of Attorney General Thurbert Baker in the Democratic race would have to enter into Barnes’ calculations. Baker has won election statewide as attorney general three times, although he has kept a relatively low profile in that office. While Barnes lost re-election as governor in 2002 in large part because he worked with the legislature’s black caucus to remove the Confederate battle flag from the official state flag, black voters might move strongly in Baker’s direction if his candidacy looks viable, much as they moved from long-time ally Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama last year. With African-Americans accounting for nearly half of the Democratic Primary turnout and the prospect that Baker would get some white support (he’s tough on crime), he starts out as a likely favorite for the Democratic nomination.

There has been some speculation, however, that Baker’s anti-crime stance, including support for capital punishment, would hurt him with some black voters. Writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, columnist Jim Galloway noted that the Rev. Joseph Lowery and state Sen. Emanuel Jones, both key black leaders, have expressed their policy concerns to Baker, and that Baker will be meeting with African-American legislators later this month in hopes of allaying those concerns. Two white candidates are also meeting with the group, and on equal footing with Baker. Other observers, however, believe the likelihood is that African Americans would not let policy differences keep them from helping Baker make history by becoming the state’s first black governor.

Two other Democrats are also in the race.

House Minority Leader DuBose Porter has served in the lower chamber for 26 years and should have significant support from many fellow House members. He's from Dublin, another low-population area.

David Poythress is a former Secretary of State, former Labor Commissioner -- both positions filled by statewide elections -- and state adjutant general, an appointive post. He has endorsed President Obama’s stimulus package as a way to help Georgia avoid a property tax increase. Poythress ran for governor in 1998, finishing third with 14% of the Democratic Primary vote.

New Video by David Poythress. Check it out

New Video: My Experience and Vision for Georgia

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