A new Board of Education member was sworn in last week as the board as a whole began a new year that will be full of challenges in order to continue the quality of education enjoyed in Jones County.

Probate Judge Mike Greene gave the oath of office to Alfred Pitts Jan. 13, who defeated incumbent Willie Fluellen for the District Two seat in November. Fluellen had represented the district since 1987.

The room was filled with friends and family members of Pitts, and he received a standing ovation from all in attendance following his installation. Board of Education member Mark Andrews was re-elected to his District Four seat without opposition in November and was also sworn in by Greene at the meeting.

Landfill gas

After congratulating the newly sworn-in members, Chairman Ted Stone got into the agenda items beginning with a discussion about investigating the possibility of using the natural gas produced at the county’s landfill. Andrews brought the idea to the board at a previous meeting, and Michael Stubbs with the engineering firm of Hodges, Harbin, Newberry, and Tribble said the potential is there to use the landfill gas.

Stubbs explained that, when waste is placed in the ground, it degrades and produces gas. He said when that gas is mixed with oxygen, it burns like propane.

“I appreciate your interest in renewable energy, and it’s cheap,” he said. Stubbs told board members that for very little money his firm will look into the feasibility.

“The gas is there, but the question is, is it the quantity to sustain the project long enough to make it economically feasible? You have to get it out of the ground and clean it up,” he said. “I have seen renewable energy sources take off.”

Andrews pointed out that the landfill is not far from the high school and Gray Station Middle School.

Stone asked what it would take to clear the project at the county-owned landfill with the Jones County Board of Commissioners, and Superintendent Jim LeBrun said he would make contact with County Administrator Mike Underwood.

LeBrun said the initial investigation of the project will cost $1,500.

“It comes down to dollars and cents,” he said.

Stone said the board has a work session scheduled for Jan. 27, and the topic will be discussed further along with a maintenance program proposed by Dave Sears of Parrish Inc.

Facility update

LeBrun presented the board with a facility update. He said the schedule for building the new elementary school on Turnerwoods Road is on track, and he plans to speak with county officials about a change in the original plan.

“We had an easement problem and had to make some changes, and we are moving forward with the building in March,” he said.

Pitts asked LeBrun if he has been doing the legwork for the project since facilities director Earl Colvin retired, and the superintendent said yes, but the board is interviewing for the position.

LeBrun also told board members that it is time to start the process for naming the new elementary school.

“We are asking for input from the board, and we would like to open it to the public for submission. We’ll appoint a committee to narrow it down to a manageable number,” he said.

Financial report

LeBrun said the school system’s financial report is available online. He said he has received inquiries about accounts at Security Bank, and the superintendent explained that not all school system accounts are with Security Bank.

“We have accounts at all local banks, but we do have the bulk of our funds and our construction account is there. We have a letter from the bank stating that our accounts are insured up to 110 percent of their value,” he said.

Assistant Superintendent Verneda Appling reported on the Jan. 5 professional learning day for Jones County teacher and she announced that professional learning is alive and well in Jones county.

“We had 160 participants at the Jan. 5 workshop at Clifton Ridge Middle School, and one of the themes of the day was that worksheets don’t grow brain cells,” she said.

Appling said teachers took the information from the workshop back with them and changed lesson plans.

“Tuesday they were teaching in a different way,” she said.

LeBrun said he received a letter from U.S. Congressman Jim Marshall’s office asking for possible projects that could be included in the new administration’s economic stimulus package.

“We responded with a list, including the expansion of the Jones County Library, Jones County water projects, Adult Education, the industrial park, and recreation,” he said. “We hope we’ll be on the list to receive funds.”

LeBrun announced that he received notification that Jones County teacher Stephanie Haynes has been appointed to the state professional standards commission.

“I congratulate her on this prestigious appointment,” he said.

LeBrun also announced that the Jones County School System was recognized by the state for improving the performance of students with disabilities. LeBrun said the county received a certificate from the state.

“The inclusive model in Jones County is beneficial to special education students and all students,” he said.

LeBrun said the Jones County School System will have a job fair this year, even though they will not be hiring as in years past. He said the state has approved increasing class size by two students, which will save the state approximately $200 million.

“We’ve heard nothing new about mandated furloughs for certified employees,” he added.

The superintendent said the Board of Education will be making a trip to Atlanta to protect stakeholders.

“It’s going to be a difficult year,” he noted.

Curriculum report

Beth Mines, counselor at Mattie Wells Elementary, presented a curriculum update to board members. Mines said she is in the process of making application to the ASCA (American Association of School Counselors) for RAMP (Recognized ASCA Model Program).

She said one of the steps for the application is a presentation to the board.

LeBrun said GLISI (Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement) training will be held Feb. 2-4 and March 9-11. He said this year all principals and assistant principals will be attending the training.

“Improvement is a continuous process, and this training comes at no cost to the school system,” he said.

Jones County High School principal Chuck Gibson shared the high school’s action plan for achieving the AYP standards with board members. He stated that the school is winning the game with improvement to the graduation rate but is struggling with subpopulations.

Gibson said data are collected including all subpopulations and now includes benchmark data. That information has been shared with teachers and faculty. One of the changes has been matching low performing students to higher achieving teachers.

“That has been successful,” he said.

Gibson explained that pretest results are being used by teachers to find what work is needed. The school has a tutoring program that works with students before school and at lunch three times a week.

The high school graduation test will be given in eight weeks.

State certified master teachers Patty Wells and Haynes of Clifton Ridge Middle School presented an instructional coach initiative report. Wells said classroom teachers did not easily receive instructional coaches when the initiative began last year.

“This year we have teachers coming to us for help. We feel like we are in the construction business and are able to give teachers the tools to work with,” Wells said.

Maymester

LeBrun presented the concept of Maymester remediation instead of summer school this year. He said 200 students did not pass the CRCT test last year, and the plan is to start remediation in the appropriate classes as soon as the test scores are received.

He said the retest will be given before the end of the regular school year.

“We are not the first county to try this concept, and it has been successful. One of the positives is that no time is wasted. We remediate students ahead of schedule and can save $90,000,” he said. “We see this as the thing to do. There are no negatives to it.”

Board member Deloras Moon asked how the tutoring will be done during the school day, and LeBrun explained that, after the CRCT tests, approximately three weeks remains in the school year. He said students who passed the test will receive accelerated classes while those who need to take the test again will be reviewed.

Board members voted unanimously in favor of the Maymester remediation.

The final item of business for the board before going into closed session was the awarding of the bid for a water heater for Gray Elementary School. The contract was awarded to the low bidder, Ricky Mock Plumbing at $8,850.