The Board of Education had a marathon session last week beginning with a work session at 5 p.m. followed by its monthly board meeting, which adjourned three and a half hours later.

The meeting was filled with important issues, including an announcement by Chairman Ted Stone that he will not be seeking re-election in November.

The work session began with a presentation of a policy change by Susan Eilers to be considered by the board. The change concerns an update to graduation requirements to allow a student whose first language is not English to be eligible for a foreign language exemption. Eilers said the change would be an advantage for these students. A draft of the policy change is available on the eboard website, and the board will vote on the change next month.

Executive director of School Improvement and Operations Eric Arena reported that the school system should receive the keys to Turnerwoods Elementary this week and will begin a punch list of any changes or repairs that need to be made.

Arena said a few changes have been made in the school district lines between Dames Ferry and Gray Elementary schools. He said the changes are the result of conversations with parents and the transportation department and will reduce the number of buses needed for the routes. He said the changes have been posted on the website for review.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Mike Newton said the district changes will affect approximately 20 students. He said the next step is the staffing of the elementary school.

Newton said the school system will entertain requests by rising fifth-graders who are scheduled to change schools, but the number of applications will dictate whether the requests can be approved.

Earl Colvin addressed the board about a marker History and Heritage would like to place at Maggie Califf, recognizing the contributions of the school’s namesake to education in Jones County. He said the organization placed a marker at the courthouse in recognition of Jacob Hutchings, a former slave and renowned stone mason who was later elected as state representative, during the county’s bicentennial celebration in 2008 and at Elam Baptist Church for their 200th anniversary in 2009.

Colvin passed out an example of the type of marker being proposed and the wording of the plaque.

“We would like to tell her whole story, but it wouldn’t fit on a plaque. We feel there is a lot of merit for this,” he said.

The representative said H&H normally asks for a 50 percent match for the marker, but, understanding the financial situation of the school system, the organization will bear all the cost. Colvin said H&H has a suggestion for the location of the plaque but is open to suggestions from the board.

Colvin also talked about the Jones County Education Museum, and he said so far about $28,000 has been invested in the project. He said the museum will be featured on this year’s Kiwanis Club Tour of Homes and Historic Places May 8.

Colvin said H&H has invited the fifth-grade classes in Jones County to tour the museum this year and handed out materials that will be given to teachers and students before the tour. Students will go on a scavenger hunt during the tour to find treasure contained in the exhibits. Colvin said the goal is for the students to discover that the real treasure is their education.

Newton presented the financial report. He said the state has retained $3,311,911 of funds from the county, which equates to 46 teaching positions. He said state legislators have already cut revenue $858,150 from QBE funds this month.

QBE is a state program created in 1974 to provide students with a Quality Basic Education.

“The point is they have withheld 80 percent of those funds, and that is certainly a grave concern,” he said. “I appreciate the hard work of teachers and principals who are working with less.”

Newton said he had anticipated 2012 would be a perilous year.

“Now I think 2011 is going to be perilous, and I don’t even want to think about 2012,” he commented.

Arena said the school system has tightened its belt on every level, and that is paying dividends, but the state continues to cut.

“We are fortunate that Jones County has had reserves to offset the decreases in revenue, but we know they are not finished,” he said.

Stone said Jones County is in better shape than its neighboring counties and has been able to hold its own so far.

Newton said he is concerned about the decrease in local tax digests.

“That means a reduction of local revenue,” he said.

Newton said he put together a job description for the superintendent at the request of the board, and the board members discussed how they plan to gather names of those interested in the interim superintendent job. Board members agreed to seek an interim superintendent at a called meeting last month rather than attempting a full-blown superintendent search at this time.

Newton said, if board members will give him the requirements for applying for the interim position, he will place the information online.

Board meeting

Brady Skinner was the first item on the board meeting agenda and he presented the members with a booklet containing his concerns. The questions he asked included how the board takes action if employees do not properly perform their duties, and about harassment, not fulfilling contracts, and board members making decisions outside of meetings.

“These are serious issues, and I would be happy to discuss this with the board. The community is tired of the way things are handled,” he said.

Skinner said he emailed his questions to board members, and the only response he received was from board member Deloras Moon.

He went on to say that administrators talk down to teachers and embarrass children.

“Something needs to be done,” Skinner said.

Stone thanked the speaker for his information and said the board will consider it.

Facilities manager Carol Miller said a report has been prepared containing bids for furniture for the new school and will be posted on the website. She said the information will be brought back before the board for a decision.

The dropout report showed no students dropped out of the Ninth Grade Academy last month, and seven dropped out at the high school. According to the report, five of the seven dropouts are attending GED classes. JCHS principal Chuck Gibson said he would like to share a success story. He said one of the students who withdrew decided to return after counseling, and three more were coming back with him.

Dr. Kim Couch gave an energy report for the school system and said the system overall experienced a 26.84 percent energy savings from August to December. She said the saving for Jones County’s first year in the program was 15.44 percent.

Newton asked for a change to the work reduction days due to the snow day taken in February. He asked June 9 be exchanged for Feb. 12 and be used as the last day of post-planning. He said the request was on behalf of his teacher advisory group and is needed for post-planning time. Board members unanimously agreed.

Stone asked for the appointment of a summer Georgia School Board Association delegate for the June GSBA assembly in Savannah.

Board member Alfred Pitts was appointed with board member Larry Haskins as his backup.

The board unanimously voted to approve changes to the school system’s elementary district lines and continued to discuss the search for an interim superintendent.

Stone asked that a candidate for the position be brought to the board by April 9, and he invited anyone interested to put their name in the ‘hat’. The chairman said only the final three candidates will be made public.

Kelly Roberts said the school system is asking the state board of education for a waiver of the 65 percent rule and for the use of professional learning money. She said she expects no problem receiving the waivers.

Board members voted to approve the marker requested by Colvin for Maggie Califf.

“This is a good idea and is something that will last a long time,” he said.

Stone to retire

The chairman announced his intention to retire from the board this year and not seek re-election in November. He said he has been a member of the Board of Education for 33 years and has served as chairman for the past 17 years.

Between lobbying for education in Atlanta and Washington and serving on state education committees, the job takes up a great deal of time and requires a lot of traveling. Stone said he will be 73 this year and feels it is time to spend more of his time with his family.

Stone was elected to the Board of Education in 1977 when the school system had 1,700 children. This year the number of students is over 5,000. In addition to the numerous committees, he served as president of the GSBA in 1998.

He said board members have made tough decisions over the years and are highly respected in the community.

“We have a great system, and there is no reason we can’t continue to move forward and turn out the same product. People still move to Jones County for the schools,” Stone stated. “I thank the board. We don’t always get along, but we always leave on the same page.”

He said he is making the announcement now for the benefit of those thinking about running for the office.

Pitts said he remembers his first meeting in Atlanta and how Stone checked on him.

“You’ve been a father figure, and you are going to be missed,” he said.

Newton told Stone he appreciated his trust when he was appointed as interim superintendent.

“Teachers are important, but to be successful, a school system has to have a solid board working together. We have had that, and I applaud you for it. I appreciate you for what you have done,” he said.