As the Jackson County Board of Education learned on Monday, if something is too good to be true, it probably is.
After initially approving its 2012-2013 school calendar with no employee furlough days — for the first time in at least two years — the BOE revised its calendar this week to include four furlough days next school year.
“That might have been a little bit too ambitious,” superintendent Shannon Adams said of the initial calendar.
Two of the four furlough days — also called calendar reduction days — will be tacked on to the Christmas break. Instead of starting winter break on Friday, Dec. 21 (as was initially adopted), the holiday will start on Wednesday, Dec. 19.
New county BOE calendar includes four employee furlough days
The remaining two furlough days in May will affect when students end the 2012-2013 school year.
Instead of ending classes on Friday, May 24, the last day of school for students will now be on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.
Teachers would then have two post-planning days on Thursday and Friday, May 23-24. They would have a holiday for Memorial Day on the following Monday, May 27. The employee furlough days would be on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 28-29.
The revised calendar means that teachers won’t have to return to their schools after Memorial Day next year.
Adams said that latest changes come after some financial “surprises.”
That includes increased employer contributions for healthcare insurance for non-certified employees, such as bus drivers, custodians and paraprofessionals. A state agency is increasing health insurance costs of such employees to local school systems in Georgia. Over the next four years, the Jackson County School System is expected to pay an additional $2.06 million for such costs.
Adams also said the county’s tax digest remains uncertain. It is generally anticipated that the tax digest will fall — thus lowering revenue for local school systems, and county and city governments.
He further said that because the Jackson County School System’s population hasn’t grown this year, it probably won’t get a mid-term adjustment from the state. That is another $500,000 hit for the district, Adams said.
Instead of ending classes on Friday, May 24, the last day of school for students will now be on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.
Teachers would then have two post-planning days on Thursday and Friday, May 23-24. They would have a holiday for Memorial Day on the following Monday, May 27. The employee furlough days would be on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 28-29.
The revised calendar means that teachers won’t have to return to their schools after Memorial Day next year.
Adams said that latest changes come after some financial “surprises.”
That includes increased employer contributions for healthcare insurance for non-certified employees, such as bus drivers, custodians and paraprofessionals. A state agency is increasing health insurance costs of such employees to local school systems in Georgia. Over the next four years, the Jackson County School System is expected to pay an additional $2.06 million for such costs.
Adams also said the county’s tax digest remains uncertain. It is generally anticipated that the tax digest will fall — thus lowering revenue for local school systems, and county and city governments.
He further said that because the Jackson County School System’s population hasn’t grown this year, it probably won’t get a mid-term adjustment from the state. That is another $500,000 hit for the district, Adams said.
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#1
High Hat
on
03/21/12 at 08:13 PM
[Reply]
Mike, please delve into this further. The county had enough money to hire a literacy coach after rifting this job two years ago. Also hired 2 tech positions this year. And when did Elrod come on board? Seems like the teachers who work 9 hour days at school, go home and work some more, and of course, weekends are ALWAYS work days - these folks seem to get the raw end of the deal! The central office, though, hires people making twice the salary of most teachers and come up with more red tape and paper work for teachers to do than you can ever imagine - to justify their jobs!!!
#2
joe
on
03/25/12 at 06:11 AM
[Reply]
The teachers knew this was coming when they hired back the BOE employees that somehow we managed to survive without the year before. The system ran fine without them, and putting them back spent money that could have saved teachers from being furloughed. The teachers of this county are used to getting hosed. The system does not have a good reputation among professionals who remain amazed at the decisions of this admin and board.