JACKSON SCHOOLS TO INVOLVE PUBLIC IN FUNDING ISSUES

JACKSON -- A planning session will be held soon by the Jackson Board of Education to discuss how best to manage growth following defeat of two school funding measures.

A $5.3 million bond issue and Proposition C sales-tax waiver were overwhelmingly defeated by voters April 4. The district had requested a total tax levy increase of 55 cents per $100 assessed valuation to cover costs of a new elementary school, renovations and an addition to R.O. Hawkins Junior High, technology additions throughout the district and teacher and staff salary increases.

"We're going to have quite a bit that we all need to talk about," said board President T. Wayne Lewis during a meeting Tuesday night. Lewis said a planning session is necessary because "it may be an overplayed phrase, but our problems haven't gone away."

A number of parents attending the school board meeting offered suggestions regarding the board's handling of the funding measures. Most importantly, the board needs to hold one or more community meetings to find out how people believe the issues should be handled, they said.

"I understand time is of the essence, but if you're ever going to look at putting this on the fall ballot, you need to get it out there continuously," said Joan Evans. "I think part of the problem this time was it was like all of a sudden."

Lewis said the district thought it had employed a good strategy for encouraging voters to support the measures. "In hindsight, we thought we were getting the information out, but certainly it was not picked up like we thought," he said.

Angie Dye, who supported the measures, volunteered to work with the board in communicating its needs to the public. Dye, who said she moved to the district so her daughter could attend Jackson schools, also said the school board would benefit from holding community meetings regarding its needs.

I am here to volunteer as much time as you need to help deal with these issues," she said. "I cannot sit back and let the actions of someone else dictate how I want my child to be educated."

New board member Brent Wills said the school board should "fully engage the community in the workings of the district." He asked administrators to include a comprehensive financial report during the planning sessions because "the growth and finance are all tied together."

Those at the meeting also encouraged the school board to meet with city and county government officials to discuss transportation and other developmental issues. All should coordinate their planning with the school district because their growth is intertwined, they said.

"We have one uniting entity in this county, and it is Jackson R-2 schools because it exists in both the city and the county," Evans said. "I just think it's time to jump on this."

No dates were scheduled for meetings.

In other business, the board approved a state grant application that would provide some $70,000 to the district to cover hiring of a full-time nurse, in-school social worker and at-risk program coordinator. The board also approved an attendance calendar for the next school year.