Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / March 5, 1981, edition 1 / Page 1
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The News record SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY 80th Year No. 10 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C. THURSDAY, March 5, 1981 15c Per Copy . Former Substitute Teacher Questions Hiring Practices ? ? By NICHOLAS HANCOCK Editor A former Madison High School substitute teacher wanted to know Monday why she has not been called on to work as a substitute at the high school in over two years when her neighbors, and others, "are hired all the time." The Madison County Board of Education agreed that she had been recommended and ap proved as a substitute, but didn't have any readi ly available answers to her question. The board did consent to check with school principals at Madison High, Mars Hill and Marshall about the matter. Mrs. Winnie E. McGee of Long Branch Road in Marshall appeared before the school board Mon day and explained that beginning six years ago she taught as a substitute for two years at the high school, but after those two years, she was never called back to teach. "I called the school at the beginning of each school year after that and was told I was on the substitute teacher list, but I never got called to teach. Two years ago, I gave up," Mrs. McGee said. Mrs. McGee, who has a bachelor's degree in Spanish and has held a North Carolina Class A teaching certificate, asked the members of the board pointedly, "Why am I not teaching in Madison County? I'm never called, why?" School board member Ed Gentry said ' 'principals ha ve the sole responsibility for selec ting substitutes. We have approved you. It's not a board matter after we have approved substitutes. It's up to the principals." Mrs. McGee countered with, "I get two stories on this. The principal says its up to the teachers to call substitutes." She told board members she checked last week at the high school by phone and was told "We don't need you." But Mrs. McGee contends "My neighbors are hired all the time." She asked board members if there was any discrimination involved in this matter and said, "I'm not a Democrat." Mrs. McGee said she has been working as a substitute this year in Buncombe County where she has made "over $1,000," but she would prefer to teach in Madison County because of the in creasing cost of traveling to schools in Bun combe. She told the board she has substituted primarily at Red Oak and French Broad Elementary schools in Buncombe. Mrs. McGee told The News-Record that in an effort to reestablish herself as a substitute in Madison County, she telephoned the high school last week and was told by a secretary the school had not used many substitutes this year and that she was still on the list. In a telephone interview Monday, Madison High Principal David Wyatt said Mrs. McGee "is not on my list now." Asked why, Wyatt said, I did not present her name (for approval) this year. The teachers here prefer not to have her." Wyatt went on to say that the high school tries to use the "best qualified person possible" as a substitute teacher, but admitted that four out of the eight individuals on his substitute list hold no college degrees. "Four have a B.A. or B.S. or better," he said. Wyatt indicated that since Mrs. McGee s degree was in Spanish, a subject no longer of fered at Madison High, he felt she was less useful as a substitute. But. when asked about hiring substitutes with no degree or teaching cer tificate, Wyatt responded with, "Some we call first because they do a good job." He added that the high school has hired some substitutes who are not even on the list, but add ed that they have been approved by the board of education. "They know the routine so well," Wyatt said. "Teachers want someone who will follow and carry out their plans." Wyatt said Mrs. McGee's name remained on his substitute list "for a while," but was even tually dropped. "We have other substitutes we drop if they don't work out," he said. Mrs. McGee told school board members, "I love children and teaching. I'm a good teacher." Board chairman Bobby Ponder said, "We will check with the principals today," indicating the board's willingness to help Mrs McGee find an answer to her question. School Budget Audit Reveals Additional Fiscal Carry-Over By NICHOLAS HANCOCK Editor An audit report to the Madison County Board of Education meeting Monday revealed that the local school board ended the 1879-80 fiscal year with $154,572.92 carried as a fund balance in local cur rent expense funds, some 17,338 above the carry-over amount reported to The News Record on Feb. 13 by school superintendent R.L. Edwards The audit report, given by Mr. Tom Smith of Green, Skid more and Smith, Co. of Ahseville, stated in summary. "The financial statement of the Madison County Board of Education represents fairly the financial positions of the various funds of the Madison County Board of Education as of June 30, I960. " Some questions had arisen about a budget carry-over of $147,234 in February when it was learned from Supt. Ed wards that the school board had the amount but had not listed it on it's budget for the 1979-80 school year. Edwards had remarked that the carry over was his "ace in the hole'* ' to make up the local current expense fund deficit created when the board had requested 1677,909 from the county com missioners and received $525,000 from the local govern ment. Mi*. Smith explained to spec tators at the meeting that it was not uncommon for a board of education to have a carry-over from one year to the next in order to have operating expenses until local, state and federal funds for the new operating year were allocated. Smith pointed out that of the $154,572, the board had an ex cess of revenues over expen ditures of $110,293 for the year ending June 30, 1960. "The rest of that money was already in the fund balance to begin with," he said. R.L. Edwards explained to The News-Record last Friday that a check for some $100,000 was brought to the school board on June 13, 1960 by coun ty finance officer David Hendon Opposes SS Benefit Tax MURPHY? U.S. Rep. Bill Hendon announced strong opposition to a proposed tax on Social Security benefit payments while speaking Satur day to senior citizens at the Soiior Citizens Center. Hendon 's comments were in response to a report from the President's Commission on Pen sion Policy Issues, presented Thursday to the House Select Committee on Aging. Hendon is a member of that committee. The presidential commission called for radical changes in the nation's retirement policies, including taxation of Social Security, raisirfg the eligibility age for full benefits and mandatory pensions for all workers in the private sector. Hendon said Saturday be believes a majority of the Aging committee and the majority of con gressmen would oppose such a proposal. "It's wrong to even suggest that the govern ment should tax Social Security benefits, par Caldwell, money, he said, was due the school board from the county. Edwards then said the county gives the school system a number of CETA employees during the year, so consequently, "Why should we spend our money on employ ing people when they (the county commissioners) are going to give us money?" Ed wards indicated that situation helped create the carry-over when the fiscal year ended on June 30. ' In another money-related matter, The News-Record also discovered recently that what appears to be an error in book keeping led to the inclusion of some $423,000 in federal School Food Service money in the board's local current ex pense fund on a report sent to Raleigh. Food Service money is supposed to be kept separate from other school ex pense funds. Questioned Monday as to how the Food Service money got put into the local current expense fund, Supt. Edwards said, "You will have to call Raleigh; they're the ones that did it. I didn't." However, The News-Record had called Raleigh on Feb. 13 and talked with Mr. Carlton Willis in the Division of Statistical Services who said that the error was discovered by his department on the report sent to them by Mr. Ed wards. Mr. Willis' name and telephone number was given to The News-Record by Ed wards on that date, and Ed wards had suggested that a f call be made to Mr. Willis. t At Monday's board meeting, i Edwards said Mr. J. A Porter, state controller, was the per- I son to talk to in such matters ' and denied knowing Chariton , Willis. "In fact, I don't even | know Mr. Willis," Edwards . said. I NEW SCHOOL | Concerning the proposed Marshall-Walnut school, board members listened to a financial architectural report from J. Bertram King who said once the plans had been sent to Raleigh for final ap proval, advertising for con struction bids could probably begin around April 15. He said the building, consisting of eight classrooms and a media center for grades K-3, would be ready by the opening of school in the fall of 1982. A motion was made and passed by the board to hold a special call meeting at 3 p.m. on April IS for the opening of bids. The board also adopted a resolution to apply for a grant of $154,651 from the 1973 state school bond money to be ap plied toward the construction of the new school. That money, if obtained, combined with $127,000 in capital outlay funds from the county and the 1977 federal flood disaster funds of $269,513 would give the board $551,164 for the facility. It was noted by R.L. Ed wards that the flood disaster money would have to be returned to the federal government if a contract for he new school was not tecured by this September. Opposition to the consolida tion of the Marshall and Walnut grades K-3 was voiced at the meeting by several parents. Dr. Dewey Griffey, Jr. and Mrs. Lois Ramsey both stated publicly that the people of Madison County had voted against the school con solidation when the voters turned down a local school bond issue for some $2 million in 1979. Supt. Edwards pointed out to the gathering that the state ment on the bond ballot said the money would be used for upgrading and renovatons on the county's present school buildings, and made no men tion of school consolidation. However, a source close to the county's school system has said that school officials, in presenting the bond issue to voters prior to the referen dum, stated that approximate ly one-half of the monies rais ed from the bond issue would be used to build a new school on a site near Madison High School. The , board adopted the resolution to apply for the 1973 state bond money in spite of the vocal opposition to the idea of the new school. The board also went on record in support of a proposed $600 statewide school bond issue, of which, if passed, Madison County will receive over $2 million for school construction. Federal Cuts Hit Local WIC n^.u^.1 B ?_ *kMit tho rhsnffps in thf rhunOfX will affpot n*ur an. federal cutbacks are already being felt in Madison County, according to a spokesman at the County Health Depart ment Marilyn Held said the Special Supplemental Nutri tion Program for Women, In fants and Children (W1C Pro gram) will change both Us in- . come eligibility criteria and nutritional risk criteria begin ning Monday, March ? because of cutbacks in federal Approximately ?> WIC Pro gram participants In the coun ty must be dropped by the end of March, she said. Nearly Ma. Held program. She said funding has been "stabilized" on the state level, and with the continuing inflation in food prices, the changes are being brought about in order to serve those people of highest risk, only those who are at nutritional risk because of a medical reason will be eligible. No longer eligible for the program are poet partum women who are bottlefoedtag, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, In fants and children who have p)icants and current par ticipants at their six month certification visit. Those par ticipants who have been cer tified as being eligible for WIC cannot be terminated from the program until they are found to be ineligible at their six month certification visit, lis. Held said. ARCHITECT J. Bertram King (right), shows members of the Madison County Board of Educa tion the final plans for the propos ed consolidated Marshall-Walnut Elementary School at the board's Monday meeting. Advertising for construction bids are scheduled to begin in mid April, with plans calling for the opening of the K-3 school in the fall of 1982. Changes Made In School Lunch, Milk Programs Madison County Board of Education announced Monday that, due to the passage of Public Law 96-449, the family size and income eligibility criteria for free milk for children served under the Na tional School Lunch, School Breakfast, and/or Special Milk Programs have changed for the remainder of the school year. The following income scale will be used for determining eligibility. Listed first are family size, per year, per month, per week for free ! meals, free milk. ' 1, >5,700, 475, 110. 2. 17,230, 602, 139. 3, $8,750, 729, 168 4, 910,270, 856, 196. 5, $11,800, 963, 227. 6, $13,320, 1,110, 2S6. 7, $14,850, 1,238, 286. 8, $16,370, 1,364, 315. Each additional family member: +$1,530, 128, 29. Children from families whose income ill at or below the levels shown are eligible ?On til# Inaldm ? ? ? Peter Gott Write* About The Art Of Log Cabin Building. See Story And Photo* On Page 3. for free milk, they said. < However, the four special I hardship conditions (usually < high medical expenses, shelter costs in excess of 30 < percent of income, special > education expenses due to the i mental or physical condition < of a chHd, and disaster or casualty losses) have been eliminated. They said a standard deduc tion for each household has been incorporated into the in come scale instead. i Application forms are being < sent to all homes in a letter to parents, school officials said, with additional copies available at the office in each ( school. They noted the information provided on the application is confidential and will be wed only for the purpose of deter mining eligibility A simple statement of in come and family size is re quired, plus a signed certifica tion by an adult household member that the information provided is correct Families who have applica tions on file and do not wish to children are also eligible for hese benefits, the officials ;atd If a family has foster hildren living with them and wishes to apply for such meals and milk for them, it should contact the school. If a parent is dissatisfied with the decision of the deter mining official, he or she may wish to discuss it with the of ficial on an informal basis. For such an informal discus sion contact, orally or in writing, Joe Boone, Rt. ?, Box i9<>. Candler, or can 6C7-1X1. The Asheville-Pisgah Church School's free milk policy con tains an outline of the hearing procedure If a family member becomes unemployed or its family size or income changes, the family should contact the school to file a new application Such changes may make the family children eligible for frw milk If the family income falls at ar IX lOw lilr IrVrlS 5J10WI1 .
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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March 5, 1981, edition 1
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