The News Record SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY v;- Tv ' ' ? v ? . ' 80th Y?ar NO. 29 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C. THURSDAY, July 16, 1981 Will Assist At Mars Hill College Kruk Resigns As Basketball Coach Madison High head basketball coach Joe Kruk resigned from that position Tuesday and will be working this season as an assistant to head basketball coach Robert Ronai at Mars Hill Col lege. Contacted at his home Monday night, Kruk said his letter of resignation to Madison High prin cipal David Wyatt "was written today and will be in the mail tomorrow (Tuesday)." Kruk had little to say about his resignation other than he had resigned and that he was already assisting Ronai with the Mars Hill team. Also contacted Monday night, Wyatt said Kruk had told him he was resigning but he hadn't received Kruk's letter of resignation. "It was a big shock to me," Wyatt said. Wyatt saio he had not made a choice "at this time" for a replacement for Kruk. "I've been do ing a little thinking, but I have not made any con tacts or commitments at this point," he said. Kruk had been head coach for the boys' team at Madison for two years. Prior to that he was athletic director and head basketball coach at Mt. Heritage High School in Yancey County. He resigned as both teacher and coach at Madison. p "v. Joe Kruk Health Program To Hold 10th Anniversary Dinner The Hot Springs Health Program will hold its 10th Anniversary dinner celebration and annual meeting on Monday, July 27 at 7;30 p.m. in the Madison High School cafeteria. HSHP officials emphasized the dinner is free to the public, and they said they cordially invite everyone to attend. Dinner guests are asked to notify the HSHP of how many family members will be attending the supper by Friday, July 17. Officials said persons can call the receptionist at their community medical center or write: Dinner, HSHP, P.O. Box 68, Hot Springs, N.C. 28743. The HSHP annual report will be given and a short business meeting will be conducted at the dinner. Entertainment will be provided by the Shelton Family and the Puncheon Fork String Band. Michael Norins, HSHP director, said the dinner has been planned to be "short on speeches and business and long on fun." The dinner is in celebration of 10 years of growth and successful medical service of the pro gram. Marshall Tax Rate At 75c By NICHOLAS HANCOCK Editor Holding its tax rate at 75 cents per $100 valuation for the 1961-82 fiscal year, the Town of Marshall will "just about break even" in its financial operations, according to town officials. "We're just going to be holding our own," said Eloise Riddle, town clerk. According to the $475,000 budget adopted by the board of aldermen in June, an 88 cent ad valorem tax rate was needed at full property valuation to meet budget re quirements for the coming year, but the aldermen agreed to set the rate at 75 cents and make up the needed difference from the fUnd balance in the general fund. The town has held its tax rate at that figure for the past four or Ave years according to Riddle. The town has also lost some tax base from some businesses that have closed or moved out of town, officials said. These reductions practically offset the increase in tax valuation increases, they said. The aldermen approved an appropria tion of $17,500 from the 1900-81 fund balance to balance the new budget and avoid an in crease in the tax rate. The 1961-82 budget calls for general fund expenditures of $184,265. The largest expenditure in this category is $49,400 for the police department. Other expenditures authorized from the general fund by depart ment are Administration, $27,625; Recrea tion, $14,509; Streets, $20,150; Fire Depart ment, $5,275; Tax Department, $1,506; Cemetery, $2,200; Sanitation, $13,200; Powell Bill (streets), $18,160; and Non Departmental, $32,246. * ETHEL THAYER (played by Laura Treacy ) explains the pains of growing old to her daughter Chelsea (played by LeElla Ratcliff) in S ART'S production of "On Golden Pond.' First run of the widely ac claimed comedy ends Thursday, July 16 with a second presentation scheduled for July 31 and Aug. 1 and 2 at Owen Theatre at Mars Hill College. (Photo by Bob Gessner) School Board Adopts $6.2 Million Budget By NICHOLAS HANCOCK Editor The Madison County Board of Education officially adopted a $6.2 million budget resolution for fiscal year 1981-82 at its July 6 meeting in Marshall. In order to meet the required June 30 deadline, the budget resolution was approv ed by board members "by phone or in person" by June 27 according to school superintendent Robert L. Ed wards. The budget resolution, as explained by school finance of ficer Isabel Whitt, provides an interim budget on which the system can operate for the next 30 days until school of ficials learn from Raleigh how much state and federal funds will be received by the system for the year. Whitt pointed out that this was not a final budget, and that other budget resolutions would be in the making as the school board was notified of state and federal funds available. This budget resolution is based on last year's budget amounts plus five percent, Whitt said. In order (or the school system to operate through July, the state sent word to Whitt that it would certify (or deposit) the amount spent in July, 1980 plus five percent in the system's account. The budget document is divided into seven categories each showing funds ap propriated for that category and estimated revenues from sources for the category. An immediate change fore seen in the document concerns the county appropriation to the Local Current Expense Fund. The school board re quested $697,939 from the county, but the commissioners designated only >525,000 for the schools in that category in their 1981-82 budget adopted June 90. The school board's capital outlay fund is destined to come up $25,000 short since the board asked the commis sioners for $50,000 but were appropriated only half that amount The school board's local cur rent expense fund calls for a total of $1,012,248 for instruc tional programs and suppor ting services. The two largest expenditures in that category are $409,113 for vocational education programs and $462,700 for business suppor ting services. Revenues estimated are $314,309 from state funds and $697,939 from the county. The state public school fund amounts to $3,682,475 with the amount estimated as coming from the state. Instuctional programs are designated to receive $2,645,354 of that total, and the two other large expen ditures are $248,347 for school administration supporting services and $577,456 for business supporting services. The federal grants fund category calls for an ap propriation of $454,477. In structional programs will receive $337,883 of that with the remainder going for sup port services Revenue for this category comes from ESEA Title I, Title Vl-B and CETA. The school fund service fund totals $546,150 With $446,000 designated for business sup port services and $100,150 designated for other support services. Estimated revenue for the fund lists $446,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants and $100,150 in school meal sales The board's capital outlay fund totals $512,029, all of which is designated to be spent on the Marshall-Walnut consolidated elementary school. The 1973 state public school facilities bond will pro vide an estimated $154,652 as revenue, the board estimated $50,000 in county appropria tions, and $307,377 is listed as the. third revenue source as a fund balance appropriated from last year's budget. In the final two fund categories, the budget resolu tion shows $600 from the alcoholic beverage control fund designated to be spent on the purchase of equipment and $10,000 in the Spring Creek Veteran's Farm Cooperative Program fund designated to be spent on vocational pro grams. Teachers Put Out With Lawmakers The failure of the General Assembly to take affirmative action on reduction of teacher pupU ratio* and pay increases for teachers before it adjourn ed last Friday has unleashed the ire of North Carolina Association of Educators members across the state. "The 1M1 General Assembly utterly tailed to meet the needs of North Carolina's public school children.'' John 1. WUson. NCAE pr < 'sicienl said. return in September will not have either the personnel or the supplies to maintain the quality that existed during the past year." He said the General Assembly ignored the needs of handicapped children with the result that many at these children will end up in regular classrooms which are not that the General Assembly rrneged on its [ < Ucal com schools in September, and ab solutely nothing that I* done in October can change that fact." Wilson said the decision to "totally ignore the needs of public education was a oon Coatiaaed an Page I Duckett Sentenced To Twelve Years#* A Madison County man was sentenced to It years in prison after pleading guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Asheville to charges in con nection with tke May 17 rob tj ?f e M Avon* :t was charged ? ti vs- a m May