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VOLUME 94, NUMBER 20
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THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 1981
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KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
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KM School Budget
Record $2 Million
By ELIZABETH STEWART •
Co-Editor
Kings Mountain District
School’s budget for 1981-82 is a
record $2,603,675, up six and
one half percent over last year,
and calls for a five percent
across-the-boards increase for
personnel.
Approving the proposed
budget Monday night, Kings
Mountain Board of Education
unanimously asked the
Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners for a IS percent
increase in appropriations, or
$1,192,066 compared with last
year’s revenues of $1,036,579
and based on a 14 cent tax rate
per $100 valuation, unchanged
School Board Approves
Student Transfer Policy
Kings Mountain Board of
Education Monday night
unanimously approved a school
transfer policy which is effective
beginning with the 1981-82
school year.
The policy spells out that
beginning students in the system
will be assigned to the school
which serves the zone in which
the students and their parents
reside. The policy also spells out
that students who have been per
mitted in the past to attend
school outside their attendance
zones will be allowed to remain
in their out of zone schools until
they complete the fifth grade
unless class size inequities bet
ween schools make it impossible.
Board member had discussed
the policy for several months.
Because the current transfer
policy had made it virtually easy
for students to attend schools
outside their attendance zones
the result was overcrowded
situations in the five elementary
TCtWfllTTjr tireT; t*l^yslenT.
The new policy provides an
appeal process for parents who
have valid reasons for the waiver
of the school assignment plan.
The full text of the new policy
follow:
“Beginning with the school
year 1981-82 the following
policies will govern the school
assignment of elementary
students (grades K-5) in the
Kings Mountain School District.
“At the beginning of the
1981-82 school year and
thereafter students who are
beginning school for the first
time in Kings Mountain Elemen
tary Schools will be assigned to
the schools which serves the
zone in which the parents or
legal guardian resides.
“Students who have been per
mitted to attend school outside
their attendance zone prior to
school year 1981-82 will be
allowed to remain in their out of
zone schools until completing
the fifth grade unless class size
inequities between schools make
it essential to transfer students
back to the schools of their own
zone.
“In the event such transfers do
become necessary, the current
dated request file will be used.
The latest request will be
transferred first. Requests for
enrollment in an elementary
school other than the one in
one’s own zone must be renewed
each year.
“Students who reside outside
of the Kings Mountain School
District may be admitted to a
Kings Mountain School upon
application to the Superinten
dent and approval by the Kings
Mountain ^ard of Education.
Out of district students will be
required to pay a tuition fee
which will be set by the Board of
Education.
“Beginning with the 1981-82
school term, out of district
elementary students who are ad
mitted to Kings Mountain
Schools for the first time will be
assigned to a school by the
Superintendent with the follow
ing factors to be taken into con
sideration; Distance from home
to school and Class size in the
nearest school. The Superinten
dent will assign out of district
(tuition) students to the nearest
elementary school unless class
size overload in the nearest
school makes it necessary to
make another assignment.
‘Tuition students who were
admitted to Kings Mountain
elementary schools prior to the
1981-82 school year will be
allowed to remain in those
schools until completing the fifth
grade as long as tuition re
quirements and other School
Board regulations are complied
with.
“When an elementary child’s
parents or legal guardians move
from one attendance zone to
another within the school
district the child will be required
to attend the school within the
attendance zone of his or her
residence.
If the move takes place after
the first quarter of the school
year the child may be allowed to
complete the school year in the
zone of his or her former
residence upon request to the
Superintendent and approval by
the Board of Education.
Parents who believe that valid
reasons exist for the waiver of
the foregoing school assignment
policies may submit a request for
special consideration to the
Kings Mountain District School
Superintendent.
Each case will be considered
on its own merits and determin
ed by the Kings Mountain
District of Education.”
over previous years.
“We have tried to be as frugal
as possible and have tried to hold
the line in our current expense
budget”, Supt. William Davis
told the Board as members
reviewed the budget proposals
during the regular Monday night
meeting. “However, personnel
expenses and maintenance ex
penses are up and in order to
continue our programs we feel
the increase is in order.”
Supt. Davis said that ap
propriation request are to be
directed to the county commis
sion by Friday and said that the
proposed budget “does not leave
much margin for paring.”
The local funds budget an
ticipates that locally paid
teachers will receive$317,150,a
difference of $68,968 from last
year, and that general sup
plements will increase by $6,192.
Electrical services are expected
to jump from $130^)00 to
$160,000 and natural gas costs
from $35,000 to $45,000. Costs
of fuel oil is expected to rise from
$ 15,000 to $ 17,500 maintenance
personnel are expected to be
paid $10,430 more. Telephone
costs are expected to jump from
$4,(X)0 to $15,000 and repairs
and replacements from $115,000
to $135,300.
The current expense budget
for 1981-82 was $2,448.411 and
the 1981-82 proposed budget is
$2,603,676.00 or a difference of
$155,265.00.
The budget anticipates
revenue from county funds of
$265,816.68 for capital ou'Hiy
which -projccf a nlunber of ne^
purchases of equipment, fur
niture, air conditioning, and a
school car with top priority items
to be considered first.
Supt. Davis pointed out that
the instructional program calls
for an increase in current ex
penses of $89,880 and the voca
tional program calls for an in
crease of $65,920. The system
expect to receive $399382 in
stte vocational funds.
Capital outlay expenditures
are anticipated to increase about
(Turn To Pag* 2-A)
Job Sign-Up
Starts Saturday
Vietnam veterans who need
jobs are invited to make applica
tions with the Kings Mountain
Committee to Assist Vietnam
Veterans Saturday morning
from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the
lobby of the new City Hall.
Dickey Burgess, Commander
of the VFW, and Aud Tignor,
Commander of American
Legion Post 155, will be at the
facility, along with other
representatives of the two
veteran’s organizations, to assist
veterans in filling out application
forms.
The application forms are also
available in the Mayor’s office at
City Hall Mondays through
Fridays, from 8:30 until 5 p.m.
MINISTERS ENDORSE CANCXR SUNDAY -
Kings Mountain minist*rs. obov*. •ndorsed
April 5 os Canc*r Stmday in Kings Mountain
at a m**ting Monday at which Lou Sohotti*.
No Citizens Appear
canc*r driv* chairmon, distrihut*d mat*rials
which minist*rs will distrihut* to th*ir con-
grsgotions.
Board Discusses Use
Of Surplus UR Funds
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
No citizens appeared at the
first of two public hearings Mon
day night at the Governmental
Services Facilities Center to
make suggestions on how the ci
ty can best spend $422,000 of
surplus Urban Renewal funds
which are eligible to be used in a
number of community projects.
The second and final public
hearing on the matter will be
held during the March 23 Board
of Commissioners meeting.
After Community Develop
ment CQpr(lii)gi,8r .Gene White
explained the eligible and ineligi
ble activities the money can be
used for. Mayor John Henry
Moss issued several calls for
citizen input.
After no one appeared. Moss
noted several activities that the
board could consider, including;
•The Small Cities Program in
District Four, which would in
clude the rehabilitation of
houses and improvements in the
electrical, water and sewer
systems there, and improved
streets.
The area under consideration
includes Fairview Street, Third
Street, Fourth Street, Cranford
Drive, Ellison Street, Phillips
Drive, and portions of Linwood
Road.
The city is currently in the
running for a grant of over
$9(X),()00 for that project, and ci
ty officials are hopeful the grant
will be approved.
Moss said the proposal has
been met with favor by residents
of the area. “We have found a
very fine acceptance,” he said. “1
hope the city continues in this
type of programs.”
Commissioner Jim Childers,
who along with commissioners
Norman King and Bill Grissom
recently attended the National
League of Cities Conference in
Washington, said such programs
are also highly-thought-of by
President Reagan.
‘These programs are probably
going to be the thing of the
future,” Childers said. “It’s going
to be great for us.”
Moss said he favors such pro
grams because they continue “to
permit the owner to retain his
residence of long standing and
improve his property, and they
give the public body an oppor
tunity to improve services, such
as water and electricity.”
Moss said the city has been in
the Neighborhood planning pro
cess since late 1965. “1 feel like
we are prepared and am hopeful
the grant application will be ap
proved.”
•Completion of any unfinish
ed activities in the Cansler Street
renewal project. Moss said the
city still must make two property
acquisitions and one re-location
in that area, and two or three
demolitions.
• Beautification of the Central
Business District, including the
recently-approved wall restora
tion project and the completion
of underground wiring. The city
lacks only one phase of
underground wiring before hav
ing the project completed.
•Adding 20 parking spaces on
the west side of Battleground
Avenue north of Mountain
Street.
The city board urges citizens
to attend the next board meeting
and offer their suggestions.
“A number of programs have
been developed by citizens com
mittees,” Moss pointed out.
“Citizen committees have
always been active in the grant
(Turn To Page 10-A)
Public Hearing Slated
To Discuss RR Crossings
The City Board of Commis
sioners have called for a public
hearing on March 23 during the
City Commissioners meeting for
citizen input into a proposal by
Southern Railway and the N.C.
Department of Transportation
to close the Hawthorne Street
railroad crossing.
Also proposed is the improve
ment of South Railroad Avenue
from Hawthorne Street to Oak
Street, upgrading the Oak Street
crossing and the installation of
signals and gates at the Oak
Street crossing.
The proposal is a part of the
Department of Transportation’s
statewide railroad crossing safety
program.
The Hawthorne Street cross
ing, located on Highway 216 at
the old Kings Mountain Ice
Plant, is considered dangerous
by Southern Railway and the
DOT. A number of accidents
have occurred there in the past
and many deaths have resulted.
The Oak Street crossing, also
the site of many accidents in the
past, is located across from First
Citizens Bank and Trust Co. and
is better known as the Mauney
Mill crossing.
Railroad Avenue runs parallel
to the railroad tracks and Bat
tleground avenue (Highway
216). Part of the proposal is that
it be widened and straightened.
According to Mayor John
Henry Moss, the city’s expense
in the project would be small,
but the proposal requires action
by the Board of Commissioners.
“We would like to get an ex
pression from citizens on how
they feel about it,” Moss said. “It
is basically a state program and a
very small percentage of the cost
would be city money.”
HAWTHORNE STREET CROSSING
... Southern Railway, DOT want it closed
OAK STREET CROSSING
Signal lights, gates would be added