By Jessica Higginbotham
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The guest at Thursday’s Kiwanis Club meeting was Madison County School Superintendent Lou Miller.  Edie Day invited Miller to speak about the state of the Madison County school system. 
   Day also pointed out that Miller’s family has a history in and a devotion to education. Her father came to Madison to work with Griffin Bishop, while her mother worked in the finance office of Madison County schools.  Miller has a brother teaching in Monticello for North Florida Community College, a sister teaching for the University of Texas at El Paso, a sister teaching nursing at Decatur Community College, and a sister on staff at the county office.
   Miller spoke on three key points in her “School System Report.”  Her first subject was the school budget as affected by homestead exemption.  “What impact will the super exemption have on the school budget?” 
   That question, thankfully, will not have to be addressed, because super exemption was deemed unconstitutional and will not be seen on ballots.  Had super exemption been allowed, Miller commented, the school systems would have seen big cuts – over 2.1 million dollars over a several year period in Madison.
   Miller then addressed the Class Size Reduction (CSR) amendment, which will move the class-by-class average for the 2008-09 school year.  The student per teacher ratio will decrease – for grades kindergarten through three, there will be no more than 12 students per teacher; for grades four through eight, there will be no more than 22 students per teacher; and for grades nine through 12, there will be no more than 25 students per teacher. 
   The school system will have to increase the number of teachers to improve the ratio.  Each classroom has to have the new average, or the CSR money reverts Capital Outlay to build more classrooms.  Districts all over Florida are concerned about meeting the CSR requirements for the upcoming school year.  If the school doesn’t make the average, the state takes the money, and the school has to build a classroom.               
   For counties like Madison, finding certified teachers has always been a problem. Although there is a decline in enrollment for Madison County schools, the student/teacher ratio has always weighed heavy.  Miller estimated that seven teachers would have to be added for next year, costing the system $300,000.  The declining enrollment of 100-150 students per year at $4,000 per student costs the system anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000 per year.  Additionally, a $500,000 cut in local taxes and budget holdbacks equaling eight percent for the two years combined reduces the amount of funds available to schools. 
   Miller’s last point in the “School System Report” was about Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. 
   According to Miller, AYP is divided into subgroups: economically disadvantaged, gender, race, students with disabilities, English language learners, and the total number of students.  AYP tests whether or not students made a year’s worth of progress for a year’s worth of time. 
   Although Pinetta Elementary would have been considered an A School according to Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test standards, the school had fewer than 30 students in a particular tested grade, so they had to take on the district average – a C.  Pinetta only made 97 percent for AYP because of the score.  To make AYP, a school has to have 100 percent of their subgroups pass – yes in all categories. 
   Greenville Elementary School was Madison County’s F School last year.  The school did not meet proficiency in either reading or math, and did not make AYP for the fifth year in a row.   
   To address the problems within the subgroups for AYP, Madison County has decided to institute what Miller called Professional Development – a program that will focus on bringing the school back up to par.  The system will use Rubye Payne’s “Framework for Understanding Poverty,” differentiated instruction, Intermediate Intensive Interventions, reading strategies, learning environment and classroom management, writing strategies, and math strategies. 
   AYP does not look at the individual as much as it focuses on the group.  No Child Left Behind states that if the school system does not make AYP in the first two years, the school is “designated in need of improvement.”  If this continues for a few years, the school may be forced to restructure by possibly replacing all of the teachers and principal at that school – which is a problem for Madison County.  The problem of finding seven extra teachers seems trivial compared to finding a whole staff of certified teachers for a school.
   Greenville Elementary and Madison County Central School are both considered “in need of improvement level four,” meaning that they’ve not met AYP for five years.  Both schools are currently in a phase called “planning for restructuring.”  There are several options to choose from, and MCCS chose to reconstitute the school into smaller learning communities, while GES chose the “assistance plus path,” which monitors the school on a monthly basis.  The schools chose these options in lieu of replacing the entire staff.   
   All six schools are trying to make sure they make AYP for the upcoming year.  In addition to the Professional Development plans, the schools are planning on volunteer tutors, concentrating on subgroups, supplementing educational services through Title I, supplementing materials, a district support team, implementing schools in need of improvement plants, and schedule blocks for reading and math. 
   One subgroup, economically disadvantaged students, makes up about 70 percent of the population in Madison County schools.  The percentage of economically disadvantaged students is estimated by calculating the number of students on free or reduced price lunches.  Madison County is actually one of the top four most impoverished counties in Florida. 
   Miller finished her presentation by opening up the floor to questions.  She added that although Madison is growing, the people moving here don’t have school aged children.  Even though enrollment is declining, because of the classroom-by-classroom average, the system still needs more teachers.  “In order for schools to improve in Madison County,” Miller commented, “it will take parental involvement.”
   Miller responded to a question about focus on reading by saying “it [reading] has always been a focus in Madison County schools.  However, in poverty stricken homes, the kids don’t read well.”  From infancy to the start of school, the children don’t have printed material in the home.
   “Children in Madison County need intervention as early as they can get it,” she continued. Those children are developmentally delayed because they haven’t had much interaction or reading material before they come to school.
    Miller also said that AYP includes students with learning disabilities.  Both Madison County Central School and Madison County High School reported students with disabilities as a subgroup; therefore they have at least 30 students with disabilities. 
   There is no different rating scale for children who are mentally retarded.  Only the very challenged students with the most severe disorders are allowed to take an alternative to the FCAT, the standard for determining AYP.  Those students only account for two to four percent of the total number with disabilities.  According to Miller, 27 percent of the student population in Madison County schools is considered to have cognitive disabilities of some sort.    
   Following Miller’s question and answer session, President Jim Holben presented her with a Kiwanis key chain and thanked her for her visit.  Holben also posed the question, “How many Rotarians does it take to change a light bulb,” making light of the club rivalry, knowing that Miller is a member of the distinguished Rotary Club. 
   Linda Hesketh, Kiwanian and activities coordinator for the Suwannee River Regional Library system, is helping to get dictionaries to all of the third graders in the county, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.  There are approximately 209 third graders in the county, and each one will receive a Kiwanis dictionary. 
   Jim Holben rode his last day as president of the Kiwanis Club with pride – Frances Ginn will be taking over for the October 4 meeting. 

Look Who Caught A Rainbow

Shanna Mugge "catches" a rainbow in her cap last Wednesday evening, September 26, at her home in Greenville. Her husband, Brandon, snapped this optical illusion following a rain shower. (Photo Submitted)

Four-Vehicle Crash Causes Damage

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   A four-vehicle accident on Interstate 10 caused approximately $6,500 in damage to the autos involved.
   According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Phillip J. Allmond, 24, of Tallahassee, was traveling west in a 2000 Chevrolet truck, Shandra A. Sheppard, 22, of Miami, was traveling west in a 1995 Saturn and William Pope, Jr., 64, of Destin, was traveling west in a 2006 BMW. They were all in the inside lane and had just passed west of the State Road 53 overpass and had come to an almost complete stop due to a wreck in front of them.
   All three drivers said that vehicles ahead of them were running into the grassy median to avoid a collision, causing them to rapidly slow down.
   Thomas S. McClean, 77, of Gulf Breeze, was traveling the posted speed limit in the inside lane, approaching the overpass at SR 53. As he topped the overpass in his 2004 Mazda, McClean applied his brakes very heavily to avoid the vehicles that were slowed ahead of him. McClean was unable to stop and struck the rear of Pope's car. Pope then struck the Saturn driven by Sheppard and Sheppard struck the rear of Allmond's truck.
   The truck spun around and struck the rear of McClean's car with the front of the truck.
   McClean's passenger, Cynthia McLean, 70, of Gulf Breeze, and Pope's passenger, William Pope III, 43, of Destin, received minor injuries in the wreck.
   FHP Trooper William Ernst was the investigating officer.

One Killed In Rollover

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   A man was killed in a one-vehicle wreck on Friday evening, September 28.
   According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Nicholas David Orr, 16, of Live Oak, was southbound on Ellaville Central Avenue, when he lost control of his vehicle on a curve.
   Orr's 1986 Chevrolet pickup left the roadway on the east shoulder, struck several trees and overturned.
   Anthony James Locicero, 36, also of Live Oak, a passenger in the truck, was pronounced dead at the scene.
   Orr and passenger Caleb Lyle Bowen, 16, of Live Oak, were not injured in the rollover.
   A third passenger, James Scott Locicero, 15, of Live Oak, was seriously injured in the wreck.
   Lee Volunteer firefighters and Madison County Deputy Kevin Anderson provided assistance at the scene.
   FHP Cpl. Herbert Brown was the investigating officer, as well as the homicide investigator.

Gavel To Be Passed At Wednesday County Commission Meeting

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The gavel will be passed to new Chairman Alfred Martin by former Chairman Roy Ellis at the Wednesday, October 3, Madison County Commission meeting.
   Martin will begin a one-year rotation as the board's chairman. Commissioner Wayne Vickers will be the co-chairman.
   Items on the meeting agenda include:
   CONSENT AGENDA
1. Agreement Between Madison County and the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council for Annual Monitoring of Hazardous Waste Generators.
2. Status Report for the Madison County SHIP Program through August 2007.
---UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1. Interlocal Agreement Between Suwannee River Water Management District and Madison County.
---NEW BUSINESS
1. Enactment of Ordinance for Fast Pack Tax Abatement.
2. Proposed Individuals for At-Large Member to Planning and Zoning Board (Michelle LeBlanc, Jamie Groover, and Marianne Green).
3. Exception to Building Department Permit Policy - Ms. Stella Davis.
4. Resolution 07-10-03, Reimbursement Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for Financial Project ID 406818-8-58-01 (Resurfacing of CR 140).
5. Resolution 07-10-03A, Reimbursement Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for Financial Project ID 212517-4-58-01 (Resurfacing of SW CR 360).
6. Discussion with Possible Action of Animal Control Citation Protocol - Mr. Jamie Willoughby.
7. Approval of Fiscal Year 2008 Agreement Between Madison County and the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council for Comprehensive Planning Services.
8. Request to Waive Small Scale Amendment Fee by Fast Eddie's Dry Cleaners.