School officials discuss budget cuts, approve countywide student dress code

By Lynn Hotaling

Though the county's proposed budget includes a 7 percent increase for the school system, it falls $726,981 short of the 22.68 percent school officials requested, school system finance officer David Steinbicker told members of the Jackson County Board of Education.

Steinbicker presented school board members with a list of cuts that will have to be made if additional local funds are not forthcoming. Among those would be personnel cuts including the loss of five teacher assistant positions, elimination of a planned additional AIG teaching position as well as three other teaching positions and the loss of a proposed new maintenance position.

Though the schools' proposed allocation reflects a 7 percent increase over last year, mandated expenses such as increases in health insurance premiums and cost-of-living increases and funding for charter schools total some 11 percent of last year's budget, Steinbicker said.

Smoky Mountain High School's planned Freshman Framework program is still scheduled to be funded, though Superintendent Mack McCary said he would tell county leaders that school officials don't want to choose between an innovative high school program and losing teacher assistant positions that are crucial to the schools' literacy efforts.

"I'm very comfortable with talking to them and telling them we've got to have enough to fund high school improvements without cuts to early grades," McCary said.

School leaders' maintenance request was cut by $150,000 in the proposed county budget, prompting board member Ray Trine to voice an objection.

"Commissioners have been wonderful about funding capital improvements," Trine said. "But if they under fund on maintenance, the buildings won't last, and I hate to see these buildings fall apart."

Maintenance supervisor Arlin Middleton told school board members that a planned five-year maintenance plan would be impossible to implement without additional funds from county commissioners.

In other business Tuesday, school officials approved a countywide student dress code that will limit children's clothing options when school resumes.

Effective July 1, the new dress code will require both elementary and high school students to wear clothing that covers the shoulders and extends to mid-thigh without exposing bare skin. It bans see-through, midriff, bareback or cutoff shirts and will require that shorts and skirts extend below the student's longest finger when in a normal stance.

In addition, the proposed policy requires shirts to be worn under athletic jerseys and disallows clothing with inappropriate or suggestive slogans and pictures, including any depiction of drugs, alcohol or tobacco products.

Caps, hats or head coverings will not be allowed for elementary students but will be permitted for high school students at the discretion of individual teachers. Under the provisions of the new code, the wearing of large or heavy chains that could be used as weapons is banned.

A local policy is necessary because North Carolina's General Assembly passed legislation last year that requires each school system in the state to establish a dress code, said Superintendent McCary.

School officials also approved new policies governing credit for correspondence and independent study course credit, lesson plans, homework, textbook selection, Internet, school trips, graduation requirements, grouping for instruction and lesson planning.

Two additional policy series, on support services and fiscal management, were tabled for review during a special Monday, June 3, meeting that is scheduled to include a closed session for personnel.

Prior to Tuesday's session, a reception was held to honor the school system's retiring personnel. Each retiree received a certificate and gift at the beginning of the board meeting.

Retiring from the local school system this year are:

Blue Ridge - Sherry Franks, teacher.

Cullowhee Valley - Marsha Cameron, Shirley Fouts and Penny Graham, teachers; Dave Waldrop, counselor; and Lois Heinz, bus monitor.

Fairview - Mickey Cook, Sandra Deitz, Pat Newman and Doris Ray, teachers; Thurza McNair, assistant principal; and Betty Sutton, teacher assistant.

Scotts Creek - Lou Ginn, Peggy Jones and Elaine Morgan, teachers.

Smokey Mountain Elementary - Tom Dowell, principal; and Christine Walker, teacher.

Smoky Mountain High - Linda Fisher, Bill Fouts, Dee Grantham, Judy McConnell and Sandra Shuler, teachers.

Back to Archive: 05/30/02.