Kiwanis Club Meeting

The Kiwanis Club met at 12:00 noon on Oct. 22nd with Tommy Stephens, Union County School Superintendent as the informational speaker. Mr. Stephens began by providing information on school system growth. He said that until last year our 5-year facilities plan showed an average increase in student enrollment of approximately 74 students each year. Last year that growth decreased to 41 new students and currently we have increased by 8 students.

Mr. Stephens gave an update on student testing. Union County students continue to score well above the state average and consistently lead schools in the Pioneer RESA region which in turn leads all other RESA's in the state. Examples of the exemplary performance of Union County students were on the CRCT tests given to students in grades 1 thru 8. In Reading, 1st grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students scored first in the thirteen county RESA region with 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 8th grade scoring second in the region. In Math, our students in grades 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th scored highest in the Pioneer RESA region while 1st and 3rd grade students scored second. Union County students had similar test results on all other assessments including: the High School Graduation Test and End of Course Tests. Another measure of student success was the graduation rate of 86%.

Another topic that Mr. Stephens addressed was that of inadequate state funding of schools. He gave statistics showing that Union County Schools, over the last six years, have lost a total of 2.6 million dollars of earned funds through the Governor's austerity reduction. With that, Union County Schools have experienced a loss of another 1.6 million dollars through increases in the states local fair share requirement. Other losses of revenue are yearly increases in the state mandated system portion of employee health insurance and many other unfunded mandates from the state.

Other topics that Mr. Stephens talked about were the newly implemented student random drug testing program at the high school and upcoming legislative issues. The student drug testing program began with a very impressive 740 out of 767 students agreeing to be tested if chosen. Mr. Stephens stated that after the first testing we were very pleased with the results. He also mentioned that of the many upcoming legislative issues that are anticipated HB 900 or the "Glenn Tax" bill may be the most important. This bill has been advertised to eliminate property taxes and have education funded entirely through the state. Mr. Stephens asked everyone to look closely at this bill as it may be devastating to local schools as well as local business. Everyone would like to eliminate property taxes but we should look closely at the alternatives for revenue production as well as consequences of giving up local control of schools.

The Kiwanis Club of Blairsville is dedicated to serving and supporting young people in the immediate area around Blairsville through numerous projects. The Kiwanis Club meets at the Cobbs Mill restaurant in Blairsville at 12:00 Noon each Monday. Come join in the fun with us. For more information, contact President Charlie Krick at (706)781-6793.