06.22 Ledger 01 - Index of - The Cherokee Ledger-News

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8 THE CHEROKEE LEDGER-NEWS NEWS JUNE 22, 2011 Contact Your Elected Officials Sen. Johnny Isakson Washington, D.C. (202) 224-3643 District Office (770) 661-0999 isakson.senate.gov/ contact.cfm Sen. Chip Rogers Capitol (404) 463-1378 ––––– chip@senatorchiprogers.com Rep. Calvin Hill Capitol (404) 656-0129 Cell (770) 712-2879 calvin.hill@house.ga.gov Woodstock Post 1 Andrenia Stoner (770) 735-3252 astoner@ cityofballground.com Post 4 John Byrd (770) 735-1968 jbyrd@ cityofballground.com Ward 1 Randy Brewer (770) 592-6000 ext. 4001 rbrewer@woodstockga.gov Ward 2 Chris Casdia (404) 368-4632 ccasdia@woodstockga.gov Ward 3 Bob Mueller (770) 928-2590 bmueller@woodstockga.gov Ward 4 Tracy Collins (770) 592-6000 ext. 1003 tcollins@woodstockga.gov Ward 5 Bud Leonard (770) 924-1068 bleonard@woodstockga.gov Ward 6 Tessa Basford (678) 445-8118 tbasford@woodstockga.gov Mayor Donnie Henriques (770) 592-6001 dhenriques@woodstockga.gov Federal Sen. Saxby Chambliss Washington, D.C. (202) 224-3521 District Office (770) 763-9090 chambliss.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm?p=Email State Sen. Jack Murphy Capitol (404) 656-7127 ––––– jack.murphy@senate.ga.gov Rep. Sean Jerguson Capitol (404) 656-0287 ––––– sean.jerguson@house.ga.gov Ball Ground Post 2 Lee Prettyman (770) 735-6622 lprettyman@ cityofballground.com Post 5 Mickey O’Malley ––––– momalley@ cityofballground.com Rep. Tom Price Washington, D.C. (202) 225-4501 District Office (770) 565-4990 tom.house.gov/html/ contact_form_email.cfm Rep. Charlice Byrd Capitol (404) 656-0298 Cell (404) 557-2218 charlicebyrd@gmail.com Rep. Mark Hamilton Capitol (404) 656-5132 Office (770) 844-6768 mark.hamilton@house.ga.gov Waleska Paul Ice (770) 479-2912 Bill Cline (770) 479-2912 Floyd Puckett (770) 479-2912 Mary Helen Lamb (770) 479-2912 Dennis Cochran (770) 479-2912 Edna Cook (770) 479-2912 Mayor Doris Jones (770) 479-2912 dorisjones1@windstream.net Post 3 Frank Homiller (770) 735-6939 fhomiller@ cityofballground.com Mayor Rick Roberts (770) 735-2123 RRoberts@ cityofballground.com ■■■ • Douglas Gibson, 22, a former Woodstock High School graduate, has returned home after honorably serving the last four years in the United States Marine Corps. Gibson was honorably discharged on June 8 after serving two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. • Army Pfc. Shaquille N. Hodge has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises. He is the son of Danielle Hodge, of Woodstock. Hodge graduated in 2008 from Kell High School. • Navy Seaman Myles T. McDonald, a 2010 graduate of Fulton Science Academy, Alpharetta, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, McDonald completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event is “Battle Stations.” • Navy Seaman Victor D. Barnett, Jr, son of Victor Barnett, of Canton, completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois. During the eight-week program, Barnett completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is “Battle Stations.” Barnett is a 2006 graduate of Martin Luther King Jr. High School, of Lithonia. He is a 2010 graduate of Paine College, Augusta. • Air Force Airman Christina N. Brown graduated from basic MILITARY ■ military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Brown is the daughter of Christopher and Danielle Brown, of Acworth. • Air Force Reserve Airman Eric M. Morton graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Morton Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. He is the son of Cheryl Stonecipher, of Woodstock. Morton is a 2009 the Polaris Evening School graduate. • Air Force Airman Caitlin E. Dzirson graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward Dzirson an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. She is the daughter of Rolf and Doris Dzirson, of Woodstock. Dzirson graduated in 2008 from Woodstock High School. • Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Reginal E. Hall returned to the United States after a deployment to Iraq serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn, or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations. The sergeant is a microwave systems operator/maintainer. He is the brother of Carol Holle, of Woodstock, and Marcus Hall, of Hephzibah. Hall graduated in 1989 from Glenn Hills High School, Augusta, and received an associate degree in 2006 from Grantham University, Slidell, La. • Navy Seaman Charles D. Rusch, IV, son of Ann M. and Charles D. Rusch of Canton, completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Rusch completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is “Battle Stations.” Rusch is a 2007 graduate of Cherokee High School. • Navy Seaman Apprentice Joshua G. Morris, son of Kate T. and John G. Morris of Acworth, completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Morris completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is “Battle Stations.” Morris is a 2010 graduate of Carlton J. Kell High School in Kennesaw. • Army Pvt. Chad J. Hamlin graduated from the Infantryman One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning. The training consists of Basic Infantry Training and Advanced Individual Training. The Advanced Individual Training course is designed to train infantry soldiers to perform reconnaissance operations; employ, fire and recover anti-personnel and anti-tank mines; locate and neutralize land mines and operate target and sight equipment; operate and maintain communications equipment and radio networks; construct field firing aids for infantry weapons; and perform infantry combat exercises and dismounted battle drills, which includes survival procedures in a nuclear, biological or chemical contaminated area. Hamlin graduated in 2008 from Sequoyah High School, Canton. SEE MILITARY, PAGE 27
JUNE 22, 2011 NEWS THE CHEROKEE LEDGER-NEWS 9 FROM PAGE 1 CHARTER: District prepares petition it could pass “Right now, the decision is here,” Petruzielo said. “They (the state) aren’t going to be a problem.” After the board agreed on a new date to consider the petition submitted by the Georgia Charter Educational Foundation (GCEF), the nonprofit serving as the steward for the charter’s operation, the board proceeded to disagree on whether a charter school was even needed in the county. Petruzielo came down hard on the charter school petition that has been submitted and offered to school board members an example of a petition that rectified what he called “congenital deficiencies” in the Cherokee Charter Academy proposal. “If they want a charter school, fine, they can sign on the dotted line,” Petruzielo said, noting that the currently submitted petition “did not pass the smell test.” When asked Monday if GCEF would accept the terms of the school district-prepared petition, Carden said “no comment.” At the meeting, Petruzielo outlined the school district’s major concerns with the charter school. He pointed out Charter Schools USA schools have been turned down on all 13 petitions that have been put before local boards in Georgia over the past few years. The district said its major concerns include the facility being owned by a Charter Schools USA affiliated company, Red Apple Development. “The public would be paying for a building which is not going to belong to the public,” Petruzielo said of the former American Heritage Academy building on Sixes Road, which the charter academy has contracted to take over. In addition, the school district said the GCEF must consent to having the school district put final approval on its budget, and governance, transparency and accountability concerns are not being met. “They (the charter school) are going to have to show me where they can address a need we can’t,” Chapman said. “There is a motivated group of personalities who can’t stand the success of our school system, and all this political rhetoric regarding charter schools is meaningless. Here, you’re going to open up a new school with different rules and tell us to compete with them. There is so much going on here that is just bull.” Both Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, and Rep. Sean Jerguson, R-Holly Springs, have come out strongly in support of the charter school effort. Post 6 School Board Member Rob Usher accused school district communications regarding the charter as being slanted against the establishment of a charter school, “Responsible statements from the school district should focus on facts, not opinions,” he said. In an e-mail, Usher chided the district for asking for the GCEF’s and Cherokee Charter Academy’s open meeting minutes and public notices of meetings. “It is my opinion that this … request is an unnecessary strong-arm display by the CCSD. It is actions like this that reflect poorly on the CCSD, and thus the BOE, in the eyes of the public. There are better, less aggressive, ways to communicate that will cultivate a more civil and productive relationship with any organization we conduct business with,” Usher said. Geist, whose children have been accepted as students at the charter school expressed strong support for the petition. Geist asked to see a comparison of the Cherokee Charter Academy in regard to other charter schools in the nation. “I agree, I’d like to see that data” Chapman said, “But be careful what you ask for; you might not like the answer.” The district presented data that showed that the Cherokee Charter Academy would have less experienced teachers who will be paid less than district teachers; the staff would be smaller than a comparable district elementary school, and that there would be significantly less computers than are available in district schools. Lunch Specials $4.99 • 1/2 Sandwich & Cup of Soup • Chicken Burrito • Hotdog • Buffalo Shrimp Wrap $5.99 • Classic Burger • Chopped Steak • Soup & Salad • Meatloaf Sandwich CAROLYN MATHEWS | LEDGER-NEWS Among the crowd that gathered at the June 16 meeting, residents held signs, while others dressed in meaningful colors. Red reportedly meant the person was for the charter school and black meant they were against it. Cochran said she heard rumors that teachers were told approval of charter schools would result in dismissals and furlough days. “Most are simply rumors,” she said. “I pledge that even if the charter is approved we work to avoid cuts that directly impact the classroom.” Conversely, Read and Post 1 School Board Member Robert Wofford expressed several concerns regarding the charter proposal. Petruzielo said the new charter could be paid for in one of several different ways, either by using $3.4 million in already low school district reserves, eliminating longevity step increases for teachers, going from four to seven furlough days in the budget; raising the millage rate .55; or laying off 55 teachers. “Increasing furlough days would not only cut teachers’ pay; it would decrease instructional time, correct?” Read said. “And if we raised the millage by .55, that would take us to the maximum required by law.” Several parents also addressed the board on the subject. Beth Choppa, an Etowah High School parent, said that although she’s very involved at the school level, she’s never spoken at a school board meeting before. “Vote for all 38,000 students you are elected to represent, not just 995 (the current charter school enrollment),” she said. Parent Valerie Johnson said, “Cherokee County schools already has a phenomenal character education program,” in regard to the charter academy’s petition, which said the school will be unique in its character education opportunities. Parent Adrienne Slade said the “us vs. them” mentality surrounding the charter school issue saddens her. “Children are the ones who lose out,” she said. “Why can’t we have some traditional, some alternative and some charter schools?” Slade pointed out that the district’s Crossroads Alternative School is a district school that meets the needs of a group of students. Parent Phyllis North said large middle schools aren’t for her daughter. “She’ll go through middle school totally unnoticed,” she said. “Some kids out there just need something different. She was so excited when she found out she’s been accepted to the charter school.” Mark Peevy, director of the Georgia Charter School Commission (GCSC), which held the Cherokee Charter Academy’s charter before the Supreme Court ruling, said Cherokee Charter Academy’s petition, along with Coweta Charter Academy’s petition, both of whom are GCEF/Charter Schools USA schools, were vetted with “due diligence.” He said Coweta, which has been operating for a year, has had a strong start. That school has 350 students in grades K-3. Cherokee’s school is slated for grades K-7. 6115 Hickory Flat Hwy. (Hwy 140 & E. Cherokee behind Walgreens) 770-479-4449 Monday-Friday 15% OFF Your (most come w/choice of fries or pasta salad) $6.99 • Express Pasta • Shrimp Po Boy www.bedoesbarandgrille.com ■■■ Total Purchase Excludes alcohol. Cannot be combined w/any other offer. Does not apply to lunch specials. Dine in only. One per table. Exp. 6/30/11 $7.99 • Fish & Chips Sunday Brunch $3.99 Entrees | $4 Bloody Marys | 11am-2pm Hutson Realty 770-345-4545 www.HutsonRealty.com
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06.22 Ledger 01 - Index of - The Cherokee Ledger-News

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