JACKSON SCHOOL RESIDENTS OUTLINE NEEDS TO OFFICIALS

JACKSON -- A small group of concerned residents told the Jackson Board of Education additional classrooms to address space needs at the junior high school and increased operating funds to end deficit spending are two priorities that should be addressed by voters at the polls Aug. 8.

Approximately 60 residents and staff members met with the school board during a community meeting Tuesday at Jackson Middle School. People who had expressed an interest in working with school officials to address needs of the district were invited to the meeting.

Participants told the school board the needs at the junior high and in the budget were obvious, and funding proposals should be developed before the May 30 deadline to get them on the Aug. 8 ballot.

Schools Superintendent Ron Anderson said the school board needed to hear from the public before it undertakes another election to ensure it will be supported.

"It's a community issue, not just a schoolhouse issue," he said. "We need to know we have the support of the community."

School board member Brent Wills said the priorities set at the meeting address current needs, but the district and community should also begin to plan for the future.

"We're bleeding red right now, and we've got to figure out how to stop that," he said.

The meeting was the second in a series of community meetings the school board plans to host. At least one other meeting will be scheduled later this month to ensure the school board communicates its needs to the entire community, said school board president Dr. T. Wayne Lewis.