Friday, June 20, 2003
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Friday, June 20, 2003 |
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School retirees honored Fifty Coweta County educators were honored at the school system's annual retirement reception last week at the Central Educational Center. School Board Chairman Rick Melville told retirees that it was a great honor to speak to them at the reception. "I'm amazed at the talent we have in this room tonight ... it's our loss." The longest-serving retiree was Earl Coulter, a 39-year educator and principal, Western Elementary School, and more recently as the director of the school system's energy conservation program and coordinator of the After-School Program. The years of service of the long-time teachers, bus drivers, food service employees, administrators and other individuals equals 1,267 years of cumulative experience. Noting that - and the 10, 20 or 30-plus years of service of each of the retires - Superintendent Peggy Connell told retirees that the first thing she had to say was "thank you" for their years of work dedicated to the children of Coweta County. "Whatever you wish for in your retirement, I hope it all happens ... you deserve it." "The next thing I want to say is 'come back,'" said Connell, noting that there were many avenues of working with school after retirement, including part-time positions and mentoring, among others. "Help us continue the tradition of excellent schools here in Coweta County." Connell called on retirees and noted their lengths of service, while Melville and Coweta County Board members Smith Pass, Allen Payton, Marihope Troutman, Mike Sumner and Brian Roy congratulated them. Pam Awbry, of the Coweta County School System, presented each with a silver tray recording their service. This year's retirees included Virginia Banks, Effie Beasley, Charlotte Brimer, Joyce Brown, Betty Jane Clayton, Marie Comte, Earl Coulter, Hattie Dunn, Pinky Elliott, Marilyn Favors, Terry Flanders, Barbara Gipson, Susan Harbin, Nancy Hardegree, Horace Willis Hawk, Gertha Hickman, Hazel Jackson, Cecilia Jensen, Jane Johnson, Marilyn Lamb, Sherrill Lee, Joan Lester, Janie Lore, Kathy Madden, Freida McGee, Linda McGee, Nancy McLain, Geneva McWhorter, Mary Wood Moor, Barbara Nivens, Suzan Odum, Margaret Orr, Elizabeth Perry, Andy Peryam, Janelle Pike, Johnsie Reeves, Jackie Rhea, Wilma Ann Smith, Neal Spurlin, Carol Starnes, Sara Storey, Eleanor Tanks, Nancy Tinsley, Menlia Trammell, Dale vonKohr, David White, Helen Williford, James Wilson, Alan Wood, Sylvia Yeager. Retirements are not always a loss of experience for the Coweta County School System. New state rules and funding allows for several educators to return in "49 percent" teaching positions - part-time teaching positions which allow them to draw retirement and still bring years of experience to the classroom. Of the Coweta County School System's 1,398 certified personnel, 512 have 15 or more years of experience, and 325 of those have 21 years or more experience in the classroom. Coweta County School System's personnel office expects between 150 to 200 teachers to attend new teachers orientation this August, as the school system prepares for the 2003-04 school year. "That's a lot of teachers, but it's actually smaller than last year. We had well over 200 last year. It's a function of being a big school system," said Chris Scott, Assistant Superintendent for School Services. Last school year, 149 certified teachers did not return to the classroom from one year to the next; this year, that number is 141. There are also fewer growth positions in the coming school year, because of last year's completion of smaller class sizes in grades K through 3, before next year's state mandated class-size reductions. Those factors will result in a slightly smaller new teacher's orientation class this year. "And that comes during a year when we had some unexpected issues like military call up we had to deal with." "10 percent turn-over is typical from year to year. That hasn't changed. What is better now is that we have state funding that allows several of those retiring teachers to return to the classroom without penalty, and that helps us retain that experience," he said.
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