One of the questions I frequently get about the bond is, "Why don't you use the money you have?" Here is a pie graph of our 2022/23 school budget. This breakdown is very similar to districts statewide. The vast majority of a school district's expenses go towards staff (wages, benefits, retirement, etc.). And that is as it should be. You want to put your money towards your people.
The rest of the money then has to be divided up between transportation, athletics, supplies, technology and maintenance. In the pie chart, the ESSER funds were spent on the HVAC project at Williams last year so that is not in this year’s budget. Those monies are gone. The safety and security money must go towards safety and security and is temporary. Our maintenance budget which is around 3% of our total budget goes towards utilities, grounds, maintenance and custodial supplies, water, trash, and repair/purchased services. The repair/purchased services portion is what we have to work with for major projects. In times of an emergency, we can dip into our fund balance if we need to.
So why not just keep setting money aside? The district does and has. However, any money you are saving for the future is money we can't use for the needs of today. Our facilities director (Tom) has done a great job of repairing what we can but he is limited by our budget, the size of the project, and facilities that are just past their useful life.
These are some photos that show the state of our bleachers at the football field. The larger hole was a result of someone’s foot going through it to no fault of their own. Another is an image of a board that prevents items from falling below the bleachers that have fallen off. The bleachers are rotting. Not due to neglect but time. We can, and have, replace(d) boards. None of the complex is ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant. There is no, real, handicap parking at the field. There is no handicapped seating. There are no sidewalks which makes it difficult for our seniors and disabled to navigate to the bleachers. There is no locker room for our kids. They use the transportation garage and the visiting team goes back on their bus.
This 0 mill proposal provides new bleachers for both sides. The bleachers will have railing and the steps grip. The bond provides real handicapped parking. It provides sidewalks. It provides a multipurpose building that can house concessions, restrooms, storage, and locker rooms. It also provides new lighting for the stadium.
Remember, the majority of the bond is going towards school buildings in the form of safety and security, updated furniture and instructional technology, and repairs/renovations. However, our athletic complexes are also facilities. The football field is around 75 years old, possibly older. These are used by the entire community. Go to jonesvilleschools.org for more information. Go Comets!
Recent Jonesville High School graduate, Hannah Spencer, a current freshman at the University of Alabama Honors college, has earned a spot on the Crimson Tide Women’s Division I rowing team.
According to Hannah, “This has been a great experience and I’m loving the opportunity that University of Alabama has given me but also remember the support from my community back home. My years in competitive cheer helped to physically prepare me and band helped provide leadership skills that have been useful in my experience.”
Hannah, as a valedictorian for the class of 2023, understands the importance of taking her coursework seriously and has expressed how well her AP courses, as well as her economics class, at JHS have prepared her for the college workload. She is maintaining strong grades, in addition to a part-time job and working out with her team six days per week. Hannah is double majoring in Political Science and History with a minor in Russian.
There is still a lot of hard work to put in between now and spring season, and Hannah is learning about what it means to be an NCAA division 1 athlete but she’s proven that she is up for the challenge.
There is still heavy competition to earn a spot on the varsity team, and it will be an ongoing process for the next few months but with how much she is loving her coaches, her teammates, and the sport, she is excited to see where this takes her.
She will be competing in UA’s fall regatta on the Black Warrior river in Tuscaloosa on October 28.
Go Comets & Row tide
These are the boilers at Jonesville Middle School. They are over 20 years old and are nearing end of life. This is one of the projects the committee felt should be addressed. We replaced the boilers at Williams Elementary school last year and we have seen reduced usage as a result. Boilers are much more energy efficient now.
Please read for some bond FAQ's
These are our Pathways students who went on a "talent tour" at Aertech! The students learned a lot about manufacturing parts for the aerospace industry and what a job there would look like. The kids represented the school well. Aertech were very generous hosts!
This is one of the restrooms in the middle school. The restrooms have decades and decades of use and need to be renovated. This will improve the accessibility of the restrooms and the appearance which are showing their age. It was also an item the student committee I met with said needed to be done.
One thing to remember when looking at the replacement of equipment is the volume of use these facilities get every day. They get a tremendous amount of use every day. Now add that up over the decades.
Another point of pride! Please see attached images. Jenna Stanton is a recent graduate from JCS. This is an update she provided on how things are going for her. What I love about this is that she said the position was something she always wanted. And what did she do? She went out and got it. She stayed focused and put in the work. JCS is proud of this Comet in D.C.!
This is one of the restrooms in the middle school. The restrooms have decades and decades of use and need to be renovated. This will improve the accessibility of the restrooms and appearance which are showing their age. It was also an item the student committee I met with said needed to be done.
One thing to remember when looking at these replacements of equipment is the volume of use these facilities get every day. Now add that up over the decades. They have held up well, but they are in need of renovation.
There are people that have questions about the ESSER funds. Here is a short answer. Go Comets!
Remember, tomorrow I will be offering a tour of the facilities and projects that we are looking to replace/renovate. It will begin at 10:00 a.m. and we will be meeting at the high school library. Hope to see you then!
Another point of pride! Please see attached images. Jenna Stanton is a recent graduate from JCS. This is an update she provided on how things are going for her. What I love about this is that she said the position was something she always wanted. And what did she do? She went out and got it. She stayed focused and put in the work. JCS is proud of this Comet in D.C.!
Good morning! I'm sending out a reminder that I will be giving a tour on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. to show what projects are on the bond proposal. I will be able to answer any questions you have. We will meet at the high school library. Hope to see you then!
Fund balance questions answered!
This is the Jonesville High School chiller. It provides air conditioning throughout the building. It's the only school building that has air conditioning throughout it. It is the original unit. We had to have it serviced recently and we learned that the compressor and the control board are no longer manufactured. Additionally, the filter has to be replaced and the refrigerant it uses is being phased out.
The committee felt this was important to replace as the high school serves many functions aside from academic and athletic. We host other community events here as well.
I need to make a correction about the bond Q&A for tomorrow, Tuesday, October 3rd. Someone pointed out that the high school will be running multiple games, so I am moving the Q&A to the elementary library. It will still be at 5:30 just at the elementary library now. Hope to see you tomorrow! Go Comets!
Please read attached for an update and some great news!
The lockers were selected due to their age, functionability, and wear and tear. The current lockers are too narrow for today's student. They receive heavy use and are falling into disrepair. The committee felt that replacing these with more current lockers was important for students and building. This will also brighten up a heavily trafficked area.
The lockers were selected due to their age, functionability, and wear and tear. The current lockers are too narrow for today's student. They receive heavy use and are falling into disrepair. The committee felt that replacing these with more current lockers was important for students and building. This will also brighten up a heavily trafficked area.
I (Superintendent Weatherwax), will be holding a bond FAQ at Jonesville High School next Tuesday, October 3rd at 5:30. All are welcome to come and ask the questions they have about this very important bond. Hope to see you there! Go Comets!!!