Toughest job in the world getting harder in Alabama.
The situation is not a good one. According to Dr. Wesley Hill, Demopolis City School Superintendent, at least 6 school employees will lose their jobs by the beginning of next school year. The layoffs are due to cutbacks in state educational funding. The number of teachers that could lose their job may reach 14. Hill stated that cafeteria, custodial, secretarial and teacher aides may be considered for elimination. It’s becoming alarmingly clear the educational system in Alabama is in real trouble. I keep remembering comments made by former Governor Don Siegelman regarding Bob Riley’s “plan” for Alabama: “Not a dime for education.” So far, that statement seems to be true. Though Don’s answer, the “education lottery”, may have been the worse way to correct it, at least he recognized the need for money in our schools now. I hope this is a one-time cut, and our Governor has a course of action in place that will ensure growth in educational funding in the not so distant future. This, above everything else, is our state’s first priority.
Nabors talks of red ink, and continues to hire.
If all goes well, general surgeon Dr. Fernando Alegria will move from Minnesota to work for Bryan Whitfield Hospital. Dr.’s Jeff Brown of Eutaw and Lester Littell of Selma are in negotiations to open offices in the hospital for part-time work. Additional personnel, imported from the Philippines, have been hired for the lab; which just implemented “around the clock” service. Amongst all this was Nabors announcement that the hospital continues to operate in the red. The hospital total operating expenses exceed its total operating revenue by $591, 187. He credits this, as always, to uncompensated care totaling $914,794; which is splint evenly between bad debt and charity (indigent) care. Though not stated at this particular meeting, Nabors has always stated most, if not all of bad debt eventually gets turned into indigent care debt. With the nurses unhappy with pay and working conditions, the hospital may need a new color for the ink used to print the budget.
Points of interest… - Tuesday, April 1st, Demopolis leaders want the public’s input on how the city should progress in the next 3 years. A town meeting is to take place at the Demopolis Civic Center at 5:15 p.m. Mayor Caldwell really wants everyone’s input regarding the future of Demopolis…..APRIL FOOLS!!!------ For starters, how about we get a mayor that didn’t graduate from high school in the 40’s.
- Spring sorts at Demopolis Schools haven’t had the fan support their winter counterparts enjoyed. Nobody would argue I don’t believe the football team would not have gone undefeated without the tremendous community support they received all season. Our baseball and softball teams deserve the same support. Check the sports forum for team updates and schedules.
- Finally….As I was driving home from work this morning,(around 6:30 a.m.) there was a tractor-trailer bed on the side of 43 with a sign that said “Litter Crew Ahead”. Sure enough, about half a mile further there’s about 5 men or so on each side of the highway picking up trash. I’ve never noticed the trailer or workers before, so I’m not sure if this has always gone on. When I went to pick up my daughter from school this afternoon, I made a point to look on the sides of the road to see what kind of job they had done. I have to say they did an EXCELLENT job. I don’t remember driving down 43 and not being able to spot one piece of trash. To those guys out early on trash detail, I salute you. Whatever your being paid, it’s surely not enough.
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