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www.facebook.com/ocgnews Volume 19 Number 8
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july 15, 2013
FREE
Stonecrest ‘cityhood’ gains momentum, organizers push for feasibility study Atlanta launches free meals programs at 58 public schools By Mackenzie N. Morgan
More than 25,000 students in the Atlanta Public School System (APS) will eat meals for free this school year. The prerequisite? Enrollment at one of 58 schools selected for the Community Eligibility Option (CEO) meal reimbursement program. Under the Healthy, HungerFree Kids Act of 2010, participating elementary, middle and high schools will offer all students at the selected schools free breakfast, lunch and an after-school snack at no charge through the pilot program. “The CEO program will ensure that every child has access to free breakfast, lunch, and afterschool snacks every day,” said Dr. Marilyn Hughes, director of APS’ Nutrition Department. “Because the schools are located in communities with high levels of need, this program will enable us to provide healthy meals for student success.” APS spokesman Kimberly Willis Green said the district will feed 25,155 students this school year through the new program. Touted as a win-win for all, the program omits the traditional application process used to verify lowincome status and guarantees students at participating schools access to wholesome meals to support academic performance. By participating in the CEO program, APS will be able to save on administrative costs associated with distributing and processing meal applications, along with reducing paper consumption and printing costs at 58 of its 103 schools. According to the Georgia Department of Education, at least 60 percent of Georgia’s public school students receive free or reduced lunch each day. Nationally, more than 20 million students receive federallysubsidized lunches everyday. While the number of children signed up for reduced meals in Georgia has declined, enrollment in free meal programs continues to rise. Any school with 40 percent or more “identified students” can participate in CEO. Identified students include children who are directly certified for free meals because they live in households that participate in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), as well as children who are in foster care, enrolled in Head Start or classified as homeless, runaway, or migrant students. In addition to Georgia, CEO is available this school year in Florida, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia. The program will be available in all states at the start of the 2014-2015 school year.
Jason Lary
By Valerie J. Morgan
T
he Stonecrest City Alliance is close to raising the $30,000 needed for the staterequired feasibility study that would help determine if the Stonecrest area should become its own municipality. A packed crowd attended the Alliance’s July 9 community meeting and several people pitched in after hearing a presentation about the proposed City of Stonecrest. The study must be conducted to determine, among other things, the projected operating costs should residents in the area break away from DeKalb County to govern themselves. “That crowd was the largest that we’ve had so far. We raised $4,000 at that meeting, bringing the total
Photo by Glenn L. Morgan/OCG News
The audience listens intently to the presentation on Stonecrest cityhood. A Q&A followed the presentation.
we have brought in so far to $20,000,” said Jason Lary, who is leading the Alliance. Lary said the group must raise $10,000 more by the end of the month to pay for the study. The Carl Vinson Institute requires five to six months to conduct the study, which is slated to get under way at the end of July. The study must be completed by December in order for the proposal to go before the General Assembly in January 2014, Lary said. Earlier this year, State Rep. Ron Ramsey filed a “place holder” bill for the city of Stonecrest. He and
other state lawmakers plan to discuss six cityhood bills during the 2014 Legislative session. The bills to create new cities include Lakeside (SB 270); Tucker (HB 677); Briarcliff/North Druid Hills (HB 665); LaVista Hills (SB 275); the city of DeKalb (HB 687) and Stonecrest (SB 278). Since the creation of the city of Brookhaven, legislators are required to file a bill two years prior to holding a vote for cityhood. Lary said he and board members of the Alliance are optimistic the feasibility study will get done in time for the 2014 Legislative
session. Lary said he is not only encouraged by community feedback he has received so far, but by leaders outside of DeKalb. “Governor Deal expressed his pleasure of our self-determination to improve our quality of living and self-governance in Southeast DeKalb,” said Lary, who recently attended a luncheon where the governor was speaking. Oliver Porter, founding father of the city of Sandy Springs, attended Lary’s July meeting at the Stonecrest See Residents, page 5
Photos by Joshua Smith/OCG News
Reptile Wranglers take kids on wild library adventure in Conyers By Joshua Smith
CONYERS--The Nancy Guinn Memorial Library’s “Thrilling Thursday’s” summer reading series took a wild turn as library staff and families recently welcomed the father-son team, the “Reptile Wranglers,” Ken and Zack Panse. “The Dig Into Reading series has tried to bring a wide variety of shows this summer. The reptile wranglers definitely fit the criteria,” said Carolyn Cathey, Youth Services Department Manager. “These guys do 300 shows a year. We’re all happy and excited to see them perform.” The critters the wranglers brought with them were “Gary,” the Gecko; “Bruno,” the toad; “Timmy,” the turtle; “Sidney,” the bearded dragon; “Azteca,” the red tegu; and the
crowd favorite, “Sunny,” the albino reticulated python. Wrangler Ken made some children excited and some parents a little nervous as he let the toad jump around the library. Zack Panse even walked around the crowd sporting “Sidney” on his head like an extravagant hat. “We just love seeing the kids’ faces light up,” said Ken Panse. “We really enjoy answering the kids questions because those are priceless learning moments.” The library’s summer reading series, “Thrilling Thursday’s,” concludes on Thursday, July 18, 10:30 a.m. with “Lew-E” the clown and his “Educational Circus.” The library is located at 864 Green Street, S.W., Conyers. 770-388-5040. For more photos of the Reptile Wranglers’ visit, go to www.ocgnews.com or check out On Common Ground News Facebook page.