Kingsport Times-News from Kingsport, Tennessee • 13

'V 3 i rr 5 lx-' Wednesday March 1 1991 I Kingsport Times-News 2B SCEA: Teachers need fixed access to board agenda Museum pleads to get state funding 1' 'V By ALAN WESTON Nashville Bureau By LISA ELDRETH Times-News Education Writer 1 6 Teachers are vitally important and would like to have a voice and be able to present their concerns to the school board Sam Rasnake spokesman for SCEA Tlmct-Newft phots Erl Carter 6 If the SCEA wants to be heard they can use the audience participation forum John O'Dell personnel director Literary watering hole? Recent heavy rains left a construction area behind the Kingsport library looking like a swimming pool this week The work is part of a renovation and expansion project at the library Ground was broken on the $27 million renovation in January and the project is expected to be under construction about 15 months Nashville the lone exception largest cities lose population Associated Press Northeast Tennessee who complained about a lack of services and a lack of input with the state Department of Human Services in deciding on grants to provide services Ed Steele said they wanted the First Tennessee Human Resource Agency to get the state grant to provide services to the hearing impaired and not the Bristol Regional Rehabilitation Center which was selected Rep Jim Holcomb R-Bris-tol noted that controversy over the services provided had gone on for several months and the previous service provider gave up its contract because had enough of the Holcomb indicated Northeast Tennessee stands the risk of losing future state funding as the controversy continues and he urged Steele and the others to examine the Bristol plan for service delivery before opposing it going to take a lot of cooperation on part to ensure the state will maintain funds in our Holcomb advised Rep Zane Whitson R-Unicoi Northeast Tennessee caucus chairman held a hearing in Johnson City last week in which hearing-impaired individuals discussed in detail many of the concerns expressed briefly at meeting Whitson said the message he has received is that the hearing-impaired want a say in establishing the programs which serve them the hearing community running their said Whitson Also at caucus meeting the Nortneast Tennessee lawmakers were updated on the progress being made on the regional market I i NASHVILLE Northeast Tennessee state legislators heard appeals for support Tuesday for the Hands On! Museum in Johnson City and for hearing-impaired people in Northeast Tennessee At a special meeting of the Northeast Tennessee legislative caucus Nan Miller executive director of Hands On! asked the lawmakers for their help in getting $75000 for the museum in the next budget Miller noted that Hands On! had joined a coalition of three other museums in Tennessee and would be funded by the state using a formula developed for the coalition However because the Johnson City museum only joined the coalition recently funding for Hands On! may not be included in the upcoming budget she said: If not in the budget Northeast Tennessee legislators would try to amend the funding for Hands On! into the budget Money for the museum has been provided through budget amendments previously (including $65000 in the current budget) going to be tougher this cautioned Rep Charles Allen Jr R-Johnson City In asking for support Miller told the legislators Hands On! had just experienced a year with attendance soaring to 111077 in 1990 She reported that the mu-sueum earned 70 percent of its revenues (through admissions gift shop sales and other means) but still badly needs the state assistance The legislators also heard from a group of hearing-impaired individuals from BLOUNTVILLE Whether the Sullivan County Education Association should have a permanent place on the agenda of each school board meeting was the hot topic of discussion Tuesday during contract negotiations are vitally important and would like to have a voice and be able to present their concerns to the school said Sam Ras-nake chief spokesman for the negotiating team While waiting for action on state reform plans the school board is delaying money matters and are focusing on other articles in the teacher contract said spokesman John personnel director The SCEA has proposed a $71 million plan to equalize salaries with Kingsport teachers going to wait at least a little while longer on said Tuesday the board proposed a counter to the proposal on association rights But it did not include the new language entered by the teachers regarding their request to be placed on the board agenda feel like for board said the SCEA wants to be heard they can use the audience participation problem we have with that is basically after been said and Rasnake said referring to the audience participation segment of the meeting that is conducted prior to adjournment consider what SCEA does as school-related Though not all Sullivan County teachers are members of the association the SCEA acts as the collective bargaining agent for all teachers even non-members Rasnake said Ever since the SCEA presented its contract proposal last month said school officials have had with various parts of it not only the salary proposal The one sentence added by-the SCEA regarding placement on the board agenda was the sticking of the entire article on association rights said have a real problem Borrowing a term used by last week Rasnake said seems reached a However after hours of sep- arate discussions by the nego- tiating teams and some give-and-take the SCEA withdrew the request wanted to make our point and I think we Rasnake said Unlike the last couple of years the SCEA has proposed an entire new three-year contract to be negotiated Both sides agree it may take several months before a contract can be agreed upon percent by Sumner to 103281 20 percent by Montgomery to 100498 and 39 percent by Williamson to 81021 population dropped 35833 less than a percentage point population dropped 9924 and declined 17048 Among other top 10 cities all but Jackson reported population gains population jumped almost 25 percent to 60561 37 percent to 44922 and 45 percent to 32393 population fell by 309 to 48949 Shelby remains the largest county with a population of 826330 a gain of less than a percentage point over 10 years ago Knox County gained slightly to 335749 and Hamilton County fell by 2007 to 285636 In the Knoxville area the population of Blount County increased by 8179 to 85949 NASHVILLE In the Cities area the population of Sullivan county fell by 372 to 143596 and the population of Washington County increased by 3560 to 92315 according to Census Bureau figures released Tuesday Northeast Tennessee cities registered sizable jumps in population with Johnson count going up 13 percent to 49381 and a similar 13 percent to 36365' However the story is very different in the major population centers Metropolitan Nashville-Da-vidson County was the only major Tennessee city to gain population during the last decade Memphis Knoxville and Chattanooga all reported population declines but Memphis remains the largest city with a population of 610337 The Census Bureau delivered the final 1990 census figures to Gov Ned McWherter and the state Legislature On Tuesday The figures will be used by the legislature to carve out new congressional and legislative districts Nashville and adjacent counties reflected the largest growth The population of Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County increased by 12 percent to 510784 Figures for surrounding Rutherford Sumner Montgomery and Williamson counties all showed even larger percentage gains population jumped from 84058 in 1980 to 118570 in 1990 a gain of 41 percent Other increases were 20 Home burned Sequatchie County couple missing Associated Press EAIMFX Sheriff Joe May but deputies could find no sign of the couple or their car obvious a set said District Attorney General Bill JPope although he added it is too early to tell just what happened at the home May said the couple was known to keep money from the store at the house think they were abducted here I think they met somebody at the door the sheriff said Authorities said a state fire mobile lab was scheduled to be at the scene today and a state helicopter planned to search the surrounding mountains LEWIS CHAPEL Tenn State investigators hope the charred interior of a Lewis Chapel Mountain home will provide clues to the fate of a missing Sequatchie County couple Clarence Harvey 57 and his wife Mattie Harvey believed to be about 54 were last seen Sunday Family members became worried and called police when the store the Harveys operated next to the house did not open as usual Monday morning The interior of the house had been gutted by fire said Save an i I i 4 f- i I off the lowest ticketed price on Resort Spring Fashions Begin Again at ETSU INVEST IN YOURSELF You Can Do It! Come and Learn How! Suggested Retail Pants skirts jsr' Sweaters Jackets NOW I Pants $1680 Starts $2000 Sweaters $2160 Jackets $4240 Savings of 45-60 £SuggestedRetaprL HOW to make a career decision HOW to get financial aid HOW to "brush up" on math and English HOW to select a major HOW to get admitted and register for the classes that would be right for you WHERE: DP Culp University Center Auditorium WHEN: Saturday March 16 1991 TIME: 9 am (Registration: 8:45) COST: FREE! Tkitu SuvdAy! To reserve a spot calf (615) 929-5623 Kingsport Mall East Stone Dr Hwy 1 1 Kingsport TN M-W 10-6 Th A Fr 10-9 Sat 10-6 Sun 1-6 Carolina Pottery Outlet Center 354 Shadowtown Road Blountvilla TN Mon -Sat 10-7 Sun 1-6 ETSU East Tennessee State University Center for Adult Programs Services Box 20620A EcrnsLUnivily Johnson City Tennessee 37614-0002 i.