Lamar Thames

Sorry I haven’t a lot written lately, but I just have been too busy. I hope you will forgive me.

I know; I know. How can a supposedly “retired” person be too busy to write a column at least once a week? Let me count the ways.

1. At least two days a week, my wife and I are the designated sitters for three of our grandchildren as our daughter works at night. Since I am not currently working that means I cook dinner for all five of us. Of course, I am in charge of dinner for my wife and I two or three other days of the week, too, but the meals for the grandchildren are extra challenging trying to find the proper combination of healthy foods that all of us will eat. Since I am still not very good at meal preparation, it takes me longer  (A LOT LONGER) than most people to, a. choose a menu; b. buy the groceries; and  c. actually do the cooking. Time allotment: four hours, or one day a week. (Retirees don’t work eight-hour days, remember.)

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Proposals to trim the Clay County, Fla., school budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 could cause wholesale disruption of both the educational and extracurricular programs in the district, including athletics.

Superintendent Ben Wortham presented School Board members and a room full of concerned educators a list of proposed cuts that would reduce expenses by more than $27 million in the coming school year.

Included in those proposals:

• a saving of $11 million by eliminating up to 256 allocations district wide
• 3 percent salary cuts to save $5 million
• eliminate all school supplements at a savings of $3 million Read the rest of this entry »