Wayd Battle to Appear on WJLE’s “Jammin’ at the 428” Today (Friday)

January 10, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The featured guest on today’s edition of WJLE’s “Jammin’ at the 428” is singer/songwriter Wayd Battle.

The program will air at 8:30 a.m. following the “Old Time Country Community Radio Show”

Jim Hicks, the host of the show, will interview Battle and feature some of his music.

“This to me was the most inspirational guest I have ever had the privilege having on our show. Today many families are affected by the problem of drugs and alcohol. Such was the case with Wayd and I want to thank him for having the courage and strength to talk about the problems that he has battled. Wayd is also a great singer and songwriter and I was blessed to have him on the show. I know the listeners will enjoy this show and if it can help just one person, we can say job well done,” said Hicks.

(To hear this show click the link below or click the dropdown box under the “Community” section of the WJLE homepage near the top and look for “Jammin’ at the 428”)

Jammin at the 428 January 10

Meanwhile, if you are a local artist, Hicks would like to possibly schedule you on the show.

“We are always looking for people who have recorded their own music to come and do a show with us. Please call at 615-215-9090 or stop by the studio on East Broad Street and talk with Rick Scruggs. We would love to have you on the show,” said Hicks.

January 9, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The Winter edition of Reeling in the Years will air Saturday night on WJLE. In addition to the pop hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s, this program will also feature top songs from various years for the week of/nearest January 11. The program hosts are former WJLE announcers Dennis Stanley and Shawn Jacobs. Be listening Saturday night from 6 to 10 p.m. for another edition of Reeling in the Years.

January 9, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

A long-time and respected educator is speaking out against the Board of Education’s last building plan, primarily because it would replace DeKalb Middle School, be a return to an out-dated education model and would harm high school athletics.

Mike Braswell, who spent many years teaching and coaching at DeKalb Middle School, is troubled that the Board of Education wants to eliminate the middle school by building two new schools for pre-kindergarten to 8th grade in the Smithville area and to convert the existing Northside Elementary to a pre-K to 8th grade school. Such a move would give the district a total of four pre-K to 8th grade schools including DeKalb West and would replace the existing Smithville Elementary and DeKalb Middle Schools.

Braswell questions the wisdom in this move calling it a return to an “archaic education system”. He said educators discovered years ago that for the most part it is not to the student’s advantage for early grade students to attend school with upper grade students.

“No leading school systems around are building pre-K through 8 schools. Even Smith County, who for the longest held on to the community schools concept, recently built a new middle school to serve Carthage,” said Braswell.

“I went to elementary school in Smithville in the 1950’s to a grade 1-8 school. There were several community schools in the county, all for grades 1-8. The school board was in the process of eliminating these community schools as inefficient and not educationally sound with one or two teachers handling all grades. It was twenty years later that all these schools changed or were eliminated with the building of DeKalb Middle School. It took that long for our county to get in line with the leading school systems in the state and agree that it was not to the student’s advantage for early grade students to attend school with upper grade students. Moreover, the middle school concept helped transition students better to the high school level,” said Braswell.

Although DeKalb West School has proven to be a success as a Pre-K to 8 grade school, Braswell said the situation there is unique.

“West is a regional school for the western part of DeKalb County that has a family atmosphere. That would not be the case for three similar schools in Smithville. We would be dividing the loyalties of families in one small town and create divisions instead of cooperation. Besides, the problems associated with zoning for three schools would present almost impossible challenges to meet and be fair,” said Braswell.

Athletics would also suffer, according to Braswell.

“As a former coach in our county, I think eliminating middle school sports teams would be devastating to DeKalb County High School athletics. Looking at this year’s DMS boys basketball team as an example, the Saints have a good team that is barely competitive with surrounding schools. Divide their team into three schools and no coach could produce a competitive team. And that doesn’t address the problems of competing in baseball, softball, soccer, and other team sports. It is my opinion that DCHS sports teams would suffer tremendously. I realize that I am biased. I was on the original DeKalb Middle School faculty and was the original coach of the boy’s basketball and football teams but I think the Middle School has been a huge success. I hate to see our school system travel back fifty years to an archaic division of schools, ” Braswell continued.

As for a new high school, Braswell said there is already a need for a new one and implementing this new pre-K though 8 grade proposal could delay that for years.

It’s been a month now since the Board of Education opted for this plan over a previous proposal for a new pre-K to 2nd grade school but so far the board has not formally presented the request to the county commission, which would have to provide funding.

Without any hard numbers, the board is relying on its architects’ latest estimates for construction which puts the new 2 school project at a minimum of $48,685,000 (not counting the total renovation which would be needed at Northside Elementary) and it does not include the purchase of land. Some say the overall costs of this plan would be exceedingly more than $48 million.

“The major reason for the proposed building plan I was told is to save money. I’m not informed enough to argue that point, but adding an extra school to the system is going to add tremendously to the staffing and operation of an extra school. Such a building plan now would probably eliminate the building of a new high school for years to come. DeKalb County needs a new high school as the flagship school of our county. The facility we have now is inefficient and dated and the football complex is an embarrassment for a modern- day campus,” said Braswell.

“The Board of Education hired a Director of Schools that is trained to be a leader on the operation of schools. Why not use the plan proposed by our education professionals and leaders and support their plan based on education needs and solutions instead of always trying to find the cheapest way out?. Put the children ahead of the money,” he said.

Fifteen months ago the Board of Education was sold on building a new pre-kindergarten to 2nd grade school to replace Smithville Elementary School and voted in October, 2018 to seek funding from the county commission for this building model once a suitable site was found. In March the school board got its first look at the schematic design, site plan, and floor plan for the proposed new Smithville Elementary School. Architects of Upland Design Group met with the board to review four site plan options for a new 109,000 square foot school with a student capacity of 800 for pre-kindergarten to second grade. All four options were laid out for new school construction on the same campus as Northside Elementary School. Six months later in September the school board considered four other locations for the possible future home of the new elementary school after advertising for property owners to answer a “Request for Proposal” if they were willing to sell from 25 to 100 acres. Four proposals were submitted for consideration. But by December, the school board had a change of heart. During a special meeting the Board voted 6-1 to scrap the plan for a Pre-K to 2nd grade school and recommend to the county commission funding two new Pre-K through 8th grade schools in the Smithville area and a renovation of Northside Elementary School to make it a Pre-K to 8th grade facility. That would give the district a total of four Pre-K to 8th grade schools including DeKalb West but it would require a zoning of the county meaning students would have had to attend the elementary school within the zone where they reside.