 Background information

 Age – 63
 Occupation - retired educator (currently full-time
baby sitter for grandchildren). Retired educator with
thirty-two (32) years of experience. Taught ten (10)
years at elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Administrative career: Effingham County High
School assistant principal, Director of the Alternative
School and Superintendent’s Designee for Board
Discipline, and principal at Effingham County and
Ebenezer Middle Schools.
 Education. Graduate of Effingham County High
School; undergraduate degree from Newberry
College, Newberry, SC in Political Science; Master’s
degree in Education - Social Sciences and
Administration from Georgia Southern; Education
Specialist Degree in Administration from Georgia
Southern.
 Family. Husband – Jimmy Helmly (40 years). Two
married children: Katie (daughter) and Kenny
Whitten. Their children, Lucas and Joshua Whitten;
Kari and J.C. (son) Helmly – their child, Henry and
expecting a daughter in July.
 Community. Life-long Lutheran. Charter member of
Bible Lutheran Church in Rincon. Meals on Wheels
 Program – deliver meals weekly. Board of
Education member. ECHS FFA Alumni Association.
2. Accomplishments (these are in no particular order and
certainly not all)
 Increased teachers/academic
coaches/administrators and support personnel
(school and BOE level) as money became available
to reduce class sizes and deal with increase in
population, as well as provide support to the
schools.
 Built STEM Academy
 New Rincon Elementary (move in date 2018-2019
school year)
 Safety vestibules at all elementary schools last year
and will add the middle and high schools this
summer
 Purchased new buses every year to keep bus fleet
current and authorized monies to air condition buses
 2018-2019 budget also has money for additional
resource officers at the high schools
 System consistently performs at a high level on
CCRPI scores (top 15% of districts in the state of
Georgia)
 Certified and non-certified raises and/or bonuses for
school personnel – 2015-2018
 Increased percentage of employers contribution
every year to Teacher’s Retirement System (TRS) –
2014-2018
  Increased amount of employer’s contribution to
health insurance – 2016-2018
3. Important matters facing the school board in the next
four years
 Continue to work to prepare our students to be
productive and good citizens
 School safety and continuing to provide a safe
learning environment for our children and staff
 Population growth. Our enrollment projection for
FY 2018 is 11,522 – by FY 2022 it is projected to be
12,090
 Expanding our current vocational education
programs and developing more partnerships with
businesses in our area
 Building another middle school
 Retaining teachers. Effingham County has a good
reputation and we are fortunate to have many
qualified people apply to work in our county. As the
pressures of teaching increase (testing, safety,
classroom discipline, etc.), making sure we give
support to our staff to keep good teachers in the
profession.
 As always, maintaining a sound fiscal policy – it
takes taxpayer money to run the system. Staying on
top of expenses to insure money is spent wisely.