Vowing to work with the Governor on education reform, the Coweta County Board of Education passed its largest school budgetTuesday night.

The $135 million budget features $98.6 million in general fund expenditures, along with nearly $20 million in capital projects. Six jobs in the Coweta County School System's central office are being slashed as a result of Gov. Roy Barnes' A Plus Education Reform Act of 2000.

“The governor wants more emphasis put on the individual schools and that's what we intend to do,” Superintendent of Schools Bob Brooks said.

The system also plans to transfer an undetermined number of people in the central office back into the schools, Brooks added.

Jobs being cut at the central office include Director of Operations and Public Information Officer.

Several systems are grappling with funding issues under the Education Reform Act and many systems are contemplating cutting a number of their para-professionals. But so far, Coweta's para-pros are safe.

“We're probably going to have to reevaluate this in the summer and see if all the figures turn out like we hope,” the superintendent said.

“We're going to have several new teachers this year, along with construction costs stemming from building a new elementary school,” Brooks said.

All system employees will receive a 3-percent pay raise and Brooks said the difficulty in this year's budget process has been waiting for final passage of the Education Reform Act to see how local systems would fare.

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