Wednesday, October 4, 2000
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Wednesday, October 4, 2000 |
| Group forms to push
school bonds
By PAT NEWMAN The Community Coalition for Fayette Schools, a political action committee co-chaired by Fayetteville residents Sam Burch and Trina Berry, has formed to educate the community on the $66 million bond issue for new school construction on the Nov. 7 General Election ballot. Burch, who is an appraiser and 1976 Fayette County High School graduate, said the group, which currently numbers about 15 volunteers, will be addressing civic organizations, senior citizen groups and retired teachers about the overcrowding issue facing the school system. If the 10-year bond referendum is passed, the Fayette County Board of Education will build three new elementary schools, a new high school and make renovations at older existing schools. Berry has served for years as an active participant in local parent teacher and student oriented organizations. "Our school system has grown at an annual rate of 500 to 700 students per year the equivalent of one elementary school per year," Berry said. "Schools in most parts of the county are becoming overcrowded and the board has been forced to buy trailers to absorb the overflow from the classrooms. In addition to these pressures, the governor and state legislature have mandated a program to reduce classroom sizes throughout Georgia, and this will also have an effect on the facility needs of our school system in the very near future." The proposed bond issue is the end result of months of community roundtable discussions and the findings of the board-appointed Facilities Use Committee, which came up with the recommendation for a bond. Previous efforts, as late as last September, to deal with the issue of providing additional space in the schools through a special local option sales tax were defeated. "We find support for both the five-year facilities plan and the bond referendum to be very high within the community. Many people credit the school system for actively seeking the community's input, and for offering solutions that directly responded to major concerns many people expressed," Burch said. The coalition also plans to put together a brochure highlighting the need for bond passage and hopes to get some financial support as well. "We're also trying to get support from the municipalities in the form of a resolution in support of the bond," Burch added. One thing that concerns the coalition is the placement of the bond question on the two-page General Election ballot. "It's the last question on page two. Voters are going to have to stick with the ballot," Burch said. Not one to attract personal publicity, Burch added, "My children and Trina's children are almost grown. But we feel a debt to the parents and grandparents, the teachers and citizens who worked so hard for so many years to build a superb school system for our children. And we feel a sense of responsibility to the youngsters who come after them. We can't drop the ball on their educational opportunities and their future." Civic club leaders that would like to a schedule a speaker from the coalition are asked to phone 770-632-9260. Additional information about the bond referendum and the five-year facilities plan for the school system is available at the Fayette County Board of Education's web site, www.fcboe.org. The Community Coalition for Fayette Schools is registered with the Georgia Secretary of State's Office. Contributions can be forwarded to Community Coalition for Fayette Schools c/o 125 Merlin Court, Fayetteville 30214.
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