Wednesday, October 18, 2000
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Wednesday, October 18, 2000 |
| Brown proposes school
solution
By PAT NEWMAN
Political activist Steve Brown of Peachtree City believes he has a possible solution to addressing overcrowding in Fayette County's school system. Brown recently presented a draft of an ordinance to the Fayette County Commission which he believes will "realign education" and protect the county's quality of life. County staff members are currently studying the proposal and will bring more information to a future commission meeting. Brown cites lack of planning, particularly in rezoning matters, as the area needing attention. The creation of a multi-jurisdictional council is one way Brown believes officials can work together with the school system to create a balance. "We need to create a vision of what we want the county to look like," Brown told the commission. "I've run from four counties, and this is my fifth," he said, noting his gradual migration to the south metro area. The preamble for the Education First in Fayette ordinance "Encouraging the realignment of education and the protection of quality of life in our governing process." The policy reads as follows: "Whereas, Fayette county, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Fayetteville, Brooks acknowledge that a quality educational system is essential to sustaining and enhancing the quality of life of the residents of Fayette County; "Whereas, a quality educational system attracts quality, civic-minded residents and industry, increases home and property values and promotes local economy; "Whereas, a quality educational system encourages higher learning standards thus enabling our students to better perform academically and qualify for HOPE scholarships and all other such designated endowments from colleges and universities; "Whereas, school overcrowding, and the use of portable trailers, and the use of double sessions due to rezoning residential land to higher densities or rezoning from another zoning category to residential zoning, damages the quality of education; "Whereas, various methods of handling school overcrowding, such as double sessions, can have a negative impact on residents with children in the school system, and have a negative impact on juvenile crime, and have a negative impact on student participation in non-school recreational programs; "Whereas, Georgia law prohibits the use of impact fees on new homes as a source of funding the school system; "Whereas, the state funding mechanisms neither statistically nor monetarily recognize the increase in our student population that results from rezoning from rezoning residential land to higher densities or rezoning from another zoning category to residential zoning until after the students are enrolled in the school system, thus causing overcrowding; "Whereas, the Fayette County Board of Education cannot effectively generate accurate data on future student populations for the precise development of a five-year plan due to unforeseen student increases due to rezoning residential land to higher densities or rezoning from another zoning category to residential zoning; "Whereas, the Fayette County Board of Education could be forced to inform Fayette County new homeowners that if their potential new home was built in a development that resulted from rezoning residential land to higher densities or rezoning from another zoning category to residential zoning, that their school age children will be the first students to be bused to school sites outside their neighborhood's district, or will be the first students assigned to a split session school year in order to relieve school overcrowding; "Now, therefore, in order to protect our quality school system, thus preserving our quality of life the mayor and city council, county commission of Fayette County, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Fayetteville, Brooks adopt the following ordinance."
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