Wednesday, May 23, 2001

Will it be a little too late, or is the Fayette County Board of Education confused, or perhaps they are just muddling along as usual?

The problem of overcrowding at the schools was solved by the citizens of Fayette County last November when they voted yes to the $65 million building program. The only problem now is the muddling of the BOE.

The citizens voted yes to the construction of new schools to properly educate their children. We voted no to overcrowding, no to busing, no to redrawing lines and especially no to trailer park encampment centers to educate our children. By the way, who has the trailer contract?

If the BOE is determined to do it right, three elementary schools should be ready to open in the fall of 2002, along with a new high school to offset the current and future overcrowding happening at three of the high schools.

If the new high school is built to educate just ninth and tenth graders in its first year, it would be a better plan than stock-piling the students in the unwanted LaFayette Center until 2004.

BOEs in neighboring counties open schools with just ninth and tenth graders with great success; it is the educationally sound thing to do.

Fayette County is growing faster than you believe; the BOE enrollment numbers were 500 short for the beginning of the 2000 school year. Will they guess 500 short for 2001? What about 2002?

Numbers don't lie. So, we ask the BOE, what are you doing with our tax dollars?

Certainly not solving the overcrowding problem.

Jim Tarpey

jimmt@peoplepc.com

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