Wednesday, October 24, 2001
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Wednesday, October 24, 2001 |
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Charter school in the works for Fayette A new school currently in the planning stages is slated to provide Fayette students and residents with a broader range of educational opportunities aimed at enhancing the economic development of the county. The Fayette County Board of Education has just received a $5,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Education to explore the possibilities of establishing a charter school, which will be dedicated to the vision of ensuring a viable work force for the 21st century based on targeted needs within the Fayette community. Operating as a separate entity under the Board of Education, the school's purpose would be to form partnerships with parents, educational, business, industrial and governmental agencies that will enhance the county's economic development. "The mission of the LEC [Lafayette Educational Center] is to develop, implement and offer innovative learning opportunities to our students and citizens of Fayette County," Superintendent John DeCotis told a group of business leaders during a recent informational meeting on the proposed charter school. The current LEC (the former Fayette County High School) houses the evening, alternative and community schools. Under the charter, the alternative and community schools would remain at the LEC as tenants of the charter school. Evening high school programs would be expanded to incorporate the new charter options. One of the focuses of the charter school is to bring additional technological training opportunities to students and residents. During a presentation made to business leaders, youth apprentice coordinator Patrick Sennett reported that 65 percent of today's work force requires skills beyond the secondary level. "I know of people, my son included, who had to go to a technical school after college to get needed skills in order to get a job," assistant Superintendent Stuart Bennett said. Courses currently housed at some of the county's high schools have the potential to be offered by the charter school. These courses include graphic arts, construction, CISCO systems and health occupations. Students in grades 10-12 throughout the Fayette County School System will be eligible to attend the charter school while enrolled at their parent high schools. The charter also allows for the development of new courses such as culinary arts and CAD (computer-aided design). Several advanced placement classes will be considered for the charter. "We can consolidate low enrollment courses and have enough students for one or two classes, whereas right now we cannot get enough people at one school to make a class," Sennett said. A partnership is in the works with Griffin Technical College and Gordon College to offer core courses for their degree programs. Dual credit courses already planned for Griffin Tech include computer concepts, anatomy and physiology, introduction to psychology, networking concepts, introduction to criminal justice and introduction to microcomputers. Plans are for the charter school to begin initial offerings in the beginning of the 2002-2003 academic year. School officials emphasize that in order for the charter school to get off the ground and become successful, input from the business community is needed. "We have just put together the concept but nothing is carved in stone. We need to hear from you about what type of skills you need your employees need to have in order for this school to be a success," Bennett told business leaders. A job performance needs assessment has been distributed to businesses within the county. The assessment is designed to help the school system pinpoint problem areas employers experience with new hires in entry-level positions. It will also help to indicate certain skills that employees need to possess in order to perform satisfactorily on the job. The school system is asking that all businesses in the county participate in helping to shape the curriculum offered at the charter school. For information phone Patrick Sennett, 770-460-3990, extension 170.
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