Friday, January 3, 2003
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Friday, January 3, 2003 |
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School system's decisions will impact for years By JOHN THOMPSON The biggest news in Fulton County Schools last year was something that will have an impact for many years. In March, Fulton County voters gave a resounding yes to extending a one percent sales tax to help fund capital projects for the school system. Voters approved the extension by a more than 2-1 margin. The results were a big win for the Fulton County School System, who plan to use the estimated $670 million over the next five years to renovate existing schools and build new ones. The school system has identified several projects that will be funded by the tax, including: Three new elementary schools. Four new middle schools. Three new high schools. Major additions at two elementary schools and one high school. Additional classroom capacity for 1,000 students. Renovations at existing schools. Debt reduction. The school system estimates more than 12,000 new students will stream into the county during the next five years. Later in the year, Fulton County parents learned their students scored their highest SAT scores ever last spring. The scores showed a six-point overall gain over 2001, marking the eighth consecutive year that Fulton's scores have increased. Fulton students scored a combined verbal and mathematics score of 1039, with the mathematics score rising six points to 528 and the verbal score of 511 remaining the same. Creekside High School, with a 38-point increase, reported the highest score increase among south Fulton schools. Creekside's scores were 431 for the verbal portion and 444 on math for a composite 875.
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