Lambeth honored by school board

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

The usual number of accolades, awards and special recognitions opened Monday night’s meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education, but for many in the group none was more special than the send-off given to retiring Huddleston Elementary School principal Linda Lambeth.

Lambeth, who began her career in Fayette County schools back in the day when Fayetteville’s Hood Avenue Elementary was brand new and state-of-the-art, clocked 33 years in elementary education, all of it at the elementary level. Her longest tenure was as principal at Huddleston, where Superintendent John DeCotis preceeded her in the 1980s.

In other business Monday, the board:

• Approved the appointment of Nancy Price as the business representative for Fayette County High School. As coordinator of the Fayetteville Main Street Association and manager of the Villages at LaFayette Amphitheater adjacent to the high school campus, DeCotis noted that there had already been a number of opportunities in which the school and venue had taken advantage of each other.

• Approved language in a resolution required by Georgia Department of Education officials relating to the disrict’s long-range facilities plan. Plant director Mike Satterfield said the resolution basically is the state’s way of ensuring they aren’t left out of the process.

• Approved the date of the “Board Institute” otherwise known as a restreat for Saturday, Jan. 31, at district offices. DeCotis said many school boards go off to hotels or remote locations for such regular meetings, but he didn’t see the need to spend that kind of money. The day-long planning session will start at 9 a.m.

Also Monday, the board was told that proceeding with an application to open a proposed charter high school for high academic achievers will be delayed at least a year due to budget constraints. Director Ed Steil said the curriculum plan is ready to go, but the money doesn’t exist. The proposed school would be housed at the LaFayette Educaitonal Center and offer course study in subjects that individual high schools don’t have enough interest in to justify.

Also, Construction Manager Klaus Darnell said detail work was coming along at Whitewater High and the foundation had been poured for the McIntosh High gym project. Work at Sandy Creek to correct traffic flow problems should be finished soon. With completion of Whitewater High for next fall, McIntosh and Sandy Creek will be the only schools in the county with active construction projects next year.