Friday, January 2, 2004
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Friday, January 2, 2004 |
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Coweta schools face growth challenges By JOHN THOMPSON In 2003, the Coweta County School System faced a number of challenges with growing enrollment and looking at innovative programs. After conducting a secret ballot vote in January, Rick Melville was elected chairman of the Coweta County School Board. The use of the secret ballot for electing officers may have violated the spirit of Georgia’s Open Meetings Law, said Georgia First Amendment Foundation director Hollie Manheimer. “It certainly smacks of limiting access to the public,” Manheimer said. She was unaware of a similar case being litigated in the state, but said the issue sets a bad precedent. “If we deny the public the mechanism to see how things are done, it’s not a truly open meeting,” she said. School board attorney Joe McNabb said the board has done secret ballots on issues before and said the board is governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, which allows the secret election method. “The Georgia school board council does not believe it’s a violation,” he said. Later in the year, Coweta school officials were feeling pretty good about the release of SAT scores. The system’s 1007 average was 23 points above the state’s average, but down two points from last year's scores. Northgate High School and East Coweta High School posted significant increases in the average test score. Newnan still led the school system with a 1014 average score; Northgate posted a 1011 average score with a 16-point increase; and East Coweta High School posted a 1000 average score and rose seven points from last year's scores. With growth now occuring in the western part of the county, the board approved to build a new school in Grantville. The school is expected to cost $6.5 million, and school officials are hopeful of getting $2.6 million in funding from the state. Board officials had to make a decision early this fall to insure the school would be ready for opening day next August. School system officials are still looking for all the funds for the project. Late in the fall, the system started looking at a unique partnership between the Coweta County School System and Hollywood. State legislators and school officials are still evaluating a proposal for Central Education Center to expand its educational mission to Riverwood Studios in Senoia. CEC will lease 60,000 square feet at the studio to teach its classes in an industrial setting. The other 60,000 square feet at the studio will still be used for moviemaking, and students may have an opportunity to experience some interaction with some of Hollywood’s dream makers. By moving many of their classes to the Senoia studio, CEC will now have more space at their Newnan campus to expand their offerings.
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