Wednesday, May 12, 2004

More head-scratching about building schools By J. FRANK LYNCH jflynch@thecitizennews.com Like one toaster too many received at a wedding shower, the Fayette County school system appreciates a tract of land it was given three years ago by developer John Wieland across from the Centennial neighborhood on McDuff Parkway on Peachtree City’s westside. But the Board of Education doesn’t really need a school in that area right now, said Superintendent John DeCotis in a meeting last week, and even if the area is annexed and developed as proposed, it still isn’t certain that a school in the area would do much good to relieve crowding anyway. “We have land in West Village and so we’re looking there, but that isn’t where we need it,” he told board members in a called workshop meeting at which they tried to again nail down the specifics of a planned November referendum on school construction. That’s the kind of dilemma facing school system planners as they try to finalize details of the next five-year construction program, required by the state. Other than agreeing that a bond sale was likely the way to go rather than asking voters to approve a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, the board members remain far apart on what projects should receive top priority on the tax initiative. DeCotis gave the board a revised “draft” of possible board projects, this time listed alphabetically and not numerically. At a similar meeting in April, some members of the board were concerned that ranking projects would require them to build them in the promised order, but other than the need for a middle school already planned for Lester Road, the board isn’t clear where new classrooms will be needed four to five years down the road. “We’re going to be in big trouble if we don’t get a middle school until 2008,” said DeCotis. But if voters approve funding to build one in November, it could take that long to get a new school open and functioning next door to Cleveland Elementary. Another 12-classroom addition is proposed for Rising Starr Middle as well, and among the items on the list is a classroom addition to Whitewater High School, which hasn’t even opened yet, but will be overcrowded by the time it reaches a senior class in the fall of 2006. That rankled board member Greg Powers, who suggested voters wouldn’t respond favorably to being asked to add on to a brand-new high school when others, like Sandy Creek, remain under-utilized. “Sandy Creek has always held steady at the same enrollment even with predictions of growth,” said Wayne Robinson, assistant superintendent for operations and former principal at the school. “They’ve always said the growth is coming, but they’ve been saying that since I was there.” Facilities Director Mike Satterfield said the real issue is timing, especially in regard to three new elementary schools the system wants to eventually build. “We’re going to need new elementary schools in three to four years, but in the meantime we’re going to have to do some serious redistricting or fall back on significant portable classrooms,” he said. Widespread redrawing of elementary attendance lines is out of the question, said Board Chair Terri Smith. “That temporary shifting of kids isn’t worth it,” she said. “It disrupts families and I won’t support it.” DeCotis said his staff would continue working on a proposal for consideration and bring it back to the board at the next meeting. They must sign off on the entire package, including funding mechanism, before July 1.