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School officials neutral on bond

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

The Fayette County Board of Education is walking a fine line with about a month to go before voters decide on a $65 million school construction bond referendum.

The school system wants to educate the public about the proposal to fund school construction that will appear on the general election ballot Nov. 2.

The board fears the issue could be overlooked on the long ballot, which includes the presidential and congressional elections as well as a SPLOST referendum to fund road projects in Fayette County.

But Superintendent John DeCotis, board members and even principals have to be careful not to come across as encouraging support for passage of the bond, which would be a violation of state law.

Urging a “yes” vote in any way, such as printing up pro-bond literature on school copy machines, is a strict no-no.

Instead, school officials must leave the campaign to a private political action group that was incorporated last week.

A group calling itself “Citizens for Continued Excellence in Education” plans to print up brochures and signs and meet with community groups to talk-up the bond.

Earlier this month, the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution of support as well.

The resolution states in part that “the Board and staff have authored an excellent plan for the future of the system that is flexible, cost effective and designed to anticipate the needs as much as possible.”

Such endorsements are appreciated by school leaders.

“All we can do is give out the facts,” said Melinda Berry-Driesbach, spokeswoman for the school system.

“We can’t even go out and say ‘you really need to vote for this bond because...’” she said.

A link off the school system’s Web site, www.fcboe.org, provides “factual information,” as does a press release sent out by Berry-Driesbach this week, she said.

“Everything there is fact; it’s nothing to try and convince somebody to vote for it,” she said. “That’s all we can do.”

But clearly, school officials hope that by stating the facts, local voters will feel compelled to pass the referendum.

“Providing quality education for Fayette’s children has always been a priority for the Fayette County School System,” reads the press release.

“But as enrollment continues to grow (approximately 500 new students per year), as facilities age and technology advances, the system’s needs are outpacing available revenues.”

Among the facts Berry-Driesbach said school leaders hope to get across is that passage of the bond won’t result in an increase in the current bond millage rate charged to property owners, the result of a 2000 referendum.

“This is because the type of bond being issued is Deferred Interest Bonds or DIBs, which will defer interest and principal payments until 2011,” Berry-Driesbach said. “The bonds from the 2000 referendum will be retired before interest and principal on the new ones are due. Essentially, the new bonds will replace the old ones.”

The bond package includes numerous renovations and additions to existing schools, computer network upgrades throughout the school system as well as one new middle school on Lester Road, next to Cleveland Elementary, and two new elementary schools. Additions are planned at several other schools.

This bond proposal is also unique because it breaks projects down into two phases that will require money to be borrowed only as needed over the course of five years.

For example, it would fund the new middle school to open by fall 2007. But the two new elementary schools, if needed, wouldn’t be opened until fall 2009.