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Vote ‘YES’ for school bond referendum

If any government body can be characterized as constantly playing defense, it would be the school board.

As you read in these pages about various disputes between commissioners and councils and citizens over development, density, zoning and any other issue relating to growth, the school system is constantly mentioned as a potential “victim” of too much growth.

Ironically, the school board has no say in the decisions that allow hundreds of new homes to be built in Fayette County every year. But the school system must be prepared to handle the new students that will live in those homes.

Fortunately, Fayette school officials do not have a task as large as their neighbors in Coweta and Henry counties do.

Fayette is expected to grow by about 500 students a year, compared to around 3,000 per year in Henry. But 500 students will fill up most of an elementary school, and that type of growth cannot be taken lightly.

Amid continuous funding obstacles at the state level, the Fayette County School System has managed to handle this growth while remaining one of the most highly regarded systems in the state. Students’ test scores and teachers’ awards consistently bear that out.

But facilities and technology need constant attention, and revenues are just not keeping up, which is why the Fayette County Board of Education has approved a referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot for a bond issue.

Nobody wants a tax increase, and the bond measure appears to be the best way to fund these critical needs without raising the millage.

Should the referendum pass, the school system could reap $65 million for a host of renovations and upgrades at nearly every school in the county, not to mention construction costs for two new elementary schools and a middle school plus the acquisition of three new sites for future use, and technology improvements throughout the county.

The law puts strict controls on how bond money can be spent. In this case, only the facility and technology upgrades mentioned above and in detail on the school board’s Web site (www.fcboe.org) can benefit from these funds.

And these bonds will not be purchased until they are needed, according to the school system.

Should projected growth continue for the next seven years, the increased tax base could repay the entire amount before any interest comes due.

These new students are coming regardless of how this referendum does at the polls next week. The school system will have to find the necessary revenue somewhere, and if not from bonds, the next obvious choice is raising property taxes.

The school board will always be playing defense. Voters in Fayette County have a great opportunity next week to ensure that the schools have the provisions they need to serve all students, including the newest ones, and retain their reputation as the best in Georgia.

The Citizen is recommending that you vote YES on the school bond referendum next Tuesday.