Friday, July 15, 2005

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Schools ready for opening

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

By the time the school bell rings Aug. 8, all of the Coweta County School System’s construction programs should be completed.

That’s the word from Public information Officer Dean Jackson, who said the school system has been quite busy this summer.

“Right now, they’re sodding the football field at Newnan high School and making some improvements at the stadium, but we believe everything will be ready for the first game,” he said.

The system is also adding classrooms at Canongate Elementary School and expanding O.P. Evans Middle School. Workers are also busy renovating the front office at Evans, which is one of the county’s oldest schools.

With no schools opening this fall, Jackson said workers have been busy with renovations at many of the county’s schools. But next year, will be a little different.

“We’ll be opening Lee Middle School, which should be finished by this Christmas, and Mary Freeman Elementary School, so next fall will be quite fun,” he said.

Thanks to the voters who passed the extension of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, workers are getting ready to start on a host of renovation projects around the county. The school system estimates collections could amount to $130 million over 5 years. The penny sales tax will fund:

• Three new elementary schools.

• One new middle school.

• Three ninth-grade campuses for the high schools.

• New buses to replace aging vehicles and expand the fleet.

• Classroom expansions.

• Improvements and upgrades at existing schools.

• Land purchases for new schools.

• Technology and equipment.

The tax also allowed the school board to issue up to $58 million in revenue bonds to pre-fund a number of the projects, including two new elementary schools, the ninth-grade campuses, an addition to Eastside Elementary, and other improvements to existing schools before the SPLOST begins.