By PAT NEWMAN
Staff Writer

As Fayette County Department of Education personnel scramble to finish last minute projects and prepare classrooms for Monday, the first day of school, the board of education is already looking ahead to 2000 and funding for two new schools.

Approval was given Monday night for Superintendent Dave Brotherton to submit a capital outlay application to the state department of education to be included in the fiscal year 2000 budget.

"Our current entitlement in regular capital outlay funds totals $4.7 million," Brotherton told the board. "If funded in the FY 2000 state budget, the district would have until July 2002 to use these funds for construction of a new middle school and a new elementary school," he said.

"Without question, this school district will have to build additional facilities by the opening of the 2002/2003 school year regardless of the source of the local funds," Brotherton said.

Funds for the local portion of the project would be provided in FY 2000 budget for the elementary school and FY 200l budget for the middle school. "As out growth continues, by these two dates, this school district will have found a way to provide facilities or have trailers everywhere, which is not very prudent," Brotherton said.

The board also approved new attendance zone recommendations for the 1999-2000 school year for Whitewater and Rising Starr middle schools. Basically, the guidelines allow for students who started at Rising Starr and Whitewater to remain there for three years, if they so choose, provided they supply their own transportation.

"It's a great idea," said Debbie Condon, school board vice-chair. A Sept. 4 deadline has been set for students and their parents wishing to exercise their options.

The attendance zones, which will take effect next school year (1999-2000), are as follows:

1) Students in the Brooks Elementary attendance area will be included in the Whitewater Middle School boundary, thus altering the Rising Starr attendance area and reducing the number of students at Rising Starr by about 199 students. This would bring the Whitewater enrollment to building capacity.

2) All students from Brooks Elementary would be in the same middle school feeder pattern. Currently, Brooks Elementary students are split between Rising Starr and Whitewater Middle.

3) Students west of Ga. Highway 85 (Wildwood Estates, Busbin Road, Bernhard Road from Hwy. 85 to Redwine Road), with the exception of Christopher Drive and Harris Road students who will attend Rising Starr.

Any sixth or seventh grade students (1998-1999) should be given a choice to attend their projected school according to this plan as long as they provide transportation.

5) Any eighth grade student (1999-2000) may finish at the middle school they attended as long as they provide transportation.

6) The addition of classrooms to Whitewater Middle should be developed and built immediately to make the rezoning a multi-year plan.

In other business, the board approved a $15,000 modification to the current contract for track reconstruction at McIntosh High School to expand it from six lanes to eight lanes.

"Six lanes used to be the standard. Now the Georgia High School Association requires schools hosting regulation track events to have eight lanes," said Brotherton. He said the modification would provide at least one facility in the county up to regulation standard with future plans to expand the other high school tracks as well. Several McIntosh High School parents commended the board and Brotherton for their action on the track expansion.

It was also announced that Georgia Pacific has matched $60,000 to fund seating at Starr's Mill High School auditorium. Starr's Mill parents raised the other half. The seats will be shipped on Oct. 9 with installation expected to take about 10 days upon arrival. About 600 seats will also have a "tablet arm" suitable for student testing. The auditorium will be names Willy Duke Auditorium in honor of the Georgia Pacific executive who recently passed away.