The Coweta County Board of Education voted Monday on a slight decrease in property tax rates and had an informal discussion on the apparent success of "block scheduling" in the county's three high schools.

The board approved a rate of 2.5 mills same as last year for debt service on its $44.5 million bond issue, which financed new school construction, Brooks said. The maintenance and operation tax rate of 17.88 mills represents a .12-mill decrease from last year. The rates were based on a tax digest of $1.69 billion for the debt service, and $1,66 billion for maintenance and operations. The digests are different because certain exemptions are allowed on the operations budget, said Brooks.

After the special called meeting, board members had an informal discussion on the feedback received from teachers and students about high school "block scheduling," put into effect this year at Newnan, East Coweta and Northgate High Schools. The scheduling allows students to take four 90-minute classes rather than six 50-minute classes, Brooks explained.

Board member Rick Melville said that he had heard from several students that they liked the new scheduling and that he understood midterm grades have improved overall. Another board member, William Covington, said he had heard from teachers that they see "more possibilities and potential" with the new schedules, "and I think we're definitely seeing a return on our investment."

It took about $750,000 to make the concept work, Brooks said.

"We think it's not only instructionally better, it's a better use of time. Students are changing classes just three times during a school day. It takes more teachers, but we feel they can get into more in-depth study with a 90-minute period," he said.

"This kind of schedule also allows for electives, since students can take eight subjects in a year," Brooks added. "At the high school level, we can get immediate feedback on whether it's working, and we think it is."