The Fayette Citizen-News Page
Friday, October 16, 1998
Attendance Lines

By JOHN THOMPSON
Coweta Editor

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Although the school year is relatively new, the Coweta County Board of Education is already planning for next year with an issue that is near and dear to many parents' hearts-attendance lines.

As the county's population has exploded in the last few years, new attendance areas are almost an annual occurrence to try and even out the attendance at the county's older schools while also filling the new schools.

Last year, the county redrew attendance lines in the eastern part of the county for Madras Middle School and Poplar Road Elementary. This year, the county shifts its direction north to fill the new middle school on Smokey Road and new elementary school on U.S. Highway 29.

Both schools are slated to open next year, and operations director Doug Bennett said the system is getting an early start on the often controversial process this year.

When the lines were drawn last year, the system held public hearings and redrew their maps several times to accommodate as many parents' requests as possible.

Bennett said the system worked well last year and he'll follow the same format this year. From Nov. 1-Dec. 18, school officials will seek input from the public.

"That's all we'll do in this phase and hopefully it will give us some direction," Bennett said.

On Jan. 12, the system will publish its first tentative map and wait for public input on the proposed boundaries.

The next step will be a Jan. 26 public hearing to gain additional feedback from residents and the first proposed map will be published Feb. 9.

The map will lay on the table for 30 days and Bennett expects to make his final recommendation to the board March 9, with the board approving the lines Apr. 13.


What do you think of this story?
Click here to send a message to the editor. Click here to post an opinion on our Message Board, "The Citizen Forum"

Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page