The Coweta County School System should know in the next few months if the county's new technical school will also be the county's first charter school.

The system unveiled its plans for the Central Education Center at Tuesday night's school board meeting. The hefty document, which also serves as an application for charter school status, answers many questions residents have had about the school.

Scheduled to open in the fall of 2000, the system projects the school to have 500 students per instruction block. Students will take classes at the technical school, in addition to classes at their parent school.

The functions of the new school include providing technical instruction to the county's high school students, along with offering a night high school and providing adult education classes that lead to completion of the GED.

Curriculum at the new school includes:

· Graphic arts.

· Business, marketing and information systems.

· Horticulture.

· Professional foods.

· Advanced foreign languages.

· Drafting.

· Retailing and banking.

· Orchestral music.

Students also will have the opportunity to gain valuable "real life" work experience. In addition to job-shadowing, students also can do paid and unpaid co-op jobs and participate in internships.

Under the Charter Schools Act of 1998, the school will be governed by a board of directors that reports to the school board. The board will have four business representatives, four faculty members and nine parents.

Under the charter school status, the system is petitioning the state Board of Education to waive requirements that all instructors at the school be certified. The system wants to be able to consider work experience as criteria for teaching in specialty areas.