Tyranny is defined as “absolute power arbitrarily or unjustly administered.” With the exception of Marion Keys, I find this befitting of the Fayette County Board of Education to the letter.

In my opinion and that of countless others, you have ignored logic and objectivity in your redistricting “ruling” and have demonstrated a cavalier attitude toward the very citizens for whom you serve.

Board member Greg Powers had the audacity to say that he’s built Peachtree City schools with his tax dollars. The opposite is closer to the truth and I’ll compare my property tax bill with his anytime.

Janet Smola claims that parents were emotional and not objective in this process. It’s difficult not to be emotional when something affects your children and community so greatly as this.

Still, I was at the FCBOE/citizen forum and the core message was delivered articulately, objectively and accurately that what you’re doing is absolutely senseless.

You’ve chosen to remove students from their community school and expose them twice daily to the dangers of highway speeds as they’re transported to and from a misplaced middle school out in the middle of nowhere.

And you’ve calculated yourselves that our community school, J.C. Booth, is projected to show a surplus that would accommodate all of the PTC kids who you are displacing.

This “if we build it, they will come” desire of yours to fill the new middle school should be done with students from schools that are still projected to be overcapacity.

For example, Flat Rock Middle School is still projected to be over capacity by over 300 students. These students could easily substitute for our kids being displaced from Booth, creating a better overall balance.

Even our mayor has offered up land to build a new middle school within PTC if necessary to maintain the unique integrity of our community.

Nothing doing. With the stroke of a pen, prejudice and despotic panache, you have violated your five proclaimed tenets, ignored and vilified PTC residents, shown your bias against us, created great angst amongst our children and their families, decimated property values (Realtors are already being told to “steer clear”) and seriously damaged the fabric, concept and integrity of our community.

Your final decision rang out like, “The great and powerful Oz has spoken!” Since I’m now certain that you won’t run unopposed in the next election, we’ll soon be saying, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.”

Ralph P. Trapaga
Peachtree City, Ga.