please come see what we have to endure at Burch. The whole 2nd grade is in trailers! We have 200 kids too many! I also found out the teacher can't turn on the a/c in trailer because too loud and kids can't hear her! Do you want your child to go through this? Mine is and I hate it! I am excited about the new school! We deserve it. I am tired of all of south Fayette getting everything new. We pay taxes too you know! Our school is 20 years or older. Teachers are the best though and that is why I stay. I could change but choose not too. Come visit and see for yourself please!

It is because of poor planning. Tyrone Elementary has them too. There should have been a school over at the opposite North side of the county a long time ago to take up the congestion. As it is, they closed the only one over there which made things even worse.

It's nice Crabb Apple likes their low ratio in their class rooms, but it we had a BOE person from Birch's area that would stand up for it, the kids could have been evened out and yours wouldn't have had to suffer for others to enjoy a low ratio.

The school is already there! The turn lane was paved the other day. The roads on the property are paved, the street lights are in, slabs are in, and the concrete block walls are already being put up.

Yes, I have been by there and it is well on its way. The road is paved, lights, slabs, and concrete blocks.
I didn't realise that was the land that is zoned for 1/2 acre lots. It is in the middle of open fields. I can't imagine it being within Fayetteville's city limits. If it is not, and in the county, the deveropers may be able to put 1/2 lots anywhere they choose. If they have sewer, or if they get one of those comunity septic tanks, as I call them, that TCG Holdings put in in a 65 house subdivsion they built. That is the development company I believe that Mr Smith, stated in the paper, he had been a partner in.

One of the problems that they had, on more than one occasion, was that it stank to high heaven and the people of that subdivsion complained quite a bit about it. You could smell it for quite a distance.

What land are you all talking about being zoned for 1/2 acre lots? Sandy Creek and Tillman are in the county, not city. I haven't seen any rezoning signs at all. I thought most stuff around this area was zoned for 2 acre lots, unless you have city water available. For that matter, I never saw a for sale sign or rezoning sign where the new school is! The neighbors are always the last to know!

It always(unless Grandfathered in) was a stipulation in the county that you had to have at least an acre of land to build on if you were not connected to sewer or some kind of system to get rid of waste. There has to be enough space for a septic system. Is the new school connected to a Fayetteville city sewer system, if not then they must have some kind of system set up on the left over land to take care of the waste from the school. Whether they can build houses on the left over land is a question depending on above. I would think they would not have changed this policy.
In the FUTURE, IF, a vote ever comes up asking if you want sewer in the County, Please Vote NO on this. Sewer only brings more multi family housing. Not much we can do about the Cities expanding into the County with their sewers if home owners/business's want to be annexed.
I'm still trying to figure out WHY People in this County Voted for a SPLOST to build/improve more roads in Fayette. Don't we already pay TAXES to the State for just that purpose? Ridiculous, but that is my just my opinion.

I don't want to bust your bubble, but, the county commisioners voted 4 to 1/ Herb Frady being the 1, to allow these community septic tanks, that allow for high density.

As I said earlier, there is one in the county that I know of. It was put in at a developement of TCG holdings. The people in that subdivision have complained of the smell and so have the neighboring subdivisions. I don't know, but have heard that Henry county is getting rid of them becuase of the smell. As I understand it, because of the way it is designed, gass escaping, it will always stink from time to time. But the people in the know about it would be Brian Butell. I think he is with the EPD, anyway, his phone no is 404 362 2671.

"As for the future of Rivers Elementary, it is positioned geographically along the coming West Fayetteville Bypass, and it sits along Sandy Creek Road approximately 1.5 miles from Ga. Highway 54, on the north side of a 2,060-acre swath of land identified in county land use plans to become one-half or one-acre homesites."

I know, I was as shocked as you. You are right, we are the last to know. Unbelievable isn't it?

I cannot believe I missed that one. Now unfortunately we are closer to becoming our stricken neighbor, Clayton county. Surely you have seen the error of your ways Commissioners, to never do this again and in fact try to retract it.

According to FCBOE, the savings attached with closing East Fayette was around $1 MM. In addition there were savings from avoided maintenece on the older facility. I am sure there is some offset costs for more gas but not $1 MM. This is an example of cost savings folks. Is there more to do.. yes! But maybe there are some good people at FCBOE just trying to serve us, who knows.

Got a question? Contact your school board and administration, you might be schocked by what you don't read here and they have been great about answering questions. Cal lets us all have our say, but sometimes opinions aren't facts.

The above statement of "saving" is technically true. It is also irrelevant. East Fayette Elementary paid approx $600K to $800K in teacher salaries per year. The BOE closed East Fayette, moved the entire staff over to the new school, which has the same $600K to $800K salary costs...these costs haven't disappeared, they've simply been shifted to another cost center.

Now, if the BOE had opted to open the new school AND keep East Fayette open, it'd have been a different story, there would have been additional costs (again, largely teacher salaries) to pay at the new school.

However, there would have been a problem. The state of Georgia funds most of teacher salaries, local funding makes up the rest. The state requires a minimum number of students in a classroom before funding a position. With all the excess capacity around here, there would have been approximately 50 teaching positions or so that would not have been funded by the state. This would have meant these surplus teaching positions would have had to be funded 100% by the county, which would have been an unmitigated financial disaster for the Smith/Smola Development Company (d/b/a "The Fayette Board of Education"). Not even a SPLOST could have pulled their fat out of this fire. Keep in mind, these are not "nice to have" positions like music teachers, strings teachers, etc....these are "front line" 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade teachers, etc.

In essence, the school board is asking you to pat them on the back for covering up mistakes of their making!

If I recall correctly, the state recommends somewhere between 15-18 students per elementary school class (I'm oversimplifying a bit here, Janet and Terri). Conversely, they won't fund positions when the ratio dips below a certain number (can't recall the exact ratio)...and that is what is happening in Fayette schools now. We're actually reaching a point where we'll have surplus teachers soon.

Get ready for a Clayton-county-style adversial teacher's union as the teachers circle the wagons to protect their positions!!

So if I follow you, when the new school comes on line next year, unless the developers jump in and bring in more students, the fat will hit the fire then instead of this year? No one has talked about what they will do with the left over land out of the 30 acres. I guess at least 20 or 25 sold to developers right? What a great selling point, your kids can walk to school. But where will that leave Birch with it's overcrowding?

Has anyone even driven by this new school?? I do, just about every day. Well, it takes up the whole corner of Sandy Creek and Tillman. There's a supposed 5 acre gap between the back of the school and the house across the street from me, don't know if this has anything to do with their septic system or what. To the East is my little gravel road which is supposedly going to be turned into a bypass. To the West of the school, there's a gully filled with trees. If there is land on the other side of that, they haven't done anything to it. Right now that piece of land is a field, don't know who owns it.

Tyrone rolled back their millage, Fayetteville did too, but the BOE 3 are like full speed ahead and damm the taxpayers!

If you check the minutes you’ll find that Marion Key and Bob Todd have voted to approve the budget every time. So what’s your beef with just three board members. You sound like you’ve got a personal agenda.

Dr.Todd and Mrs. Key have been fighting these budgetary fiascos from the beginning. If you would actually attend a Board Meeting you would know this. All of the dubious land dealings, exploding Hr personnel expansion (from 5 to 15 in a county where student population is down and money tight), job creations and other unwarranted expenditures started with the previous board with Greg Powers in Tandem with the current Majority (Smith, Smola, Wright). With a current three two majority Smith, Smola and Wright override Key and Todd and have thrown this county into a virtual bankruptcy. Why do you think these three fight necessary policy so hard and to keep the minutes so vague?
So no names are recorded with the vote and everything seems unanimous. Only those few in attendance of these meetings know the truth. So please check your facts, become informed and attend the meetings. Do some basic research deal with the individuals truly behind this. The Splost was never brought before the entire board for discussion. Whether needed or not this county is in this situation because of 3 individuals.

Dr. Todd would not vote for it. He stated that before trying to put SPLOST on the public, alternatives should have been looked at and discussed. He felt this was just too hurried up, and wanted to know why the subject wasn't discussed before now and why the urgency, again, it apears some were aware of this, and some were blindsided, possibly by others who wanted to make Todd and Key look bad.

You need to go back and read what Key said in the questions posed by the Citizen, she was the only one running for re election that would answer them. The other 2 said the questions were mean spirited and wouldn't answer.

Why do you want to invent another Clayton County in North Fayette?

North East Fayette is getting the dirtiest end of the stick of all. Sandy Creek is indeed very far away. They have let that area retain the oldest schools in the county.

You see there are no open fields with acres of land set up for 1/2 acre lots for future children there. We who need something now, for our very real children, are paying for the ghost children of the developers dreams. Seems like when/if they show up for the schools in the middle of no where, their tax dollars should pay for their own schools. We the taxpayers, and our children, are having to make do with what we've got.

I think those three BOE members in the picture should get the mule eating briars smile off their faces. They have nothing to be proud of.

Wright isn't in the picture, the two BOE members in the picture responsible.

Here you go again! Bob Todd and Marion Key are in this photo taking the accolades for a project you say they didn't support? Does that make sense???? Looks like they're sporting mule eating briars smiles as well.....

They were having their picture taken, but were against the schools in the middle of no where.I think the following tells all...these are Marion's answers to questions by the Citizen...THE OTHER 2 WOULDN'T ANSWER! I WONDER WHY? look at answer 7

Responses by Marion Key, Fayette County Board of Education Post 3 incumbent
Tue, 07/01/2008 - 5:44pmBy: Marion Key

Question: 1. The school board is faced with the likelihood of having to increase the millage rate. If negative conditions such as Fayette’s economic downturn have not improved, the board might be faced with deciding to either cut programs or expenses. How will you handle those decisions? Are you prepared to cut people and programs if necessary?
Answer: 1. I, Marion Key,have been asking for an assessment of program costs and effectiveness for some time. I will support requiring the superintendent to provide this data to the board prior to the FY 2010 budget process with specific recommendations for cuts and revisions to the budget. It is the superintendent’s responsibility to make those recommendations and I will insist to my fellow board members that this process be followed.

Why did the BOE buy an extra 100 acres at Inman? This bond money is now tied up in land we cannot use. Why did we buy the Kiwanis property? To build a bus facility?

There were no plans for such a facility and there are no plans nor money now to build such a facility. I voted against both of these acquisitions.

We had to build Inman at 600 capacity instead of the usual 800 capacity because our bond money is tied up in land. Rivers [Elementary] is also being constructed at the smaller capacity for the same reason.

Question: 7. It looks like we built too many classrooms for declining student numbers. That’s a lot of local tax dollars. Who should be held accountable for that miscalculation?

Answer: 7. I voted against constructing Inman and Rivers elementary schools because enrollment projections clearly indicated the schools were not needed at this time. Prior to the construction of Inman, we had space for 10,000 elementary students and about 9,200 enrolled.

administrative overhead. The consultant and the committee had developed a plan to meet that criteria.

Question: 9. With respect, do you know what you are doing? Can we trust you with our money and our children?

Answer: 9. I have been the lone voice on the board on some of our property acquisitions and school constructions. The decisions are coming back to haunt us in this time of budget constraints. I will always work for fiscally responsible decisions. You can trust me to look out for the welfare of your children. What is best for our children is always my guiding philosophy. My 40-plus years of experience in education, some of it overlapping, makes me well-qualified to watch over the education of all of Fayette’s children.

The Citizen was clear in its support for Marion Key and against the other two reelected leaders. It was the right of any candidate to answer or not answer the questions. Both of those candidates are great about answering email from taxpayers, answering questions, and showing up for the hard votes. They are very accessable to the taxpayers who do and do not support them.

My opinion is that the county spoke clearly about its feelings on our schools when they reelected all three incumbents even though it was clear they are not united in opinion or action. Maybe its time we come together for our schools and leave the personal issues for the back alley.

"The Citizen was clear in its support for Marion Key and against the other two reelected leaders. It was the right of any candidate to answer or not answer the questions."

Yeah, it was their right ok, and it was also a very convient way to keep a lid on the info on the shortfall. Don't answer the questions in public, just a cozy one on one. BS.

If I remember correctly, they said they didn't want to get in a nasty blogging war too, but they sure came on here and tried to butcher Ms Key. I think a lot remember you.

As far as lumping the 3 candidates together, I think that would be an insult to Ms Key and the voters. After all, she got twice as many votes as the other two!

Smith and Smola barely made it only because few people voted. Maybe you won't be so lucky with SPLOST that you have unsuccessfully hawked for 10 years.

OBB

Marion got approx 500 more votes than Smola who got over 6000. Don't have time to get the exact #s but this is close enough for blogging. Sooooo MK got roughly 7 - 10 % more votes not 100% than the other three.

Not who you think I am lived in Buckhead 10 years ago, Clayton almost 5 years ago and don't live in Tyrone now, but I am bigger than a bread box.

Peace

It's real hard to find the actual numbers?? Come on three clicks away on the same page. I'm not much of a blogger more of an observer but when facts are fabricated or skewed I must protest.
School Board Post 1 (13,097 total votes)

Dave Houston 6,038 (46.10%)

*Janet Smola (I) 7,059 (53.90%)*

*******************

School Board Post 2 (13,094 total votes)

Mary Kay Bacallao 5,635 (43.03%)

*Terri Smith (I) 7,459 (56.97%)*

*******************

School Board Post 3 (13,285 total votes)

Mark Aasen 1,527 (11.49%)

Carol Jensen-Linton 3,318 (24.98%)

*Marion Key (I) 8,440 (63.53%)*

Marion key beat out her opponents by more than 2 to 1 or 100% these are the two sugga foot refers. SMITH and SMOLA by the skin of their teeth. And last I checked 8,440 -7059=1381 not 500. please check your facts before you Critize.

"roughly 7 - 10 % more votes"?

Marion Key got 8600+ votes. Janet Smola got 7200+ votes.

That's about a 20% differential.

Interestingly, about 30% of Smola's 1000 vote margin of victory over Houston came from exactly 3 of 38 voting precincts: Brooks, Woolsey, and Whitewater. Nothing like a little redistricting pandering to drum up votes!

yeah, at lot of people noticed the area that carried her were as far from where she lives/is known well, as you could get.

I too voted against the twins but no one helped us out. They didn't vote.

Burch is overcrowded, but this school will be a year or two in finishing. By that time, one of Wieland's projects on 74 will be completed, filling up the trailors again. Smola's husband was on the Tyrone town council and voted for it with taxpayers screaming at the top of their lungs they didn't want it. It was quite a spectacle. He is no longer in office.

Also, by the time this is finished, the developers will be socking them in on the 1/2 acre lots next to the school. This again, because these houses will be closer, will displace the kids at Birch, and the taxpayers kids are no better off than they started. But, oh my, how sweet it is for the developers to have a new school in walking distance as a selling tool.

Again, who are some on the board trying to help? Who comes first, our kids in the overcrowded schools, or the developers wishes?

They aren't wasting their time building this new school. The roads are paved, the street lights are in, I believe they put in the septic system last week, and the front walls are just about up. I wish it was on Rivers Road instead of Tillman and Sandy Creek. Can't wait for all the noise and traffic, whoopee! So much for living out in the country. I hope they plant a lot of deer loving plants so they'll have something to eat!

FCBOE approved its budgets in accordance with state timelines which concluded around election time. Then...

FCBOE was notified by the state on 8/4 that it would not receive $2.25MM of state funds due to austerity measures.

FCBOE was notified by the state on 8/11 it would not receive an additional $3.5 MM of state funds due to shortfalls in state revenue

In addition there is about a $5 MM shortfall in Fayette county tax receipts due to foreclosures that FCBOE will eventually receive but is not in hand to pay the bills.

It's not just FCBOE, most governmental agencies are bleeding red through this down turn.

Governmental accounting is very rigid and restricts how funds collected can be used. Therefore, it isn't as easy as taking money from the building fund to offset the over $10 MM shortfall to cover our basic schools basic operations. At the same time, the board must be prepared for tomorrow as well as today.

The FCBOE leadership is doing everything they can to protect our teacher's compensation including considering a SPLOST. But with so many things mandated by the state (often without funding) there are only certain palces they can cut.

But this is the good part.. Sonny Perdue and the legislature have mandated ( as in law ) a 2. 5 % pay increase for all teachers but not funded it, see above. Teacher compensation ( benefits ) may need to be reduced by over 2. 5 % to pay for it. We have the # 1 schools in the state and we may need to affect the people who drive our great results.

As you can see, all this happened after the elections, and with the state shortfall in the billions it may not be over yet! We need to find ways to support our schools not tear them down.

Get a clue folks. Pay attention. This county is peaking out -- maybe it has peaked out. The per capita big bucks in Fayette County are starting to slow down. I think a school building that is not needed, is just plain not needed! My guess is the Board will figure out a way to save some money if it's not spent on building an unneeded building.

Duh.

I think ...some... knew about this ahead of time, and others, for whatever reason, where kept in the dark. Janet Smola, who was running for election made it clear she knew about it, but didn't mention it to us. Laura Brock, seemed to know something about it too. I do not believe for a second that the state just dropped this on them with no prior warnning. Some knew, others, like Todd, and us didn't.
Aug 4 The Citizen
"It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Fayette County School Board members Monday night would adopt a resolution to put a 1-percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on the November ballot. And that is what happened.

But a heated exchange between board members Janet Smola and Bob Todd spotlighted a growing rift between the three-person majority and the two members questioning the system’s spending decisions — Todd and newly reelected Marion Key.

The SPLOST presentation by Comptroller Laura Brock — first unveiled publicly following the recent July 15 school board elections —
.....
Advocating for the SPLOST, Smola said she had visited The Avenue in Peachtree City over the weekend and had counted 78 out of county license plates in a 15-minute period. Those shoppers would be contributing to revenue raised for the 1-percent tax, she said.

Todd said he would be abstaining when the vote was taken.

“I’ve struggled with this. The $115 million [SPLOST maximum] is the equivalent of almost four mills [in ad valorem property tax],” Todd said. “I’ve been concerned about the hurry-up. I looked at the proposal, including the $38 million for bond debt that would give some tax relief (on the bond millage rate). .... I’m getting mixed feedback. I’ll abstain from the vote because I don’t want to be accused of standing in the way of voters deciding on the SPLOST or not.”

"Smola responded to the comment, saying that all expenditures of SPLOST revenues would come before the board for approval.

“Abstaining comes when there is a moral or financial conflict,” Smola added. “Abstaining (here) is unfair to the rest of us. We’ve been talking about this for two years.”

It was Smola’s comment over the length of time SPLOST had been discussed that triggered a clearly definitive response from Todd.

“But when did it (SPLOST) reach the level of a board agenda item?” Todd asked. “There’s a difference between a conversation and a board action. I’m going to vote my conscience. I won’t be coerced to do something we haven’t planned willfully.”

Chairman Terri Smith spoke up, saying the board’s charge was to vote on whether to put the initiative on the November ballot, adding that, in terms of future fiscal planning, a SPLOST was synonymous to planning for next year since revenues would not be collected until April and would not be issued to the school system until summer 2009.

...NOW HERE COMES THE MOMENT OF TRUTH..."Smola then returned to the conversation with Todd, asking if he was aware of the hundreds of hours school system staff, and some board members, had put into the development of the SPLOST proposal.!!!!! Yeah, some knew, it wasn't Todd, and it wasn't us...this had been cooking, but we were kept in the dark.

“I didn’t say the staff didn’t plan,” Todd responded. “I was talking about the board.”

At that point board member Lee Wright entered the conversation, noting his belief that the SPLOST proposal was a good idea.

“If we started planning a year ago the list (of proposed SPLOST expenditure categories) would look the same,” Wright said.

The 3-0-1 vote came minutes later, with Terri Smith, Janet Smola and Lee Wright in favor of the ballot initiative and Bob Todd abstaining. Board member Marion Key was absent.

Todd said after the meeting that the only time he recalled a SPLOST initiative being referenced in a board meeting prior to the election was on one occasion during a recent 2008-2009 budget work session.

Though the dollar amounts were no longer specified on the final proposal, board members during the several SPLOST meetings had targeted $38 million for debt service on the school bond, $44 million for technology, $3.5 million for security, $2.5 million for textbook adoption, $17 million for the facilities five-year plan and warehouse relocation and $10 million for transportation.

Advocating for the SPLOST, Smola said she had visited The Avenue in Peachtree City over the weekend and had counted 78 out of county license plates in a 15-minute period. Those shoppers would be contributing to revenue raised for the 1-percent tax, she said.

A great number of retail store clerks do not earn an income that makes it possible for them to live in Fayette County. They do drive to work, sporting tags from other counties, and they obviously have to park somewhere. Smola counts these tags, and then jumps to the unwarranted conclusion that they belong to shoppers. As these cars stay where they are parked all day, they can be counted over and over.

Unless you see people entering cars with out-of-county tags loaded up with parcels from their shopping, you can't conclude they are genuine out-of-county shoppers. A few of them might also be fairly new Fayette County residents who have not yet changed the county sticker on their tag.

Much of the tax is paid on construction materials, motor vehicles, groceries and delivered items like major appliances and furniture. Whatever items "visitors" buy don't amount to much.

Smola's approach is unscientific and flawed.

Advocating for the SPLOST, Smola said she had visited The Avenue in Peachtree City over the weekend and had counted 78 out of county license plates in a 15-minute period. Those shoppers would be contributing to revenue raised for the 1-percent tax, she said.

Wow Mapleleaf. Did she factor in the recent Git household's out of county shopping?

$360 spent in Upson county this past Saturday.
$512 spent in Clayton county today.
$48 spent on a meal in Senoia two Saturdays ago.
$63 spent on some kind of piece of junk antique craft thingy that Mrs. Git couldn't live without in Coweta County.

Are we the only family in Fayette County that shops abroad? I wonder if Smola factored those variables in her delusional revenue raising scheme?

Shopping "abroad" for the same things you can find in Fayette County does not seem too smart.

I bet some Coweta County people shop at the Wal-Mart and Home Depot in Peachtree City, rather than in their own county, to save the extra one percent in sales tax.

I heard the SPLOST-supporting editor of the Fayette paper that misspells every other word say one day that she bought her groceries in Fayette County before returning home to Douglas County (where the sales tax is higher).

Smart is as smart does.

"I bet some Coweta County people shop at the Wal-Mart and Home Depot in Peachtree City, rather than in their own county, to save the extra one percent in sales tax."

Maple,

With gas at $3.50/ gallon. These "smart" people from Coweta would need to spend $350 a gollon to save any money. Unless they are driving a Prius ( a prius in Coweta county?) they are really bad at math actually. Assuming an equal drive to both locations, but since we said they were driving here to avoid the tax, we have to assume extra effort.

But any time you spend a dollar outside of Fayette you are paying for someone's schools just not ours. And if your buddies are really driving longer to come here to avoid the Coweta eSplost, they would rather give their money to the oil companies than to their schools.

Miss the days where Canada was having 50 % off sales with its currency, now that was worth a trip!

Most of the people that I know who live on the Eastern side of Coweta shop at the Peachtree City Wal-Mart because they are closer to it than they are the one in Newnan, and the traffic on 54 isn't as bad as Bullsboro Dr. It's just quicker or more convenient to go to PTC.
Most people probably don't choose where they are going to shop based on taxes and SPLOST.

Shopping "abroad" for the same things you can find in Fayette County does not seem too smart.

Ahhhh... I used to adhere to that in most powerful way. I can appreciate what you are saying. My priorities these days are 'Made In USA" and personal economics. What do I care as giving more monies to our local governments. It's not they are going prudent or anything like that. Anyways...good points Maple.

counties. But you don't think Fayette's kids deserve it. I think that's the very point!

That every county around us has a SPLOST for education. So what if these folks only work here, they have to eat lunch and buy gas so it stands to reason they're spending money here. Do you honestly think that people who come here to work don't spend money here! I work in Fulton county and eat lunch there every day. Heck I buy my gas at Racetrack on the way home because it's convenient. Fulton gets my SPLOST penny and Fayette should too. I'm supporting their kids and I want them to support mine!

You are very right about the workers, they indeed have no where else to park!

But of course, if those SAME cars were in the drop off lines at the schools, Smola would argue you down that they "were new Fayette County residents who have not yet changed the county sticker on their tag!"
LOL!

Sugar, some knew and some didn't. I hope you don't mean to tell me that Marion Key and Bob Todd are out to lunch while the FCBOE is in trouble? Only soem inner circle knew how dire it was and decided to wait until after the election? Wasn't Marion Key up for election also?

Fortunately I don't believe it. Several systems are saying the same thing that the state blind sided them after they completed their budgets. Most have SPLOSTS to fall back on, we do not.

Sadly Sonny cut our funds but still gave a sales tax holiday. Paying for tax cuts while cutting money for schools. Similar to pushing for vouchers in the spring to make Clayton County's mess our problem. Sonny is trying to make us last in the country in education.

Yes, that's right...scohol. That was painted on the ground in front of a middle school located in georgia. I have the original photo if no one believes me. I also helped to grade some papers for my wife(She being a high school teacher) in which the answer to the question"What was the outcome of Beowulf's encounter with Grendel?"was answered "
beowulfs whup grendel butt."
The student is correct, right? How do you grade that answer?
My point is, it should not matter where a school is located, gas prices have no bearing on quality of education. Instead shouldn't we focus our attention on quality educators?

"Sugar, some knew and some didn't. I hope you don't mean to tell me that Marion Key and Bob Todd are out to lunch while the FCBOE is in trouble? Only soem inner circle knew how dire it was and decided to wait until after the election? Wasn't Marion Key up for election also?"

I think the following tells all...these are Marion's answers to questions by the Citizen...THE OTHER 2 WOULDN'T ANSWER! I WONDER WHY?

Responses by Marion Key, Fayette County Board of Education Post 3 incumbent
Tue, 07/01/2008 - 5:44pmBy: Marion Key

Question: 1. The school board is faced with the likelihood of having to increase the millage rate. If negative conditions such as Fayette’s economic downturn have not improved, the board might be faced with deciding to either cut programs or expenses. How will you handle those decisions? Are you prepared to cut people and programs if necessary?
Answer: 1. I, Marion Key,have been asking for an assessment of program costs and effectiveness for some time. I will support requiring the superintendent to provide this data to the board prior to the FY 2010 budget process with specific recommendations for cuts and revisions to the budget. It is the superintendent’s responsibility to make those recommendations and I will insist to my fellow board members that this process be followed.

Why did the BOE buy an extra 100 acres at Inman? This bond money is now tied up in land we cannot use. Why did we buy the Kiwanis property? To build a bus facility?

There were no plans for such a facility and there are no plans nor money now to build such a facility. I voted against both of these acquisitions.

We had to build Inman at 600 capacity instead of the usual 800 capacity because our bond money is tied up in land. Rivers [Elementary] is also being constructed at the smaller capacity for the same reason.

Question: 7. It looks like we built too many classrooms for declining student numbers. That’s a lot of local tax dollars. Who should be held accountable for that miscalculation?

Answer: 7. I voted against constructing Inman and Rivers elementary schools because enrollment projections clearly indicated the schools were not needed at this time. Prior to the construction of Inman, we had space for 10,000 elementary students and about 9,200 enrolled.

administrative overhead. The consultant and the committee had developed a plan to meet that criteria.

Question: 9. With respect, do you know what you are doing? Can we trust you with our money and our children?

Answer: 9. I have been the lone voice on the board on some of our property acquisitions and school constructions. The decisions are coming back to haunt us in this time of budget constraints. I will always work for fiscally responsible decisions. You can trust me to look out for the welfare of your children. What is best for our children is always my guiding philosophy. My 40-plus years of experience in education, some of it overlapping, makes me well-qualified to watch over the education of all of Fayette’s children.

Fayette does not and never has had the "#1 schools in the state" so let's get rid of the hype and deal with the facts. The school system is good, no doubt, but the top public schools in this state happen to be in......FULTON COUNTY as well as the city magnet schools in AUGUSTA, not Fayette.

The reason why SPLOST has failed twice before for schools wasn't because the citizens don't value education; both times they were irate with the BOE and denied them more money when the public was unhappy with how they handled issues and taxpayer money at that time. That's going to likely happen again this November.

Show that the BOE will cut the existing fat first instead of being a jobs program and instead conduct their affairs like a business.... maybe next time the voters will approve a SPLOST. This can be done without whacking the teachers out of the classroom and continuous cries of poverty.

NUK Seriously, there are some great High Schools in north Fulton County, run by the Fulton County School Board which is one unit for the whole county, so.... are you saying that you would put Westlake, Creekside, and Banniker against ANY of our 5 high schools? Maybe in sports but not in tests. Average that all toghether we beat Fulton on a system basis. Even though they have a SPLOST to help em.

A Magnet school, come on. Let's talk Richmond County public schools against Fayette County, if you want to bet, I could use the money. Oh, and they have a SPLOST too.

NUK are you saying that you prefer to vote down funding for our children in a time of rising cost to settle some political score?

I think we need to keep to facts please. Our system is the best that is in our property values for now.

NUK are you saying that you prefer to vote down funding for our children in a time of rising cost to settle some political score?

The children will be educated whether SPLOST passes or not. I've already seen the doom and end-of-the-world before when the other two SPLOST attempts failed. It didn't happen despite the extreme hysteria the second time around that turned out to be as WRONG as the first failed attempt. The world didn't end. Fayette didn't go to the crapper at all. It won't happen now, either.

This isn't about settling a political score; it's about expecting the hired help at the BOE and the elected officials to be competent. They aren't at this point with the exception of a significant few like DeCotis who I have an enormous amount of respect for when there are better gigs out there than this.

I will gladly support a SPLOST as soon as the BOE shows me they have any kind of a clue whatsoever of what they are doing besides "I volunteer! I'm special!You suck!". Rewarding them right now with more money to spend is not going to happen with me.

I'm sorry if that sounds like some students might be "harmed" in some way, but I have a vested interest in this school system personally and she will do fine with or without SPLOST and the kids who come after her will be better off by me saying HELL NO right now than giving in to this BS that postpones what needs to happen in favor of short-term "for the children."

"NUK are you saying that you prefer to vote down funding for our children in a time of rising cost to settle some political score?"

I think NUK is saying what all of us know, our kids do well because they are smart and parents get involved and we have good teachers. Ours however, are not the only starfish in the sea.

The kids have done well, but not because 3 on the BOE came along and masterminded it. They have done good ..INSPITE.. of the land speculation and possible teacher cuts due to the BOE becoming land barons!

That is exactly what I am saying.

From an education standpoint, it's awesome to have involved parents and LIKELY the biggest factor in success, but the BOE has to realize the other side of the coin is that we aren't going to tolerate the BS getting shoveled at us. Oh yeah, I know there are parents that take it to the extreme to the point of being counter-productive and all, but don't think that's the norm. The school system works because of all of us, too apathetic, too involved, etc. The fact is that Fayette County schools still turned out good grads despite 2 SPLOST failures before. Since then you've had a bond issue that was successful,a steady raising of the school millage, and then a colossal FAIL on redistricting that started with a pathetic attempt to violate the Open Meetings Act that poisoned the whole process and made the $$$ spent on the expert seem completely wasted. Sam Sweat is employed for exactly what reason? Your board attorney who is as clueless about a very simple law as the Clayton County school board's idiot Dorsey was..... is contracted for what reason? Don't have enough people to handle all of this? HIRE BETTER PEOPLE.

Whoever thought that leasing computers for SIX YEARS had better not be still drawing a paycheck. I can't fathom that kind of incompetence.

I'm sure the Board thought no one really cared too much since it was a nice night for the incumbents, but the surprise SPLOST that suddenly appeared and had been obviously researched because it even had a dandy Powerpoint presentation already prepared has pushed it too far.

"Whoever thought that leasing computers for SIX YEARS had better not be still drawing a paycheck. I can't fathom that kind of incompetence."

They probably have an assistant now.

Sugarfoot, if your objection is that the equipment will be obsolete and the BOE will be upside down in the lease at about year 3, you are right. However, leasing technology in an environment where you need to refresh obsolete technology periodically is a good idea. At the end of the lease you send the stuff back to the company and lease the latest and greatest. When you buy a computer, once it's obsolete, you have to deal with disposing of it and you can't put it in a landfill. When you lease it, the company gets it back and can sell it to a school in a developing country or canibalize it for refurbishing other computers. Either way, it's not your headache. So, while 6 years is excessive, leasing in and of itself is not a bad move.

Guess who pays the leasing companies? The lessors. Guess who's going to pay for the technology that's tossed away? The lessors.

Any more questions?

Now why would you not expect that?
Cars are leased for three and then 2-3 again by a huge amount of people and then they still owe much more than a 5-6 year old car is possibly worth!
Technically, one leases their home if they aren't paying anything much on the principle!

Anyway, If the leasor of the computers for six years had asked for the cash in one year to pay for the computers, there would have been NO computers atall.
Money is no objection!

Check out the the FCBE site. Notice all of the Directors, Coordinators, Assistants etc.

I haven't read anything about their jobs being in jeopardy.

My opinion is the people who didn't take the time to vote put J. Smola and T. Smith back in office.

Maybe you didn't see Sonny (our gubernator) and his article in today's AJC?

He said the school systems simply wasted the extra money he sent them by adding to expenses instead of paying their bills with what they had!!!!

Does that surprise anyone?

I don't trust Sonny either---seems to me he said a year ago that we had money coming out of our ears and noses at the state level---now he is broke.

but will read. The only thing I really have to say is, wish I could operate this way!!! Do whatever I wished with my money, pay bills or not, then get someone else to bail me out. Durn, what a set up!

Regardless of what many folks might say (I even say it sometimes) but there are a lot of state workers in the educational arena that work very very hard, and it is a shame this is one of the first places "state ordered budget cuts" hit.

Could you describe those "lot of state workers in education who work very, very hard," for me?

Words need describing: "workers" (denotes sweat and fast effort and effort that pays off); "Very, very hard" ( denotes inordinate amounts of sweat and results); Also, do they ever see students?

you know I'd 'bout as soon dig a ditch than to have to be in the classroom every single day with some of these little "darlings". Yes the state workers I refer to do see students, and they do get results, thus they do work very very hard.

I'm not trying to be cantankerous but it is my understanding that teachers work for the county---not the state!

If you are talking about helpers who may be paid by the state in some fashion, then maybe I understand!

I was talking about those who are not the primary responsible person in a class room! county or state.

You are correct. During the campaign season, Board members Smola and Smith continually bragged about how they were able to keep programs fully funded despite large state cutbacks.

Now that their re-elections are secure, they've embarked on a crash program to put a SPLOST initiative on the ballot in November. In one respect, this has been nothing short of a political tour-de-force, breathtaking in its audacity, depending largely on the apathy of voters. And Joe Voter sees county test scores remaining high and says to himself: heck they must be doing something right.

Here is the real truth: The county RENTED thousands of personal computers back in 2003 for six years. They ALL must be replaced in 2009. A prudent school board would have set aside a reserve each year to pay for the eventual replacement (1/6 of the cost per year for six years). Our school board didn't do that. They used that money instead to fund more and more positions, diesel mechanics and parapros. The school system morphed into a huge jobs program for the county, paid for by your tax dollars.

Now the bill is due for computers and other things, and the school system doesn't have the money. They've backed the taxpayers into a corner: either layoffs and no computers, or give us a SPLOST. The school system employees, looking out for their own best interests, will of course go for the SPLOST, so the SPLOST proponents have a built in 4000 vote advantage.

The SPLOST by law cannot pay school employee salaries, so the board will move the PC budget over to SPLOST and use the savings in the general budget to continue to fund the non-state-funded positions.

If you look at the "big picture", the large developers of Fayette county have convinced the various commissioners and board of education to pre-build a massive new infrastructure using current taxpayer dollars in the new "Fayetteville Loop" corridor. Brand new roads, sewer, and schools are being pre-built, so that the developers can come in and build subdivisions with the major amenities already in place.

Great news for developers.
Not so great news for taxpayers.

"During the campaign season, Board members Smola and Smith continually bragged about how they were able to keep programs fully funded despite large state cutbacks."

I would think 'distorting facts' and keeping this big grand canyon of no money from the taxpayers till after the elections, would be grounds for a recall? That sounds fraudulent, at best, to me.

Do you know if any former SPLOSTS or BONDS have been retired lately?
Or are we simply adding more?

SPLOSTS never retire...they always seem to get voted on again and again and again...

None that I'm aware of.

Are you sure about the computer replacement having no depreciation charged to the budget, each of six years, to replace them?

What kind of accounting do they use?

Tennis Center type? Airport type? Amphitheater type?

Looks like ..some.. on the BOE have the pom poms out for the developers to cheer them on at our expense.

Now I wonder why that would happen? What do some family members do for a living?

I wonder how those school system employees, thinking they were securing their jobs, feel about how they voted in the last election now?

I wonder if they feel as had as some of us do?

I really hate to find the same ax but when jobs are scarce, you will find job creation on the tax dole as the main priority if it is allowed.

The only way it seems to prevent such happenings, is to throw the bums out.

Jobs are getting more and more scarce due to our lack of manufacturing and industry in this whole country.
Banks, insurance companies, hospitals, medical industry. and some others have invented all of the jobs we can stand. Time for the screw to tighten and some will have to work for less dough! Airlines are suffering some of this now.

you got it right, as right as the confusing way it was put out there. As far as I'm concerned, we were not given all the facts to have a fair election! How can you have an honest election if the BOE is witholding facts like, maybe we gonna tax you some more, maybe we gonna let some teachers go, and yeah, we need more assistants to assistants to think this mess up and keep you in the dark!

the reason for the over crowding may have been that they bought extra land around the school and then resold it to the developers, that sort of puts the local kids right back to square one with the overcrowding doesn't it?