Thank you!!!

Unless I miss my guess these Jokers will be pensioned off at full pension!
That is what they held out for: to be fired!

Government officials have to guard against requests that represent harassment.

Where in the Open Records Act is that in any way implied? I went to the State's website concerning the Open Records Act as well as the First Amendment Foundation's site, and neither says anything whatsoever about requests that might be designed to "harass." I can't find any reference anywhere to any case in GA that backs up what you claim. The actual fact is the intent behind the open record request is completely meaningless...if it's a legal request, the government has to comply or face punishment. Whether the government likes it or not or thinks the info will be used for some nefarious purpose is utterly meaningless.

Those who make requests under the Open Records Act have a duty to help themselves by making requests that are reasonable and by offering to assist by looking up the records themselves.

They have no such "duty" whatsoever to do the above. "offering to help...." lol.

What is this crap about "helping" the clerks look up items?

You want citizens scrounging through everyone's records?

Isn't that what we pay the clerks to do?

It should be simple: fill out a form as to what you want, have the chief executive of the records control sign it as approved or disapproved, and go on with it!

No lawyer writing a citizen!

..but common sense left the Fayette board a while ago, though you have to "admire" how they were able to devote so much time to SPLOST and not have it mentioned at all until post-election.

Another thing about the request their lawyer got involved in: the law states the work performed in gathering the records for the request must be performed by the lowest-paid employee qualified to do the job. According to the attorney, in this case the only employees "qualified" seem to making about $45K a year. I shudder to think what that means: anyone making less than 45K at BOE is incapable of retrieving public records? Somewhere in the BOE are probably more than a few employees who feel insulted by their attorney deeming them too incompetent to do clerical work.

Well you se NUK the supervisor doesn't want to audit what the clerk does. That would mean work for them on top of their breaks!

"you have to "admire" how they were able to devote so much time to SPLOST and not have it mentioned at all until post-election."

Yeah, that is amazing! Smola and Smith should be ashamed of themselves. They think they are so much smarter and no on will catch on. Smola wallows in the SAT scores as proof she is some super star.

Did she notice the 3 Cowette high schools beat the pants off Sandy Creek, Fayette county high, and White Water? Guess that just kinda slipped her mind. Musta been shopin at the Avenue and lookin at licence plates.

not

why

Only about 20-30% of the sales tax will be paid by out of county shoppers, the rest will paid by us. You all need to think of it this way, you can not write off sales tax on your taxes. If it is attached to your property tax you can!
And you are right, it is not about how much we dislike the BOE, It is about how much we distrust them with OUR MONEY!

Write in Nicole File against Smola in Nov!

Thank you T. Morris and Notjustcomplaining!

Well written!

When Ms Smola first took office on the BOE, she was appalled that it had no debt. Guess she fixed that.

"FCBOE must be out of their minds as one week they claim they need money to survive and the next week they’re breaking ground on another unnecessary new school."

No, the three muskateers think you are out of YOUR mind and will give them the money!

As frustrated as you may be that you weren't informed about the SPLOST until recently, you would have to be a fool to wish that it would not pass. Do you understand the consequences of this not passing? Evey parapro in the K and 1st grades will lose their jobs. The music, art, one band teacher from each middle and high school, a vice principal from each middle and high school will also lose their jobs. Not only is this terrible for the teachers, but what about the students? You must not have young children in the Fayette County school system. If you are going to be this ignorant, then move to a less fortunate county like Clayton county, where the school system is not the number one priority.

Clayton County has a SPLOST and look where it's gotten them??? But that's besides the point. Not Every parapro in K and 1st grade would lose their jobs. The BoE has said that there would be job sharing for parapros. Also, WHY pray tell doe we need 4 Asst Principals in each HS? My HS (which had over 2200 students) had 1 Principal and 2 Asst Principal's and it was fine. We also had 1 Band Director and 1 Orchestra Director. There are a lot of cuts that can be made without hindering the day to day running of the schools. Once all of the cuts are made, THEN go the voters if a SPLOST is still needed.

Remember...the fish starts stinking at the head!

If "rewarding" the BOE and others in Fayette County for being dishonest and deceitful was what voters should have done in the past, Fayette would be in as bad of shape as Clayton and similar already are.

The "it's for the children" is BS and an attempt to divert attention away from the incompetence of the BOE. Sorry, no blank checkbook for the BOE, it will only encourage in the future more of the below-board and disgusting behavior they have done on this SPLOST issue.

Think about the children entering the Fayette system in the future as much as you do about the ones already enrolled. Oh wait.....that doesn't affect you because they'll be out of the system and it will be someone else's problem!

The draconian cuts mentioned by BOE are purely designed to scare people into approving the SPLOST. There are plenty of other staff positions in the BOE system that could be eliminated before it gets to that point, and the board knows it. They've obviously researched the issue at length in secret and don't want the voters to see detailed information and other scenarios.

I'm sorry, but "TRUST ME" doesn't cut it whatsoever and it needs to go down in defeat.

I see people commenting at length that there are "plenty of other staff positions" that can be cut to save money. This disregards the fact that many positions are MANDATED by the State and others that are specifically paid for by the state funds allocations. The FCBOE gets wedged into a corner where they can't cut many of the positions due to state rules, so they must choose the cuts from the other non-mandated positions. What are left are those positions in the fine arts, para-pros, etc. that the state does not deem critical.

It is exactly those positions that make the Fayette system exceptional - don't miss the fact that our system was the only one in metro Atlanta to have ALL schools pass the state progress assessments! The bottom line is that we get what we pay for; if we reduce our education spending in the county we will get a poor quality graduate at the end of the process.

I for one don't mind paying an extra 1% on each purchase - and having every Coweta-Clayton-Fulton person who shops in our county do the same - to help pay for the "extras" that make our school system such a success.

Which positions are specifically mandated?? Are we required to have such a large district staff? Are we required to have so many administrators to supervise the teaching of 40 students (alternative school)?

You're saying that the state Mandates 4 Asst Principals in 1 HS, 2 Band Directors in 1 HS, at least 1 person in the county office who's sole job is to make copies, etc? Do you know of a website that I can go to so that I can see what positions are Mandated?

The Fayette County Board of Ed is trying to pull a fast one on us. Janet Smola is a snake. It's too darn bad that only 4 percent of the voters can bother to show up and leave that snake in place.

After I vomitted a couple of times, it didn't feel so bad to agree with Nuk on an issue.

Vote Republican

It's an acquired taste

I can just feel the unity now! Our cause is just when Spear Road Guy and I agree on something.

It isn't about people not caring about their kids, and it isn't about anyone wanting to see teachers loose their jobs, because neither is the case.

It is about wanting to make 3 people be more responsible with our money. No one is going to let the kids do without or the teachers go. If they have to make do with the left overs of what they squandered, I'm sure everyone will make sure if anyone is gotten rid of, it will be the assistants to the assistants to the assistants.
If they try to do anything else, I'm sure we could get a recall going real easy.

I will continue to support SPLOST and if you are unhappy with how they spend the money they have, then move. Also, the new school was passed in the 2008 bond and it is required by law that the money be used for what it was voted on. I am not sure how involved you are in the schools, but I can't name any assisstants to assisstants to assisstants in the schools.

I will continue to support SPLOST and if you are unhappy with how they spend the money they have, then move.

I'll tell you what: I'll continue to oppose SPLOST and how they spend the money they have, and if you don't like it, then you move. Na-na-na-na-na-na-na!

There wasn't any school bond passed in 2008. Sure you meant 2004 but it also doesn't require the school board to build schools that aren't needed. They thought the school would be needed because they royally screwed-up. You cannot spend bond funds for other purposes than what is stated in the bond issue, but the bonds don't obligate the BOE to spend all funds immediately either.

Wow, you are cool. I am aware of when the bond was voted on, I said a 2008 bond. Which meant it would be used in 2008. It is not the school systems fault that residential areas that were supposed to support the new school have not been built. When the board makes decision they are based on current growth patterns. No one knew the developers of nearby neighborhoods would go bankrupt.

I'm still trying to understand the logic that we ...must...close one elementary school this year because if we don't, our ratio will be down and we will loose Fed funding, yet, we are building another elementary school for next year. If we are gonna have less kids in school, or about the same number next year, wouldn't that put us right back with a lower ratio that the Feds won't fund?

Or did I leave something out? Like Clayton county kids? or the developers building on those 1/2 lots next to the new schools and filling them up? ???? answers anyone? ?

Please read my letter to the editor if it is published this week. The BOE in each county can admit students from out of county "if there is room". Juxtapose this against the fact that our State Super of Schools has promised to use all state laws to insure attendance for the students of Clayton County in accredited systems, and you can figure the rest out. We as taxpayers will be funding kids who's moms and dads have let this happen to their children at our expense.

James Wingo

Although I am not one to read liberal literature, a friend gave me a copy of "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein. It details instance after instance in which Republicans (at the behest of their Robber Baron Masters) have manufactured disasters (or merely conspired to neglect the things that prevent them) and then, used the circumstances to pass legislation that favors Big Business. And, to be clear, smaller businesses (like those in Fayette County) NEVER benefit from this stuff.

I predict that Sonny Purdoo-doo is going to use this opportunity to privatize education through a voucher system. He'll have to call the General Assembly back in session to do it. And since the legislators just happen to be there, we'll privatize the projects GDOT can't fund . . . oh, and the state mental health system while we're at it and, rather than waste all that gas the legislators had to use to come back in session we might as well. . . .

As I see it, you have two choices:

1) turn up the heat on Kathy ("oops-did-I-forget-to-mention-the-test-changed") Cox, the Governor, our State Reps and, especially, John DeCotis OR

2) have fun spending your hard-earned tax dollars for out-of-county kids with remedial education needs (that cost a lot of money to fix and drag down our statistics) and behavioral problems (that our well-adjusted children don't have) and who are the victims of parental neglect and bad attitudes that will drive off our great Fayette School System teachers who have been the centerpiece of our educational success.

It's your choice, Fayette County. Don't take too long to make up your mind.

-------------------------------
If you and I are always in agreement, one of us is likely armed and dangerous.

LOL I wish I had thought of that. I think Sonny will do what benefits Sonny. Kathy Cox, same thing. Remember, Ms. Cox is going to be on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader. I hope she answers the Social Studies and Math questions wrong.

Flood all of them with telephone calls, letters, whatever it takes.

I think you are 100% right, I just want to hear it out of the mouths of the 3 amigos. So far, they are saying no. I think their only prayer is that the gov tells them they have to take these kids. That saves them from the lower ratio next year, and they can say it wasnt their fault. they made us do it!