The Coweta County School Board is asking for a state-required waiver to increase class sizes in two middle schools and five elementary schools. Most of the waiver requests resulted from an increase in classes for gifted students.

Superintendent Blake Bass said that state law requires a waiver request for classes that increase in size when that number exceeds the maximum number of students permitted. The resolution accompanying the request will serve for the remainder of the 2008-2009 year.

The schools identified in the request included Madras Middle, Atkinson Elementary, Willis Road Elementary, Elm Street Elementary, East Coweta Middle, Ruth Hill Elementary and Thomas Crossroads Elementary.

All the schools involved had between 1-3 students registered for the second semester that causes the state-mandated maximum class sizes to be exceeded.

Responding to questions by board members, Bass said the waiver request was for a one year period and that it would not prevent future waiver requests by the school system.

“Most of these are gifted students,” board member Sue Brown said of the 19 students that triggered the request. “I think that speaks highly of the county.”

Also at the meeting, board members elected officers for 2009. The board unanimously approved Steve Bedrosian as Chairman, Sue Brown as Vice-Chairman, Winston Dowdell as Secretary and Graylin Ward as Treasurer.

And addressing the construction of the new Brooks Elementary in north Coweta, Associate Superintendent Jerry Davis said nearly all concrete applications are complete and that all structural steel erection and metal roofing will be “dried-in” by mid-January. He said brick work is proceeding along the west elevation and that window installation has begun.

The school is scheduled to open in August and is expected to serve approximately 650 students.