Students attending Coweta County schools head back to class Monday to begin the 2006-07 school year.

Coweta County Schools are expecting well over 21,000 students to be enrolled during the 2006-2007 school year, following average growth of close to 1,000 students per year in recent years, officials said.

There are several changes in Coweta County Schools for the 2006-07 school year. Elementary and middle school district changes recommended by the system’s parent redistricting committee go into effect this year. High School districts have not changed.

Middle and high school students no longer are required to use clear and mesh bookbags during the new school year, although county-wide dress standards have not otherwise changed.

For more information about school registration, dress codes, school districts, bus routes and other topics, visit the Coweta County Schools website at www.cowetaschools.org

Bus routes have changed as well because of the new schools and school districts, and also can be found online at www.cowetaschools.org. The routes presented there are for the first day of school and are listed by school. If parents do not see their street listed, or have any question about routes, they should call the system transportation department at 770-254-2820.

On the first day of school, all students who ride the bus should be ready for pick-up no later than 7:00 a.m. Standard pick-up and drop-off times should become clear and set as the school year progresses.

Though bus routes have changed, bus stop sites should remain the same this year, so students can report to bus pick-up sites used last year. If parents are unsure about pick-up sites, students should await the bus at the end of their homes’ driveway or – if a home is on a street or cul-de-sac of two-tenths of a mile or less in length – then students should wait for the bus on the nearest street corner.

Typically, school enrollment numbers continue to grow through the month of August, and bus ridership increases in the first few weeks of schools as many parents shift from car transportation to bus transportation. The routes and assigned buses listed here are subject to change in the weeks following August 7, depending on school growth and ridership patterns.

The Coweta County School System transportation department administers 168 regular school bus routes and 43 special education bus routes. Based on averages from the 2005-2006 school year, Coweta school buses transport about 15,000 students over 13,000 miles daily.

Schools opened this week for registration of new students, and each individual schools will host its own evening Open House event.

The system has hired 235 new teachers this year, 90 of which were added to keep up with growth and new class size restrictions, officials said. 2006 Teacher of the Year Terri Buckland of Poplar Road Elementary School spoke to the new teacher breakfast Monday at the school system’s Centre for Performing and Visual Arts; the annual breakfast is sponsored by Coweta County banks.

To keep up with growth, two new schools are being opened this year.

On Sunday, August 6, Welch Elementary School will be dedicated at 2 p.m., at the Mary Freeman Road campus. Welch is Coweta’s 18th elementary school, and is named for former Superintendent of Schools Bobby Welch, who is the keynote speaker at the dedication ceremony.

The community is invited to attend the Sunday dedication of Welch, and the 3:30 p.m.
rededication of Ruth Hill Elementary School, which has been fully remodeled and expanded through a new 10-classroom addition.

A dedication was held Sunday, July 31, for the new Lee Middle School, on Willis Road. The school is named for Dr. Robert Lee – Coweta County Superintendent from 1969 to 1989 – who attended the dedication of Coweta’s sixth middle school.

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