How much has the Fayette County Board of Education spent on “climate surveys” at certain schools. The bigger question should really focus on what they are doing with the results. Clearly, something is not right in that particular school. However, to do the survey without taking corrective action as to the results is a complete joke and waste of time and resources. Furthermore, failing to respond appropriately only worsens the already low morale. Needless to say, that’s the last thing needed during these times of hardship. When appropriate action is taken, everyone will be asking the million dollar question: “What took you so long?” By the way, the specific survey in question deals with the administration at Cleveland Elementary. Come on, guys, wake up and smell the coffee. Better yet, live up to the role of a leader at the county level and do what all the clues have been telling you to do: Take action and clean it up. Hint: just look at the high turnover rate.

- - - - - - - - - - -

While everything is changing within the Fayette County schools, can we request a new resource officer for FCHS? During the last five years that I’ve had children in that school, our students have NEVER experienced a “Ghost Out” or had a wrecked vehicle displayed on school property in order to illustrate what can happen due to speeding, drunk driving, driving under the influence, etc. With FCHS’s reputation, the school needs an SRO who will be very involved in the day-to-day activities and continue to bring educational programs to the student body.

- - - - - - - - - - -

As good as it sounds for the BOE to keep all paraprofessionals, there is a foreign language lab parapro who is getting paid to sit in a lab room and read her paperback books. During the infrequent times classes are in the lab room, this particular parapro doesn’t actually help students with the computer program, or assist the teacher and students, but is focused on keeping the room clean and the room quiet. I’m sure a lot of employees from each school can pin-point one or more employees who basically earn their salary for doing something next to nothing.

- - - - - - - - - - -

If FCHS doesn’t start getting very tough, and consistent, with its discipline, that school is going to continue on it’s swift downfall. Please get rid of the administrator who dismisses valid discipline problems written up and reported by teachers, staff and substitute teachers. It’s very apparent to the behaviorally challenged students that they will not get in much trouble, if any at all, when they go before this particular female AP. As long as the administration doesn’t back up its faculty and staff on serious issues such as discipline, the bad eggs will continue to misbehave and have no fear for their actions.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Six months ago suggestions were made to reduce school district spending, now six months later the district is mothballing a school. You spent money you did not have and now you want to penalize your employees. I do not work for the district; however, let me be clear: the board, superintendent, comptroller and financial team need to resign. You all have politicked enough, took advantage of land buys/sales and made some horrible decisions that you ought to have known better. If you did not know better or planned for a rainy day, then you all are not the right people to lead our schools. You also designated a review team made up of your own choices. Once again, you all need to resign because if you made these decisions in a real business, you would have been fired.

- - - - - - - - - - -

With all the budget cuts in the school system, why is the county level list of administrators (and the central office) still so bloated? How can these people sleep at night? Why was a principal appointed to a position that should have been frozen when it became vacant?

- - - - - - - - - - -

Try as I might, I just can’t seem to muster much sympathy for the high school parking lot attendants who are whining about possibly losing their benefits. They may be the only people in America today who work part-time (20 hours a week) yet have full employer-paid benefits such as health insurance and disability. And yet, the school board opted to keep the status quo for these folks. They’re mighty generous with our tax dollars.

- - - - - - - - - - -

When it is not your money, there is no need to plan or forecast. Here is some advice to the district: do not cut teachers’ pay or benefits. Eliminate winter and spring break as that will shorten the school year, have all out of county students pay the tuition that it costs to educate a student regardless of whether their parent is an employee (out of county means out of county, no buts about it and if you cannot do it, put it on a ballot for the taxpayers to vote on, since we fund the schools), stop construction on the new school and eliminate all school trips that are not revenue producers. Unfortunately these are tough decisions; however, for one year, hard times call for hard decisions. You put yourself in this situation; figure it out without hurting your employees. The superintendent needs to resign and have a business-minded person manage this business.

- - - - - - - - - - -

In the Free Speech last week there were some compelling letters about the compensation level for the superintendent. Many people complain that the rate of compensation is too high and that the number of top administrators is too many. The argument for the talent is that the quality of the education in Fayette County justifies the size of the administrative team and the level of compensation. Now the chips are down and we need our leadership to step forward. Many can lead effectively when things are good. Now is the time when we find out what we really have and we expect a lot.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Does anyone at the Board of Education remember the SPLOST? It passed in November. The Board of Education had a big organized campaign to scare everyone to pass the SPLOST on the November ballot. The FCBOE recruited many teachers, staff and the general public to wave the flag to “Vote yes for the SPLOST.” Luckily for the best interest of our school system, education employees, Fayette County residents and mainly the kids, the SPLOST did pass, so we will avoid having our property taxes raised, teachers eliminated and benefits reduced. The SPLOST passed in November to save the school system, but in only a couple of months we have a major budget deficit. Some fuzzy math.

- - - - - - - - - - -

I know the FCBOE has been taking a lot of heat lately, but a lot of the criticism is deserved. Here’s another example of mismanagement/overspending. Who do you think should be paid more: a teacher with a master’s degree and nearly 20 years of experience or a warehouse worker? Well, if you picked the teacher, you would be wrong. The FCBOE pays one of their warehouse workers nearly $60,000 per year to deliver toilet paper. Yep, that’s right. There’s a warehouse worker whose primary job is to deliver supplies (toilet paper, paper towels, wax) to the schools. Now if that wasn’t bad enough, this warehouse worker only works four hours per day. That’s right. Although his work day begins at 7:30 a.m., he’ll tell you that he can’t make deliveries in the morning because parents are dropping their children off at the schools and he’ll just get in the way. Well, same excuse in the afternoon. Parents are picking their children up in the afternoons, so he doesn’t deliver then either. So, we have a FCBOE employee getting paid $60,000 per year and only works four hours a day to deliver toilet paper. And a teacher with a master’s degree and 20 years experience barely makes the same amount. Hmmm, does this seem right to you? Apparently it does to the FCBOE.

- - - - - - - - - - -

I’d like to make a correction to the sarcastic assertion made in last week’s Citizen’s Free Speech section that we are not training Olympic swimmers at the Kedron Aquatics Center. Where do you think Olympic swimmers train? I won my first national swimming title, made my first Olympic team, and set my first world record in the sport of swimming in a much smaller, “bubbled” pool in Louisville, Ken. If we need to cut out the winter aquatics center because financially it doesn’t make sense in these tough economic times, then so be it. But don’t say we aren’t training Olympians, because it’s in these exact type of facilities in which most of our Olympians are developed.

- - - - - - - - - - -

In the recently-arrived “2009 Guide Covering Coweta and Fayette Counties” is a good article entitled, “Peachtree City is Turning 50!” I suggest you read the article and others like it on the Internet and see how Peachtree City was envisioned by its founders. Then take a look at how that concept is being destroyed by Logsdon, Boone, and Plunkett. Vote accordingly in the next election.

- - - - - - - - - - -

It is encouraging that citizens are willing to step up and run for the PTC City Council and mayor. We have been fooled in the past by pre-election promises of the current “YEA Team” to pay attention to what is important to the citizens. only to be sold out at every turn. We can’t afford another four years of this and it’s time for all of us to begin listening carefully to those who seek these offices. In the current economic situation, we don’t need new (empty) retail outlets. If we can’t refuse legitimate owners from developing their property, the city of PTC certainly has no obligation to change existing zoning, traffic light placement, buffer requirements, and the list goes on, for those without the interest of the city at heart. We don’t need another drug store; we already have one empty grocery store coming up; restaurants are closing all over the county. Who knows, but the developers themselves may be forced into bankruptcy before the projects are completed. Let’s elect people who will stand fast and keep to the plan that made PTC the place we chose to live.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Whose bright idea was it to expand Ga. Highway 74 in Peachtree City to six lanes and then throttle the speed limit back to 45 freakin’ mph? That bugs me almost as much as somebody driving in the left lane but not passing.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The widening of Jimmy Mayfield southbound to Ga. Highway 92 is nearing completion. As you travel this big money SPLOST project, please join me in asking two questions: Who is responsible for including sidewalks in this project? Where are you going to find any pedestrians along this roadway who will utilize these sidewalks? Sidewalks to nowhere for non-existent pedestrians. I can’t wait to see what kind of landscape dollars are going to go into this SPLOST. Then, of course there will be the ongoing expenditures for maintenance of the sidewalks and landscaping. Obviously, we will also have to redo the landscaping at the entrance to the Justice Center that WAS nicely landscaped prior to the widening.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Help wanted: Open position for city of Fayetteville chief of police. Applicants must be able to fill (tiny) shoes of previous chief and interim chief. Double-talk and backwards thinking are required. Benefits include ability to make your own rules as well as a select group of “Yes men/women” at your disposal. Applicants must be willing to be overpaid and under-worked.

- - - - - - - - - - -

I see Tyrone’s new town clerk must be meeting the Council’s standard for open government. The last minutes published on the town’s web site are from December 2008.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The best view of Tyrone I have seen is in my rear view mirror.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Have you read any interesting product labels recently? A report on the product label from Monsanto’s bovine growth hormone states it may cause an increase in somatic cell counts (dead white blood cells) in the milk from cows injected with the hormone. Being so small there is no way to filter those dead cells out of the milk. So if you’re using milk from cows injected with hormones try not to think of the pus you’re pouring on your children’s cereal in the morning.

- - - - - - - - - - -

For all of you that voted for our current president, you are now seeing first-hand the inexperience. The indicator is always the stock market and the experts have it correct: his stimulus plan does not have the content to create jobs. Jobs equal income which equates to spending. It is basic economics and all of you supporters ought to add more Obama stickers to your cars because they weren’t there before the election. And by the way, American businesses will tell you when it’s time to recover, not the government or the inexperienced president.

- - - - - - - - - - -

To the MHS parent who thinks SMHS parents are childish and pitiful: We have a basketball coach that we would be happy to give you. It’s not our athletes that are sorry, it’s our coach.

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am amazed at the venom being spewed toward SMHS basketball coaches. If the parents who are so enraged about the coaching would actually spend time conversing with (rather than yelling insults from the bleachers during games) the coaches, you would see how they truly think highly of their athletes and have their best interests at heart. The basketball program has been attacked repeatedly. These are not NBA players, they are kids. I have noticed that some players’ parents have unrealistic ideas of their child’s talent. A high school coach has somewhat different goals than a pro coach. A high school coach is still a teacher first; he is more interested in molding the player’s future play and character than winning at any cost. My son participates in the basketball program and thinks very highly of the coaches and does not want to disappoint them. He sat on the bench much more than he wanted to, but he respects their decisions. We, as parents, are the most influential role models for our kids. This attitude of blaming coaches and not taking responsibility for our own actions will come back to haunt us in our children. Parents, wake up! You are teaching your child that he can be disrespectful and belligerent to people in authority, and that’s okay. Instead of attacking their coaches, partner with them to find ways to make your child a better player.