It was like a preemptive strike based on the potential that the operation of a long-time local institution might be coming to a close. The Tyrone Town Council Sept. 15 unanimously approved a letter to the Fayette County Board of Education and Superintendent Jeff Bearden stating that any attempt to close the town’s elementary school would be a mistake.
The brief letter referenced the ongoing dilemma faced by the school board, that of finding ways to either raise millions in revenue or institute millions in cuts, or a combination of both, in order to adopt a state-required balanced budget in July 2012. The possible closure of Tyrone Elementary School as a part of the “solution to an inevitable budget shortfall” is something the council said it was not willing to entertain.
“On behalf of the citizens of the Town of Tyrone, we are writing to express our adamant opposition to the closure of Tyrone Elementary and reallocation of its students. Tyrone Elementary School has been a fixture in this town and county for the better part of a century and is considered a vital part of the appeal of the community. Our town depends on this school for the success of many local businesses and as a draw for parents who want their children in an outstanding school,” the letter said. “To close this school when there are other alternatives available to save taxpayer dollars would be a dreadful mistake financially, politically and administratively. We respectfully ask that you remove Tyrone Elementary School from the list of schools being considered for closure.”
The Town Council letter also noted the school’s positive standing in the community and its long-time service to families. Their examples included the school’s standing as a Georgia School of Excellence, third grade students that recently ranked third in the state on math CRCT scores, an extremely low teacher turnover rate and the recent recognition of Principal Eddie Pollard as one of the Most Outstanding Principals in Georgia.
“Success and excellent performance should not be penalized,” the letter said.
The council also urged Tyrone residents to take the school system’s online survey that contains a question about the possible closure of two unnamed elementary schools.
The school board for its part is faced with a series on ongoing budgetary discussions targeting a variety of actions that will be needed to offset the continuation of shrinking revenues that currently includes the need to come up with an estimated $10 million to adopt a balanced budget next spring.
Whatever the solution, there is no way to avoid the realization that Fayette County’s decades of growth has, at least temporarily, come to a halt. Student enrollment, for an example, continues to fall and is now at the level seen nearly a decade ago. And enrollment translates directly into dollars since each student generates approximately $4,000 in state funding. And on the other side of the revenue coin, money generated from local property tax revenues to run the school system continues to decline, with Fayette losing approximately 12 percent of its property value in the past two years.
