Classrooms,

technology and security - these are the

three areas Fayette County's Board of Education

is focusing on funding through a sales tax or

bond referendum in the neighborhood of $85 to $95

million.

board work session Monday night brought the needs

of a rapidly growing county to the forefront, as

administrators in the school district and funding

specialists bombarded the board with facts,

figures and options. Proposed facilities include

two new elementary schools (40 classrooms), a new

middle school (65 classrooms) and a new high

school (90 classrooms), plus additions at

existing schools (54 classrooms) to a total of

289 classrooms.

"With

the addition of 289 classrooms, we will provide

seats for 5,202 students over the next five

years," said Ed Steil, technology

coordinator for the school district. He estimated

900 new students will enter county schools every

year for the next five years. Charts showed

steady increases in the elementary grades but an

overload in the middle schools.

"A

lot of people move in the middle school years to

get ready for high school entrance," Steil

said. Eventually, this "bubble" of

students floods the high schools, he added.

Fayette

County schools currently have 19,909 students

filling 1,110 classrooms plus 97 portable

classrooms. Many schools are already

"bursting at the seams," according to

facilities director Mike Satterfield. State

funding for one elementary school and a middle

school has already been approved. The catch is

that the board has to come up with a local $12

million share in order to receive the $8 million

in state money.

Timetables

are firm, with bids to be let for the elementary

construction by next spring and construction to

begin next June. With the most rapid growth being

felt in the south and west sectors of the county,

planners are looking at property in those two

areas with the first elementary school to go in

either place.

Property

for an elementary and high school is being looked

at south of Fayetteville with additional land

needs west of Fayetteville for an elementary,

middle and, later, a high school.

The

mega funding project is based on the proposals

contained in the 1997 Special Purpose Local

Options Sales Tax package, which failed. "We

refined it, added information and looked at

facilities equity," Satterfield said.

Security

proposals include 30 color cameras, two color

monitors, two multiplexers, two walk-through

metal detectors and two hand-held metal detectors

for the elementary schools; 45 color cameras,

three color monitors, three mulitplexers, three

walk-through metal detectors and three hand-held

metal detectors for middle schools; and 60 color

cameras, four color monitors, four mulitplexers,

four walk-through metal detectors and four

hand-held metal detectors for the high schools.

Total

cost for the new security equipment is estimated

at $1.6 million.

Plans

for upgrading technology in the county's schools

and offices included extensive rewiring with

fiber optics, replacing dated computers and

adding software over a period of five years with

a grand year total of $11.98 million.

The

board is looking at three funding options.

"We can go with a bond referendum, go with a

sales tax only or come up with a sales tax with a

bond attached to it to start projects

immediately. We can pay off the the bonds with

the sales tax as it comes in," said Dr. John

DeCotis, school superintendent.

decision must be made as early as next month if

the board goes for a September vote, or a tad

later to be on the November ballot.

289

new classrooms to be added

1 new high school

- 90 classrooms

1 new middle school

- 65 classrooms

2 new elementary

schools - 40 classrooms

Additions to

existing schools - 54 classrooms

Will

accommodate 5,202 new students over 5 years

Current classrooms

- 1,110 and 97 portables

Current student

population - 19,909

-

Source: Fayette County School System

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