To

pave the way for another school sales tax

referendum, a citizens group Monday night asked

the Fayette County Board of Education to share

power with them.

The

group, known as Citizens for Quality Education,

proposed a steering committee to monitor and

manage a school building program. CQE evolved

from the political action committee formed last

summer to promote passage of the one-cent special

local option sales tax, designed to raise $90

million for school construction. The referendum

failed in a September vote, the second time

that's happened in the past three years.

Chaired

steering committee composed of county and

municipal officials, construction experts and

knowledgeable parents from across the county.

Speaking

in favor of organizing a steering committee was

Peachtree City Mayor Bob Lenox, who said all

local government entities need to pay more

attention to growth problems facing the board of

education. He offered the committee as a

"means of marshalling community

leadership," and "bringing credibility

to the plans."

"I

like the idea of working toward the same

goals," said Debbie Condon, board of

education chairman. She advised Lenox and Smola

to sit down with school superintendent John

DeCotis to discuss their plans. "This, or

something like it, will lead to greater

communication," Lenox said.

Smola

said the idea of organizing a committee to

specifically address building schools came as a

result of numerous conversations with citizens

leery of the SPLOST, which was voted down in

September.

"Many

voters were concerned about funding, the limited

uses of development impact fees and the thought

that it [SPLOST] would encourage growth,"

Smola said. "But the single most verbal

concern was how to manage the proposed

projects."

handout from CQE stated that the long-term

steering and oversight committee would organize

"for the purpose of assisting the Fayette

County Board of Education in planning for,

locating, and financing school facilities in

Fayette County. CQE also intends to be an

integral part of the design and construction

process."

The

committee calls for 15 volunteer community

leaders who would make recommendations to the

board by June 1, 2000 on what facilities they

believed would be needed by the school system

over a six-year period.

Their

recommendations would include type, size and

general specifications for each new facility, the

general and optimal location for each new

facility, the scope, nature and rationale for

additions or renovations to existing facilities,

a phasing plan on all projects with completion

dates, and the best methods of funding the

projects.

Procedures

for management would be recommended to the board

facilities planning and design, construction

bidding, contracting parameters and construction

management and oversight procedures.

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