Proposals

for changes in the state's Quality Basic

Education formulas for funding, which seem to

change daily, have Fayette County school

officials on edge.

"We're

having a hard time finding out how this will

affect us," John DeCotis, Fayette County

school superintendent, told the board Monday

night.

At

this point, DeCotis said Fayette County will be

required to increase its fair share contribution

- state funds that prosperous counties

forego in favor of poorer counties - from

$11.9 million in fiscal year 2000 to $13.4

million in fiscal year 2001, resulting in a net

loss of $1.5 million, if Gov. Roy Barnes'

education proposals become law.

And

the governor is sticking by his proposals, said

DeCotis. "Jim Stephens and I, along with

[state] representatives Lynn Westmoreland and

Kathy Cox, met with Tom Wagner, deputy director

of the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget

on Friday, Feb. 4, to discuss the changes in the

formula. We were informed that there was little

likelihood that any substantial changes to the

proposals would be forthcoming," DeCotis

said.

Growth

in the value of taxable property in Fayette would

cause an increase in Fayette's fair share

payments regardless of the governor's proposals,

according to DeCotis.

"In

1997, the [tax] digest grew by 9 percent; in

1998, it grew by 16.4 percent and by 9.3 percent

in 1999. These growth factors play an important

role in computation of the local fair share and

the equalization grants, and these two components

of the state allotments will impact heavily on

the amount of state funds to be allocated to our

system in fiscal year 2001," DeCotis said.

Growth

in the tax digest will cost the Fayette County

school system $826,887 whether the governor's

education reform package passes in the Senate or

not, according to DeCotis. However, the most

recent news is that implementation will take

place over four years, softening the financial

blow to Fayette County and the other counties

listed among the state's most prosperous.

On

the bright side, DeCotis said, "We're in a

little better shape than we anticipated."

While the system will still have to give up more

money to the state, the governor will also be

giving back money for some specific purposes.

Another plus is the school system's already low

teacher-student ratio.

Pam

Riddle, on staff in the district office, told the

board that she and the director of human

resources are trying to formulate projections at

a 20:1 teacher-student ratio. "We're on hold

until we see the governor's proposal,"

Riddle said.

DeCotis

noted other issues that may be included in the

governor's reform plan that would affect the

county, such as proposed cuts in the

transportation budget, elimination of funding for

vocational, writing and language labs, and cuts

in planning time from 90 minutes to 55 minutes

for middle school and high school teachers.

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