Fayette

County will be "hit hard" by Gov. Roy

Barnes' education reform package, predicts state

Rep. Kathy Cox of Peachtree City.

But

the full effects of the reforms won't be felt for

about three years in Fayette, she said.

"We're

not going to see a whole lot of changes in

Fayette County," Cox said. The four-year

phase-in period for class size reduction,

end-of-course testing and the three-year phase-in

for school councils will be a gradual process,

according to Cox. But in three years, she

believes local taxpayers will be "hit

hard" as the result of a climbing tax digest

and cuts in federal spending for schools.

Cox

is tying up the loose ends on bills initiated

during her second legislative session and has

resumed her teaching post at Sandy Creek High

School.

Her

fight to tack on several amendments to the

education bill was an uphill struggle, she said.

"The first three or four weeks of the

session, I felt disheartened and

disillusioned," she said, recalling her

attempt to make sense of the education bill.

The

consensus among lawmakers was that the real

problem with Georgia schools lies with the

educators, Cox said, adding, "I felt it was

insulting." Cox believes the end-of-course

testing for high school students will be

ineffective and can be used against teachers. The

test does not count for a grade, although Cox was

able to tack on an amendment that allows local

boards of education to optionally use the test

for 20 percent of the student's grade.

The

state-generated test is intended to measure the

schools' and the teachers' performance. Students

can intentionally fail the test with no

repercussions, as it now stands, Cox said. Cox's

amendment still has to be signed by the governor.

One

part of the education bill that Cox believes did

not get a lot of attention, but has the potential

for becoming a real headache for school

principals, PTO's and local school boards, is the

proposed school council. This is a state-mandated

committee of six people that can make changes and

proposals without local board approval.

"This

year, one elementary, one middle and one high

school in each school district must have a

council," Cox said. By the second year, 50

percent of the schools must have councils in

place, and by the third year, every school must

have a council. Each council will be composed of

two teachers, elected by their colleagues, two

parents and two business people who are working

with the school in the "Partners in

Education" program, Cox explained.

While

Fayette County has just 26 public schools, Cobb

County has 97. The logistics of keeping an eye on

these committees can be overwhelming, Cox said.

While

funding reallocations will not be fully felt all

at once, the loss of more than $500,000 in grant

money for non-science lab classes is an immediate

strike against the Fayette system, she said.

Writing labs, for instance, have been an integral

part of classroom learning for local students for

about 10 years, Cox said. The results have

increased SAT scores significantly, she said.

Also,

she expects to see fewer pilot programs and

"less and less" classes like the

humanities program being eliminated after this

year at McIntosh High School.

The

educational package received the most attention

during the legislative session, but other bills

which directly affect Fayette County residents

include state takeover of the juvenile intake

system, which provides about $50,000 in local tax

relief; the green space bill which encourages

Georgia counties to voluntarily designate up to

20 percent of their land for permanent green

space and be reimbursed by the state; the

increase in the homestead exemption.

Cox

will officially launch her bid for a second term

April 29.

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