Classroom

additions to Whitewater, Booth and Fayette middle

schools may be under construction by late summer

if the State Board of Education approves a

funding plan that would cost the Fayette County

School Board $1 million to $2 million in matching

funds.

Mike

Satterfield, facilities director for the county

schools and cochairman of the newly endorsed

Facilities Advisory and Action Committees,

introduced the plan to the school board at Monday

night's meeting. In essence, the proposal would

use middle school growth funds, which are part of

the state's regular capital outlay funds, as

opposed to lottery exceptional growth funds,

which are more restrictive.

This

approach would ease rapid growth pains at the

middle schools, according to Satterfield, and

cost the school board a fraction of the $9

million required in matching funds to build a

brand new middle school. Although the plan is

merely a stop-gap measure, the board unanimously

agreed it was a "great idea."

The

new approach came about as a result of the

impending loss of $2.7 million in lottery growth

funds for a new elementary school because the

school board cannot provide the estimated $5

million in matching funds to execute the project.

An

application to the state for $3.9 million in

regular capital outlay funds to build a brand new

middle school is still pending, but $9 million in

local funds would be necessary to access it, with

construction scheduled to begin in summer 2001.

Satterfield

acknowledged that a new school will still be

needed in the future, but could be delayed until

sufficient local matching funds are available.

The

addition plan would provide space for 600-700

students by the beginning of the 2001 school

year, Satterfield said.

The

next step is to get state approval. After

speaking initially to Dr. Jerry Rochelle,

director of the Georgia Facilities Services Unit,

Satterfield said, "He has indicated that

this option may be possible."

According

to estimates in the schools' five-year facilities

study, by 2004 the middle schools will be 1,305

students over capacity, the elementary schools

2,177 students over and the high schools 218

students above capacity.

These

figures are based on the state formulas.

In

other business, the board was updated on

revisions in the proposed budget for next year.

School finance director Jim Stephens said the

budget would be presented in its final format

June 5.

The

proposed changes include:

37 new teaching

positions.

Uniform salary

scale with adjustments for classified or

non-teaching positions.

19 nurses

positions.

Seven new bus

drivers.

$1 million for land

acquisition.

$1.5 million for

new facilities.

$1.2 million for 26

new buses under a lease-purchase plan.

$ 2.5 million for health

insurance benefits.

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