Political activist

Steve Brown of Peachtree City believes he has a possible solution to addressing

overcrowding in Fayette County's school system.

Brown recently

presented a draft of an ordinance to the Fayette County Commission which

he believes will "realign education" and protect the county's

quality of life.

County staff

members are currently studying the proposal and will bring more information

to a future commission meeting.

Brown cites

lack of planning, particularly in rezoning matters, as the area needing

attention. The creation of a multi-jurisdictional council is one way Brown

believes officials can work together with the school system to create

a balance.

"We need

to create a vision of what we want the county to look like," Brown

told the commission. "I've run from four counties, and this is my

fifth," he said, noting his gradual migration to the south metro

area.

The preamble

for the Education First in Fayette ordinance "Encouraging the realignment

of education and the protection of quality of life in our governing process."

The policy

reads as follows:

"Whereas,

Fayette county, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Fayetteville, Brooks acknowledge

that a quality educational system is essential to sustaining and enhancing

the quality of life of the residents of Fayette County;

"Whereas,

a quality educational system attracts quality, civic-minded residents

and industry, increases home and property values and promotes local economy;

"Whereas,

a quality educational system encourages higher learning standards thus

enabling our students to better perform academically and qualify for HOPE

scholarships and all other such designated endowments from colleges and

universities;

"Whereas,

school overcrowding, and the use of portable trailers, and the use of

double sessions due to rezoning residential land to higher densities or

rezoning from another zoning category to residential zoning, damages the

quality of education;

"Whereas,

various methods of handling school overcrowding, such as double sessions,

can have a negative impact on residents with children in the school system,

and have a negative impact on juvenile crime, and have a negative impact

on student participation in non-school recreational programs;

"Whereas,

Georgia law prohibits the use of impact fees on new homes as a source

of funding the school system;

"Whereas,

the state funding mechanisms neither statistically nor monetarily recognize

the increase in our student population that results from rezoning from

rezoning residential land to higher densities or rezoning from another

zoning category to residential zoning until after the students are enrolled

in the school system, thus causing overcrowding;

"Whereas,

the Fayette County Board of Education cannot effectively generate accurate

data on future student populations for the precise development of a five-year

plan due to unforeseen student increases due to rezoning residential land

to higher densities or rezoning from another zoning category to residential

zoning;

"Whereas,

the Fayette County Board of Education could be forced to inform Fayette

County new homeowners that if their potential new home was built in a

development that resulted from rezoning residential land to higher densities

or rezoning from another zoning category to residential zoning, that their

school age children will be the first students to be bused to school sites

outside their neighborhood's district, or will be the first students assigned

to a split session school year in order to relieve school overcrowding;

"Now,

therefore, in order to protect our quality school system, thus preserving

our quality of life the mayor and city council, county commission of Fayette

County, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Fayetteville, Brooks adopt the following

ordinance."