The signs are up "School

Bond, Vote Yes at End of Ballot" and supporters are out in force

at high school football games and school events circulating informational

fliers about the bond.

Fayette County voters will

vote yes or no on Tuesday for a $65 million bond issue for new school

construction. The package includes funding for three new elementary schools,

a new high school, and upgrades at older schools such as rewiring and

relighting, new ceilings, and improvements in kitchens and restrooms.

The bond will be enacted for

10 years if passed and will add to the school bond tax starting with the

2001 tax bill. A 10-year payback was decided upon since current bond indebtedness

was factored into the payback schedule.

According to Jim Stephens,

school finance director, this will keep the bond payments at a stable

level, while paying off the interest and principle on the other bonds.

"The maintenance and operation

millage was lowered for this year, which will result in a minimal tax

increase if the bond passes," Stephens said.

The need for new school construction

comes as a result of steady population growth in the county. School officials

report that there are 100 portable classrooms currently being used at

area schools and the system continues to add between 500 and 700 students

per year.

The Governor's A+ Reform Act

mandates school systems to lower class size, which puts an additional

burden on already overtaxed school facilities.

A recent town hall meeting

addressed several questions which voters have concerning the bond, such

as where the schools would be located.

Mike Satterfield, facilities

director for the school system, said the schools would be built in the

areas experiencing the most growth.

One elementary school would

likely be located along the Ga. Highway 74 corridor, another in the West

Village section of Peachtree City and a third probably between Fayetteville

and Brooks. The new high school would be situated somewhere south of Fayetteville,

Satterfield suggested.

No land has been purchased

being sought.

As for easing overcrowding

until the schools are built, the first choice of the facilities advisory

committee which has tackled the growth issue for months is more portables.

The second alternative would be to redraw school district lines, sending

students to schools less crowded facilities, therefore maximizing the

use of existing classroom space.

Double or split sessions ranked

lower on the list of options, with the least palatable being a trimester

system.

If the bond passes, construction

may begin as early as spring 2001 for the elementary schools, since a

prototype school exists and can be easily adjusted to fit a building site

and the specific needs of the school population. However, land must first

be acquired.

Sam Burch and Trina Berry,

cochairmen of the Community Coalition for Fayette Schools, are upbeat

and optimistic about the passage of the bond. Their one concern is that

voters stick with the lengthy general election ballot and work their way

down to the last item, which is the bond question.

"They've got to stick

with it," Burch said.