Right back at you, Coweta County.

Or so that seemed to be the

sentiment expressed by Janet Smola of the Fayette County School Board

just prior to the final vote on a new $148 million general operating budget

Monday.

As board chair Terri Smith

accepted a motion to vote on the spending plan, Smola broke in to question

school district finance director James Stephens one more time.

"We've balanced a budget

without dipping into any of our reserve funds?" she asked.

"That's correct,"

Stephens replied. "We've got $14.2 million in reserves still available."

"Well then," said

Smola, "As a board member I want to go on record and thank you for

all your hard work, for not cutting programs, for maintaining the best

school system in the state of Georgia without dipping into our reserves

funds, like some other districts have done."

The 2004 fiscal year budget,

which goes into affect next Tuesday, July 1, was OK'd on a 3-0 vote (with

board members Greg Powers and Lee Wright absent).

Last week, Coweta County school

officials circulated a press release touting that district's spending

plan and how much more effecient it allegedly was when held up against

Fayette. But Coweta is using nearly half its $12 million in backup funds

to make it's budget balance, or more than $5 million, a point Smola clearly

didn't want missed.

In fact, Fayette's budget

is fairly worry free compared to some of the challenges faced by other

school systems around the state.

·Valdosta City Schools

failed to meet the state deadline for balancing a budget and had to get

a court's permission to go on month-to-month spending plan until one can

be finalized.

·Chatham County Schools

dumped plans to integrate disabled students into the regular classroom

settings, but maintained fundin for a juvenile offender high school and

teen pregancy programs.

"It's always a thrill

to come to this point," said Stephens at the end of the vote.

Superintendent John DeCotis

reminded the board that the millage rate still must be set, a process

that won't take place until fall.

"I feel like we've done

the best we can do under the conditions," he said.

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