During 1999, the Coweta County School System dealt with a number of issues to try and keep up with more than 700 new students streaming into the county on a yearly basis.

One of the more contentious issues started in April and its final fate has still not been decided.

In late November, the Coweta County Board of Education unanimously rejected the fifth petition by the Odyssey group for a parent-run charter school in the county.

The Odyssey Group has been attempting for nearly a year to start a charter school on the eastern side of the county and offer parents an alternative to the school system's regular schools.

While board members made no comment on the petition, secondary curriculum director Dr. Judy Robinson presented the board with a list of problems the newly established charter school committee had with the proposal.

One problem the committee had was the Odyssey group's contention that it is exempt from all state and local policies except those required in the charter school law.

Odyssey officials presented the board with a letter from an attorney for the state Board of Education stating that a blanket exemption was okay, but school officials said it was in conflict with their local policies.

Other problems the committee had with the proposal included inconsistencies in the budget, along with no specific site for the school.

After the vote, Odyssey School organizer Jan Buchwald said the group would wait to see if any new legislation pertaining to charter schools was brought up in next month's General Assembly session.

Specifically, Buchwald said legislation might be introduced to allow a charter school group to appeal its case to the state Board of Education after being rebuffed by the local board.

Buchwald also said many of the system's problem with the petition were not correct.

In regard to an exemption being in conflict with local policies, Buchwald said the reverse is true. Since the charter school law was adopted in 1998 and the school system's charter school policy was developed in 1999, Buchwald maintains the system's policy is in conflict with the state law.

Buchwald said inconsistencies in the budget can be attributed to the fact that it is only a proposed budget.

She maintains the budget is front-loaded because it was modeled after the system's Central Education Center's charter school budget.

As for a site, Buchwald said a site is not required by the Charter Schools Act.

“A facility cannot be secured without the charter being approved, and it is very difficult to have a facility on stand-by 11 months prior to school starting,” she said.

Another issue that caused controversy last year was redistricting of elementary school lines.

Last May, the school board came under fire for trying to combine the populations of Newnan Crossing Elementary and White Oak Elementary schools.

The school board called a public hearing last spring to discuss a controversial proposal to put all kindergarten through second grade students at Newnan Crossing and third through fifth grade students at White Oak.

With nearly 300 parents on hand ready to joust, school board Chairman Mike Sumner defused the crowd before the first shot could be fired.

“We have decided not to recommend adoption of the proposal to the superintendent,” said Sumner.

The deciding factor, according to the board chairman, was the number of e-mails the system received about the issue. He estimated the system received more than 100 e-mails, with 50 of them arriving at the office Wednesday.

The school board is trying to solve three problems, Sumner said.

First, White Oak is overcrowded. The school has 800 students this year.

Second, Newnan Crossing is being under-used with a population of only 450 students.

Third, there is a high concentration of at-risk students at Newnan Crossing.

The board chairman said the newly established committee would look at possible solutions including redistricting and building an addition at White Oak.

In November, Vickie Dell, representing the White Oak family, told the Board of Education that the parents still wanted an addition, instead of redistricting.

“We need to make sure children are representative of that district and let it stay as it is,” she said.

But David Stern, whose child attends Newnan Crossing Elementary, said his school is well below capacity and school officials should take several factors into consideration when drawing new lines.

“Don't split subdivisions or try to achieve a racial balance. Leave politics out of the picture and do what's best for the children,” he said.

Sam Harkness, who represented Jefferson Parkway Elementary, said the consensus of his school family is that the lines should be left as they are.

Harkness said the school's pupil/teacher ratio is currently at an ideal level and any drastic increase or decrease would “adversely” affect the programs at the school.

Board chairman Mike Sumner thanked the parents for their support in the process and said the board would take their concerns into consideration.

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