Published: November 02, 2009 11:50 pm      

Solution to Fayette’s educational woes stressed during BOE meeting

Although Fayette County voters overwhelmingly rejected the Oct. 24 $49 million bond call that would have consolidated Oak Hill, Fayetteville, Mount Hope and Midland Trail high schools, it remained the focus of conversation during Monday evening’s board of education meeting.

The difference this time, however, is that both supporters and opponents of the bond stressed the importance of coming together to find a solution to the county’s educational woes.

Former board member and teacher Carolyn Arritt expressed her belief in the importance of “community schools,” and said consolidation would lower test scores and student involvement as opposed to helping.

“There must be a better way,” she said, “and tonight I am asking that after receiving a resounding ‘No’ vote on the bond, that you will work with the citizens of Fayette County to find the better solution for all the children of Fayette County.”

Heather Curnett, a teacher and parent of two, and Geoff Heeter, a parent and strong supporter of the bond, asked that board members go into the communities, listening to ideas and concerns in hopes of coming up with a new plan.

“You guys need to get out in the community and converse with us,” Heeter said. “The community has to be engaged by you and led by you to help fix the problems that we have with our system ...

“I implore you to find a way to communicate with us.”

Curnett asked board president Dave Arritt and member Steve Bush, who both opposed the bond, to lead meetings in the community to help determine what road comes next.

“It’s not going to be fun, but we have to do it,” she said. “We have to get over whatever we wanted or didn’t want with the bond and move on ... We need leaders.”

Kelley Weiss told the board members to respect the voters’ decision as 77 percent of the votes were against the bond.

Weiss said the board members needed to “gain the trust of the citizens of Fayette County again” and urged them to listen to the wants and needs of the community.

“If we all work together, it can be done,” she said.

Matt Edwards, former superintendent of Fayette County Schools and strong opponent of the bond, told the board their plan for consolidation, particularly the location of the new school, was “dead on arrival.”

Edwards accused the board of misspending money and said superintendent Chris Perkins, who was not in attendance, “better start doing something for these schools.”

“You may see another head on the board and it may be mine,” Edwards said, telling members although he did not want to, he would run for the board and “may get elected too.”

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Board member Leon Ivey, who voted in favor of the bond, told Dave Arritt he would like to see him take the lead on a committee that would go into the communities and bring together both sides in hopes of coming up with different ideas.

Arritt, however, said he was unwilling to do so.

“I don’t think that’s the job of the school board members,” he said. “That’s why we have a superintendent ... This (board member) is not a full-time job for the school board.”

Arritt added that board members have several other responsibilities coming up; they must decide whether to run for re-election and whether to “appoint a new superintendent.”

“It’s an awful big decision we have to make.”

Ivey, in response to Arritt’s rejection of the idea, said he didn’t “think we can afford to do nothing.”

— E-mail: mjames@register-herald.com