Board of Education

No answers in voting rights lawsuit

Fayette Commission, School Board mum on NAACP vote challenge; funding may drive settlement

Will 10 elected officials surrender or will they litigate?

And will money — or the lack of it — become the deciding factor in the biggest voting rights case ever to hit Fayette County? Read More»

Fayette ESPLOST collections now down by nearly 17%

Another school system woe: Actual money collected from the education sales tax now is expected to fall nearly 17 percent short of original expectations, or $19.3 million less than projected.

The Fayette County School System’s penny sales tax for education (ESPLOST) is a little more than half way through the collection period that spans five years. The maximum collection ceiling was established at $115 million though the current projection puts potential collections at $95.7 million. Read More»

Fayette BoE is millions short of balancing its budget

Despite savings from fewer people being hired, the Fayette County School System still is several million dollars short of a balanced budget for the school year that begins in July. The projected fund balance for June 30 is now anticipated to be $13 million, but even that figure will not forestall the need to cut millions in expenditures prior to Read More»

A look at ‘central office’ staff pay in Fayette School System

Over a period of nearly two years The Citizen has looked at a number of expenditure categories related to the operation of the Fayette County School System. That look continues with a review of the job positions of those employees that are not housed in the system’s schools.

Accounting for revenue-neutral positions, there are 140 non-school-based positions earning an average salary of $50,129 in the school system that employs more than 3,000 staff members. Read More»

Budget crunch will shorten Fayette's next school year, cut staff pay

Fayette County Board of Education member Marion Key.

A budget crisis for the Fayette County Board of Education means a later start and a shorter school year for students and smaller paychecks for nearly all system employees for next year. The board on Dec. 12 approved the school calendar for FY 2012-2013 on a 4-1 vote. The new calendar comes with 177 school days and a savings of $3.3 million through decreased employee work days and reduced costs for fuel and utilities. The school year will begin on Aug. 13 and end on May 24. Read More»

Fayette School Board appointee Presberg to focus ‘on issues and kids’

Leonard Presberg, appointed in November to fill out the remaining three years of an unexpired term.

Look beyond the test scores to measure how good our school system is, says newly appointed Fayette County Board of Education member Leonard Presberg.

The newest board member also said he has no affiliation with the current board members, will not serve as the third vote on any voting bloc and intends to focus “on the issues and the kids.”

Presberg emphasized that test scores are important but they are not the only measure. Read More»

Fayette BoE appoints Presberg to Post 5 seat

Fayette BoE appoints Presberg to Post 5 seat

The Fayette County Board of Education at its Nov. 14 meeting voted unanimously to appoint north Fayette resident Leonard Presberg to fill the Post 5 Board of Education seat that became vacant with the recent passing of board member Sam Tolbert. Presberg was one of seven candidates vying for the seat.

The motion to nominate Presberg was made by board member Janet Smola with board member Marion Key making the second. There was no discussion on the nomination and Presberg immediately received a unanimous vote from the four board members. Read More»

Which one will the BoE choose?

Fayetteville attorney Emory Wilkerson at the Nov. 7 meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education. Photo/John Munford.

7 hopefuls seek appointment to Post 5 seat on Board of Education, including 1 who is suing the board

Seven private citizens auditioned Monday night for a spot on the Fayette County Board of Education.

The four judges — the remaining elected members of the school board — could make their choice as early as the Nov. 14 meeting.

One unusual element: One of the aspiring volunteers — Emory Wilkerson, a seeker of local elective offices several times in the past decade — is suing the same board in federal court. Read More»

BoE candidate Wilkerson has tried for elective office in both political parties

Attorney Emory Wilkerson of Fayetteville — who is seeking appointment to the open Post 5 seat on the Fayette County Board of Education — is a familiar name on both Republican and Democrat election ballots for the past decade.

Wilkerson has run three times as a Republican and most recently as a Democrat — and he lost all four times.

In 2002, Wilkerson ran as a Republican for the 34th district seat in the Georgia Senate, but he lost to challenger Valencia Seay by more than 6,351 votes. Read More»

BoE candidate puts board on spot with question about lawsuit

he Nov. 7 meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education was a time for the board to hear from the seven candidates vying for the appointment to fill the vacant Post 5 seat. But perhaps as interesting as the presentations from the applicants was a question by one about the board’s opinion on the possible end of countywide voting for the school board. Read More»