New Coweta school board member attends first meeting
By REBECCA LEFTWICH
rebecca@newnan.com
Newly appointed member Larry Robertson was welcomed by the Coweta County Board of Education at its Tuesday meeting, during which the board also received the good news that the school system was under budget for the second consecutive month.
"I appreciate the opportunity to serve on the board," Robertson said. "I'll do my best to serve the students in this school system and the citizens of the county."
Comptroller Keith Chapman reported the Coweta County School System came in approximately $300,000 under budget for August.
"Hopefully, we'll keep this ongoing for the year and not have to go into the reserves as much as we had thought," said Chapman, who also reported an increase in sales tax revenue for the month.
In other business, the board:
• Appointed Alan Wood, Fate Simmons, Bill Harrison, Nadene Smith, Evan Horton and Barbara Louis to the Student Tribunal Panel. Wood and Louis will serve as hearing officers.
• Recognized Georgia Special Olympics Female Athlete of the Year Montana Bush of East Coweta High School and Georgia Special Olympics Male Athlete of the Year Jimpson Rosser of Newnan High School.
• Approved trips for Newnan High's chorus and East Coweta Middle School's Technology Students Association.
• Set mandatory whole-board training for Oct. 9 from 3-6 p.m., preceding the board's regular monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m.
• Heard from school board member Frank Farmer, who urged voters to educate themselves about the upcoming charter school amendment vote. Farmer praised the stance of State Superintendent John Barge – a Republican who opposes the amendment, pervasively supported by his party – and reminded those attending that Coweta school board members are elected in a non-partisan vote.
"We're here for one purpose, and that's to provide what students need," Farmer said. "Politics doesn't come into play. That's not true in Atlanta."
