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Thursday, Oct. 09, 2008

Laurens candidate pushing school consolidation

DUBLIN -- A candidate for one of two Laurens County school board posts on the Nov. 4 ballot says that if elected, he will push for consolidation of the county and Dublin city school systems.

Laurens is one of just a handful of counties in the state where there are both county and city school systems. The consolidation idea has surfaced from time to time - a petition was circulated by a citizens group just two years ago - but it generally has proven too unpopular to gain momentum.

John Whigham, a candidate for the District 2 board seat, says the school systems would save millions of dollars in overhead and operating expenses if merged.

"We're wasting a lot of money by not consolidating," he said.

Consolidation does not sit well with the other candidates.

"Both systems are doing good at this time," said the Rev. Ellis Carswell, the District 2 incumbent. "I don't see where it would benefit the students."

Bill Rowe, the incumbent in District 5, and his challenger, Frankie Bracewell, both shot down the idea.

"I am opposed to consolidation, and I will do everything in my power to prevent it," said Rowe, a former superintendent of the Laurens schools.

Bracewell said he has fielded calls from residents concerned about consolidation.

"That is definitely a 'no,' " Bracewell said. "I do not want to consolidate the county and city school systems."

SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 2

Carswell has served on the school board for 16 years, including five as its chairman. Whigham, a businessman and retired Army colonel, is pledging to serve just one term if elected, and he says he will not accept board pay.

"The schools are broken," Whigham said. "I'm really concerned that no one's going to try to fix them."

He says that Laurens County's system ranks in the bottom half of schools in Georgia, and that the state ranks in the lowest 5 percent in the country. He points to the latest state report that shows the county system did not make Adequate Yearly Progress under the No Child Left Behind Act for 2008.

Carswell noted that six of the county's eight schools did make AYP, with only the two high schools failing to meet the mark.

"Our county school system is doing great in so many ways, yet we do realize there is always room for improvement," he said.

He touted the system's ambitious building project. A new West Laurens High School is under construction, and Carswell said a sales tax passed by voters last month will pay for new middle schools and possibly auditoriums on both the east and west sides of the county, renovations at existing schools and other improvements.

"We're trying to make sure we have quality schools and everything we need," he said.

Whigham accused some members of the school board, which controls hiring and promotions within the system, of "nepotism" in hiring "family members, friends and political cronies."

"It's politics over children, over doing the right thing," he said.

Carswell said he would like to see the board look outside the system more often for new hires, but he noted that for years there has been a shortage of teachers, particularly in the fields of math and science.

"One of the things we're doing is encouraging our students to enter teaching math," he said.

Carswell said during his tenure, the school board has been able to operate without raising the school tax rate, which is at 11.9 mills. Whigham, however, said the system is not getting as much for its money as other systems.

SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 5

The candidates in this race come from vastly different backgrounds.

Bracewell, a building contractor, is a newcomer to politics.

Rowe, a career educator, served 12 years as superintendent of Laurens' schools. He retired in 2000 and is in his first term as a board member.

Bracewell said he is concerned about school spending.

"I feel there are some ways we can cut spending and save the taxpayers some money," he said.

Bracewell also said he believes the board needs "some fresh faces, some fresh ideas," and pledged to be accessible to residents.

"I'm going to be available 100 percent of the time."

Rowe spent virtually his entire career in the Laurens County schools. He began as a math teacher and coach and later served as principal at several of the system's schools before being elected superintendent.

He also taught a school leadership course at Georgia College & State University for eight years.

"My experience and knowledge about schools, school administration, school law is an asset," he said. "I think there are going to be some hard times ahead for our school systems, and I think that you need to have someone there who knows what's going on."

Rowe said he has "a vision for the Laurens County schools" that includes two new middle schools on the west side and the conversion of the current West Laurens High School, which will close next year, into a "career academy." That school, he said, would partner with Heart of Georgia Technical College, and students from both county high schools could graduate with "a career going for them."

Bracewell said he does not favor a career academy but could change his mind.

Bracewell served 13 years on the Dublin Parks and Recreation Department board. That, along with operating a business, gives him budgeting experience, he said. Bracewell said, if elected, he will do all he can to ease state and federal standards that overburden schools and students.

"I wonder if we aren't expecting them to do too much sometimes," he said.

Rowe is currently serving as interim superintendent in Bleckley County. He was appointed in July 2007 for what he said was to be a "few months" but agreed to stay on through the end of this year. He said he sought legal advice from three attorneys to make sure serving on the school board in one county and as superintendent of another was "legal, moral and ethical."

"I work well with our superintendent," Rowe said. "I'm very careful not to overstep my bounds. I know how to be a good board member."

To contact writer Rodney Manley, call 744-4623.