Author Archives: jimgilvin

High School Redistricting in North Fulton

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Here we go again. School redistricting in North Fulton county has been an ongoing game of musical chairs for the past decade and the next round is about to begin.

One of the down sides to living in an area perfect for raising children is that the board of education has had a hard time accomodating the influx of families relocating here because of the great schools. The latest effort to make room for our new neighbors is the high school being built at the corner of Bethany Bend and Cogburn Roads in the city of Milton. The school is expected to open in 2012 and will be the fourth new high school to open around here since 2002.

The new school will draw most of its students from the Milton and Alpharetta High School districts but the changes will undoubtedly impact the other high schools in the area. The Fulton County Board of Education knows this and will try to address everybody’s concerns but it just isn’t possible to satisfy everyone. Some families on the borders of attendance zones have been rezoned numerous times over the years and may not want to be moved again while other families will be disappointed that they aren’t rezoned to a school they would prefer. History shows that the process can get testy at times but one way to avoid conflicts is to address concerns early through participation in the public forums which will be held.

That is why the public forums for the new school redistricting will begin in a couple of months. The first such meeting will be held at Alpharetta High School on February 23, 2011. That is nearly a year and a half before the new school opens and should give everyone involved more than enough time to hammer out an acceptable agreement.

If you have children in any of the public schools in North Fulton County I urge you to get involved early. Even with a year and a half to prepare there will be people that don’t get involved until they are upset by the board’s decision and by then it is too late. You can get the latest information at the board of education’s website dedicated to this process.

For those of you that are interested in this topic you can find more on the subject at these other local blogs: newmiltonhighschool and rootsinalpharetta

Georgia Legislators could use a refresher on Barn Doors and Horses

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The AJC reports that Georgia legislators are trying to stop the extension of tolls on GA 400 but it looks like a futile effort since the State Road and Tollway Authority has already pocketed the money. The time to stop that travesty was before SRTA voted to keep their bureaucratic jobs funded for the foreseeable future. But unfortunately the North Fulton political delegation didn’t think to close the barn door until SRTA had already taken millions of taxpayer dollars out for a ride. 

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I appreciate representative Jones’ attempt to correct this money grab by SRTA. But I would have expected a politician from Georgia’s horse country to know better than leave the barn door open while SRTA director, Gena Evans, was looking for a way to justify her six figure salary.

But if elected officials are serious about this effort then it should make SRTA’s upcoming town hall meetings next month very interesting. SRTA will have a public comment opportunity on Wednesday, January 5th, hosted by the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce at 11605 Haynes Bridge Road, Suite 100, Alpharetta, GA 30009. I encourage everyone to come out and join the fun.

[1/4/11 Ed. note: Yesterday a commenter pointed out that I failed to include the times of the town hall meeting so please note that according to the SRTA website the meeting will be held from 4:00 -7:00 p.m.]

 

All I want for Christmas is for Congress to go home

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Worst congress ever: “Republicans for Pork?” includes the most intelligent thing Lindsey Graham ever said.

“Second acts are hard to get in life…particularly in politics,” Graham said. “We got a second lease on life… not because of anything we did, because of [the Democrats’] screw-ups, and if the first thing we do is quietly let this go through, then our second act is over before it begins.”