As students get ready to head back to class on Thursday, August 6, there are some changes parents should know for the new school year.

Center of Innovation

High school students interested in careers in healthcare and the culinary arts will have expanded opportunities to explore these fields with the opening of the Center of Innovation (COI). The center will open in the former Fayetteville Intermediate School building, just behind Fayette County High School in the heart of Fayetteville.

           

The COI brings equity in course offerings to students throughout the county. Students attending high schools that do not offer the culinary or healthcare courses they need, will now have access to them through the center.

           

The school system is also partnering with Southern Crescent Technical College to offer students at the COI the possibility of earning college credits toward a healthcare or culinary degree while earning high school credits at the same time.

Student Lunch Price Increase

Elementary, middle and high school student lunch prices will increase 10 cents. Student lunch prices for 2015-2016 are as follows: $2.55, elementary, and $2.65 for middle and high school. The increase is the third phase of a four-year graduated 10-cent increase that was approved by the Fayette County Board of Education in 2013 to bring school lunch costs in line with the federal reimbursement rate.

School Orientations

Students and parents can meet their school’s principal and staff, and receive information about the upcoming school year, during orientation. Most schools will have their orientations on August 4. Times vary and a few schools are having their orientations on August 3. Check the individual school’s website for dates and times. A directory of school websites is available on the Fayette County Board of Education website, www.fcboe.org.

Principal Changes

Seven schools will open with new principals at the helm.

Veteran school system principals Jade Bolton and Oatha Mann have switched schools. Bolton, formerly principal at North Fayette Elementary, is the new principal at Flat Rock Middle; and Mann, formerly principal at Flat Rock, is the new principal at North Fayette Elementary.            


New to the school system and Sandy Creek High is principal Robert Hunter. Hunter replaces Dr. Darrell Evans. Hunter has spent the last five years serving as principal of Dublin High School in Dublin, Georgia. Previously, he was an assistant principal at Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School in Montgomery, Alabama.

           

Former coordinator of safety, athletics, and discipline, Steve Greene, will open the school year as the new principal of J.C. Booth Middle. He replaces Ted Lombard, who has moved into Green’s former coordinator position at the county office. Greene began his career with the school system in 2004 as an assistant principal at Whitewater Middle before moving into his former position at the county office in 2012.

           

Three assistant principals have been promoted to principal. Allen Leonard, former assistant principal of Starr’s Mill High, is the new principal of the school. Leonard replaces Audrey Toney who is now the director of student services, overseeing the school system’s school counselors, the enrollment center, and a variety of programs that address student needs. Leonard started working for the school system in 1998 as a social studies teacher at Fayette County High. He was promoted to assistant principal at the school in 2006, and then moved to Starr’s Mill High in 2011.

           

Also, Buffy Boldgett, former assistant principal at Peeples Elementary, is now the school’s principal. She replaces Erin Roberson, who moved to the human resources department as the assistant director. Blodgett started working for the school system in 1996 as an elementary teacher; she was promoted to assistant principal at Peeples in 2006.

           

Another former assistant principal, Marcus Broadhead of Fayette County High, will take the reins as principal at Bennett’s Mill Middle. Broadhead has been with the school system since 2005 when he started as an English teacher at McIntosh High. He left his teaching position in June 2011 when he is promoted to assistant principal at Fayette County High.