Local & State Headlines

Lee County BOE talks 2009 budget

Susan McCord

LEESBURG — An abstinence-only curriculum called WAIT, for “Why am I Tempted,” two new advanced- placement courses and two Bible literature and history courses are proposed new additions at Lee County schools announced during a busy school board meeting Monday.

The WAIT curriculum, offered at the middle school, ninth-grade campus and high school levels, is a “comprehensive health and physical education” curriculum of some 18 topics, including abstinence and HIV, and of which “sex ed is just a small portion,” superintendent of curriculum Adrienne Hamlin told the board.

“Everybody will take this except those parents who opt out?” Board Chair Sylvia Vann asked.

Parents, who may view information about the curriculum at the board offices, have the option to allow their children to participate or opt out, Hamlin said.

The board also adopted four new courses: advanced placement statistics and macroeconomics, and literature and history of both the Old and New testaments of the Bible, to be offered at the high school next year.

The board adopted a resolution to issue $7 million in general obligation bonds at 2.79 percent for 5 years, to fund renovations at Lee County High School and the high school’s new Ninth Grade Campus, and took a first glance at the system’s fiscal year 2009 budget.

The preliminary $62,257,507.36 budget is an increase of some $2.75 million from the fiscal year 2008 budget, Superintendent Larry Walters said.

The board will give tentative approval to a budget in June, and final approval in July.

The prelinary budget shows an increase in state and local revenues for general fund, debt service, capital projects and special revenues of about $3 million.

Debt service of $4.5 million may be less because the system obtained such a low interest rate on the bond issue, assistant superintendent of business and finance Gary Kelley said.

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