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Auburn University signs pact with Fulton County Schools By PATRICK FOX pat@appenmedia.com
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County Schools has entered into a landmark agreement allowing all public high school students access to free or reduced-cost classes through Auburn University. The first-of-its-kind arrangement will allow the university to establish virtual learning locations in the county to assist in outreach classes, including virtual learning centers at the district’s two innovation academies in Alpharetta and Fairburn. At its Sept. 30 meeting, the Board of Education heard a report from School Superintendent Mike Looney who described the program as “incredible.” Looney said the agreement will allow students to take up to 24 hours of college courses through the university without paying out-of-state tuition. “Board members, I don’t know — and it may exist — but I don’t know of another school system that has partnered with an out-of-state university, particularly one that’s world renowned for STEM, for architectural engineering, for education,” Looney said. “I think this is going to be something for us to be very proud of.” Under terms of the arrangement, students receiving free or reduced lunch can apply for classes at no cost. Other students will pay $550 a class. Alpharetta City Councilman Ben Burnett, who was part of a local team that reached out to the university nearly three years ago, called the agreement
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Auburn University will provide up to 24 hours of reduced-cost and free classes to Fulton County Schools students. historic. “If I were a student, and I wanted to go to Auburn, and I was on free and reduced lunch, I could essentially transfer in as a junior, having spent no money,” he said. “If you have 12 hours and a 3.0 grade point average, they will unconditionally admit you to the university.” Burnett said erasing state lines to give young people educational opportunities is the essence of a free-market system. “If competition works well in the capitalism marketplace, then surely it works well in public education,” he said. Fulton County School Board member Katie Reeves said the agreement could not have been achieved without cooperative efforts from all parties. “We are breaking new ground in
having a university from another state provide educational offerings to our students in their own cities,” Reeves said. “This is a concrete, realistic path for our students to go to an esteemed four-year university.” Julie Huff, Auburn assistant vice president for Strategic Initiatives and Communications, said the university has stepped up efforts in recent years to expand opportunities to students who may have felt left out of the traditional path to college. “We are very focused on access and affordability,” she said. “It is a long-term goal of our institution. This is a program designed to support that in ways that meaningfully impact our students.”
See AUBURN, Page 25
Oxbo Road investigation turns up string of failures in Roswell project process By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com ROSWELL — An independent investigation has determined that delays and millions of dollars in cash settlements for the Oxbo Road realignment project was the result of 15 years of mismanagement by Roswell city staff. The project, first proposed more than a decade ago, was introduced to solve a host of safety and mobility problems by eliminating the staggered intersection at Ga. 9 and converting the portion of Oxbo Road near Mimosa Boulevard into a two-way street. The realignment also calls for new turning lanes and a traffic signal on Ga. 9 and Oxbo Road, among other improvements. Mayor Lori Henry released the full 34-page investigative report Sept. 30. The document outlines 23 “problems” dating back to 2006 when the city began discussing the project. The law firm Jarrard & Davis took seven months to complete the investigation, costing the city more than $71,000 at last count. An overview of the findings boils it down to three main issues,
See OXBO, Page 3