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Bulloch schools start Monday
073108 BACK TO SCHOOL 01
During a back to school open house at Langston Chapel Middle School Thursday, math teacher Cindy Pugliano discusses expectations with parent Kanisha Edenfield, left, whose son Travis Hunter will be a seventh grader at the school this year.
    Yellow school buses, flashing yellow lights and yellow #2 pencils all go back to work Monday as Bulloch County Schools start the 2008-09 school year.
    Three county schools — Langston Chapel Middle, Southeast Bulloch Middle and Brooklet Elementary — each had construction on 12 new classrooms completed in July. Officials at the schools have been busy preparing the new rooms for students and getting textbooks checked in.
    “The teachers are thrilled to have brand new spaces and classrooms,” said Langston Chapel Middle Assistant Principal Paul Mizell. “It’s been a little bit tough getting all the furniture moved, but they’re extremely excited about having a new environment for the students.”
    Charles Wilson, assistant superintendent for business and finance for the Bulloch County Board of Education, is pleased with the result of the construction projects.
    “I am very happy with how they turned out,” said Wilson. “Pope Construction handled the job very professionally and very timely.”
    Langston Chapel Elementary Principal Karen Doty said morale is high as the first day of school approaches.
    “We’re very excited about the upcoming school year,” said Doty. “Monday we’ll be ready.”
    Doty said Langston Chapel Elementary added a technology teacher to the staff this year and there’s a new mobile laptop computer lab for use by both students and teachers.
    Construction on Statesboro High School will continue through the fall semester. Wilson said some recent changes to the paving and drainage plan, recommended by the architect, should save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars.
    "I'm being conservative to guess a half-million (in savings)," said Wilson. "I'll know when the bids come in, but I think it's going to be more than that."
    The original plan called for an underground water run-off retention system, but the architect proposed an above-ground system, which will save the project money without extending the construction timeline.
    “You can get upset we didn’t catch it earlier or be thankful we caught it now,” said Wilson. “That’s why we rejected the (site plan) bids at the last meeting and are rebidding the project.”
    For more information about the upcoming school year, anything from bus schedules to school supply lists can be found by visiting the Bulloch County Schools’ Web site (www.bulloch.k12.ga.us) and clicking on the “Back to School Information” link on top of the right hand menu.
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