The Carroll County Board of Education last night approved the purchase of three lots across from the old Temple elementary school to be used for a parking lot.

The $150,000 purchase would be made from reserve funds, Superintendent John Zauner said after the meeting.

Also Thursday night, Zauner announced that 91 percent of all Carroll County 11th graders met or exceeded state standards on the writing portion of the Georgia High School graduation test. The student must pass the writing test, given in the fall, to receive his or her high school diploma.

“Our performance continues to get better and better when it comes to our standardized tests,” Zauner said. “We are very proud of the fact that we are now exceeding the state standards on the 11th grade writing test and also the regional systems in the area. As an average, we are exceeding their average as well.”

The Villa Rica schools are being asked by the city of Villa Rica to cut water use by 10 percent and Dave Goldberg, the school system’s executive director of facilities, is devising plans to meet the goal, Zauner said.

“If it works real well, we may end up trying it throughout the system,” he said.

Board member John Stephens warned that Speaker Glenn Richardson is talking about again changing the proposed House Resolution 900 -- his plan to scrap property taxes and use sales taxes to fund governments. The new change he is suggesting is to drop only property taxes used for education and replace them with sales taxes, Stephens said.

“We may lose some of the opposition of county commissions and mayors and city councils,” he said. “There are still a lot of people upset about the additional things that will be taxed.”

The board honored the actions of one of the county’s school bus drivers.

Janet Coates, who has worked for the transportation department for six years, stopped to help a driver who had lost control of her car and hit an embankment.

The driver turned out to be Principal Linda Carnes of Sand Hill Elementary.

“It was one of those rare days when we had rain,” Zauner explained. “She hydroplaned and apparently lost control of her vehicle.”

After several cars passed by the scene without stopping, Coates stopped the bus and offered her assistance. Carnes, who had broken some vertebrae and had a collapsed lung, will be back at school sometime after the first of the year, Zauner said.

“We certainly want to recognize you for that,” Zauner told Coates as he handed her a certificate of appreciation.

The board also recognized Karlie Benefield and Sierra Lackey from Roopville Elementary and Jake Burnum from Mt. Zion Middle School, first place winners in the school bus poster contest.

Winners of the Atlanta History Center Essay Contest also received recognition. Dakota Wilmoth won second, Kayla Thomas won third and Adriauna Clay received an honorable mention. The students from Temple Middle School were among 1,500 entrants in the essay contest.