Barnes' loss leaves future of Tift College uncertain

ATLANTA - Governor-elect Sonny Purdue&#39;s victory over Roy Barnes earlier this month has left the future of the former Tift College campus in Forsyth in limbo. <br> <br> Barnes had planned to spend about $12 million to refurbish Tift&#39;s buildings for the Leadership Institute for School Improvement, a professional development center for public school principals, superintendents and other leaders. Construction was expected to start at the beginning of 2003. <br> <br> But Perdue, the state&#39;s first Republican governor since 1872, has promised to dismantle much of Barnes&#39; education policies. <br> <br> Monroe County Commission Chairman Ben Spear said, ``It&#39;s just a guessing game right now. We would hope that they would follow through the education program that&#39;s supposed to be there, but we just don&#39;t know.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Spokesman Dan McLagan said that since beating Barnes on November fifth, Perdue has spent most of his time assembling a staff and reviewing the state&#39;s budget. He said Perdue hasn&#39;t had time yet to consider Tift College and the Leadership Institute.