Nearly

20,000 students will return to Fayette County

public schools Monday for the start of the

1999-2000 academic year.

With

a slightly more stringent dress code in place,

students are expected to arrive at school

"dressed to learn," according to Dr.

John DeCotis, superintendent of Fayette County

Schools. Neat and appropriate attire is expected,

and backpacks must be stashed in lockers between

classes in the middle and high schools, based on

the latest directives approved by the school

board.

"We

want to welcome the students back and start off

the school year on a positive note. The teachers

have been working hard preparing for them,"

DeCotis said. "In the spring, we had some

safety concerns, and we have addressed a lot of

these. We have gotten some good input on the

dress code and we are optimistic that this will

be a good year."

Classrooms

will be staffed by approximately 1,600 teachers

and paraprofessionals. Based on the fiscal year

2000 budget, 64 new teacher position were added

this year, 12 and a half extra parapros were

hired and seven more bus drivers will transport

students.

Brooks

Elementary School students will be wearing their

khaki, white and blue uniforms starting next

week, and all students should be carrying 10

cents extra for lunches, which go up to $1.55

cents for elementary schools and $1.65 for middle

and high schools. Extra milk is priced at 35

cents and a juice drink is 40 cents.

Out

of the 1,110 classrooms in the county school

system, 97 of those are portable classrooms

situated at 17 schools throughout the district.

While Whitewater Middle School, Oak Grove

Elementary and East Fayette Elementary schools

have only two portable classrooms apiece, J.C.

Booth Middle School has 13 in place.

Several

schools, including Whitewater and Kedron, have

received fresh interior paint during the summer

break while additional lockers have been added to

the high schools to provide students with a place

to store backpacks.

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