Debbie Condon will

retain her position as chairman of the Fayette

County Board of Education for a second year,

following a Monday night vote of three to one.

Greg Powers will

continue as vice chairman. He was voted in

unanimously by the five-member board. Board

member Connie Hale abstained from voting for

Condon, stating that there was no prior

communication on the subject.

Board member Woody

Shelnutt voted against Condon.

The board also

voted to retain the legal services of Harben and

Hartley for another year and the Weatherly law

firm to handle specialized cases involving

special education. Scheduled monthly meetings

will continue to be third Mondays at 7:30 p.m.,

barring holiday conflicts such as Martin Luther

King Jr. Day in January, Presidents Day in

February and a conference in July.

This month's

meeting will be Jan. 24, February's date is the

28th and in July, the board will meet the 24th.

Assistant

superintendent Stuart Bennett estimated that 40

students had withdrawn from the district's

schools as a result of a recent crackdown on

residency requirements. He was able to verify 26

of those who could not prove residence in Fayette

County.

He said 80-plus

students pulling out during the first semester

was common. "We have clean addresses on the

majority of students," he told the board.

"We intend to put in place regular checks;

not check 19,200 students."

Students attending

Fayette County schools were required to present

current utility bills verifying their addresses.

The process started in September and was

completed this month. The intensive search saved

the taxpayers $84,000, according to Bennett,

citing the 26 students who withdrew because of

the residency check.

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