The

first draft of a $124 million budget was

presented to the Fayette County Board of

Education Monday night by Jim Stephens, finance

director for the school district.

The

fiscal year 2001 budget is about $6.4 million

higher than this year's midyear adjusted budget

of $116.3 million. Stephens attributed the hike

to a $2.5 million increase in health insurance,

$2 million for teacher pay raises, approximately

$500,000 in pay raises for classified employees

and additional funds for new construction.

The

figures are based on school officials'

expectations of a 5 percent increase in the value

of the local tax digest, while holding the line

on current property tax millage rates.

School

superintendent Dr. John DeCotis highlighted

"what we're trying to do this year,"

explaining plans to implement a unified salary

schedule for employees, maintain and improve

pupil-teacher ratios, buy new buses, continue

with facility improvements and the current

maintenance cycle, and build up a reserve fund to

buy land and match state funds for a new middle

school.

Judy

Byrd, director of human resources for the school

system, has requested the board's go-ahead to

start hiring about 30 new teachers for the next

school year. The largest number, 10, would be for

special education classes. The next greatest need

is for nine high school teachers, primarily in

the schools' math departments, she said.

The

total number of new teachers is "fewer than

asked for in previous years," Byrd said.

"We're not adding a grade, we're not opening

a school, and our maximum class size compares

favorably to the goals set three to four years

from now," she said. The allotment formula

for kindergarten with a paraprofessional

(teacher's aide) is 1:19; grades 1-3 is 1:19,

grades 4-5 is 1:24, grades 6-8 is 1:24 and grades

9-12 is 1:23. Currently, the county is off by one

to two students based on the new state plan,

according to Byrd.

The

need to provide space for these teachers raises

additional concerns. Byrd admitted that

appropriate instructional space would be

"very tight" in the coming year.

Fayette County High School is one facility facing

a major squeeze. There are 16 mobile units

available for overcrowding, but placement

presents additional problems on small campuses,

school officials said.

The

next step in the budgeting process is the

presentation of department requests to the board

at the next meeting April 17 at 7:30 p.m. The

board also plans to take action on the request

for teachers at that time.

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