If you're a

qualified teacher, the Fayette County Board of Education wants you.

Faced with

increasing competition for teachers in metro Atlanta, the school system

is planning its second job fair of 2001 this Friday, and is offering $1,000

signing bonuses for critical specialties that are needed most, including

math, science, special education, middle grades math and middle grades

science.

The Fayette

system is not only seeking to replace numerous positions that will be

vacated due to normal turnover, but also has authorized 54 new positions

to keep up with the growing student population, along with new state-mandated

teacher/pupil ratios.

And while the

demand is increasing, the supply is not increasing as fast, says Judy

Byrd, director of human resources for the school system. "If we had

the same number of students, we would need more teachers," said Byrd.

"But we're

finding that Georgia is not producing the number of teacers we need to

fill the classrooms," she said. "There is a shortage of teachers

throughout the nation in certain areas, and that tends to be magnified

in the Southeast where we are growing so rapidly."

Approximately

65 new prospective teachers were interviewed by the Fayette County School

System during the first job fair of the year at the LaFayette Educational

Center Feb. 9.

The second

of three planned fairs will be Friday at the LaFayette Educational Center

in Fayetteville.

Although the

number of teacher candidates for the February fair was less than previous

years, interviewers say they were impressed with the quality of applicants

as well as the wide variety of certification fields they represented.

"The fewer

number of applicants is indicative of the current supply of teachers in

the metropolitan Atlanta area," said Byrd. "Fayette County is

competing in a tight job market for quality teachers."

While teachers

in all disciplines are being sought, the Fayette School System is offering

a $1,000 signing bonus in the targeted specialties where shortages are

more critical.

Additionally,

current Fayette teachers can also benefit by helping to recruit teachers.

Any certified staff member, other than an administrator, who recruits

an applicant signing a contract in Fayette County will earn an extra day

of personal leave during the 2001-2002 academic year.

Individuals

interested in applying for various teaching positions with the school

system are being asked to submit applications for employment and to call

the Human Resources Department, 770-460-3535, by today to schedule interviews.

For those who

cannot attend March 7, a third and final job fair for the 2001-2002 academic

year will be April 20.

Information

about the school system, salary, benefits, test scores and community may

be obtained from the Fayette County Board of Education Web site, www.fcboe.org ,

or phone the Human Resources Department.