The Fayette

County Board of Education has adjusted its schedule slightly for March,

with a special called meeting and the regular workshop scheduled for Monday

at 4 p.m.

The only items

on the called meeting agenda are approval of the "fair dismissal"

policy and a personnel matter set for executive session.

Work session

items are expected to include discussion of the mid-term budget and the

FY 2002 budget.

The proposed

"fair dismissal" policy is a tool expected to help recruit and

attract teachers, granting them "quality teacher" status after

signing a contract for a fourth consecutive year. Those teachers would

then be entitled to renewal of their contracts unless there is just cause

for non-renewal.

If the plan

is approved, the board would have to notify a teacher by April 15 of his

or her third full year of employment to avoid attainment of the protected

status. In that case, the teacher would be on probation and the administrator

involved would be required to develop an improvement plan to help that

teacher achieve quality status. Once that status is achieved, the teacher

would be entitled to a series of notices and hearings if the board intends

to end his or her contract.

If enacted,

this policy would affect 114 teachers already employed, according to comments

made at a recent school board meeting.

As for the

change in scheduling this month, according to school system spokesperson

Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, the board needed an extra week to be ready for

the work session, which is usually scheduled for the first Monday of the

month.

The board's

regular meeting is still planned for the following Monday, March 19, at

7 p.m.