The Fayette County Board of

Education voted Monday to tentatively approve a $134.6 million budget

for the upcoming fiscal year.

Board members are expected

to convene June 25 in a special called session to give final approval

of that total, which is a 6.84-percent increase over last year's budget.

Approximately $2.8 million

is slated to fund 48 new teaching positions, with $3.9 million going toward

4.5-percent pay raises for returning teachers. About 1,400 teachers will

be working in Fayette public school classrooms this fall.

Some of the other additions

for the 2001-02 school year are expected to include an increase in nursing

staff and bus drivers, along with 26 additional portable classrooms.

More than half the money for

this budget ($74.1 million) is coming from state Quality Basic Education

funds, with $58.4 million coming from county ad valorem taxes.

The school system plans to

spend more than $29 million on acquisition and construction of facilities

during the next year. Other major expenditures include about $14 million

for debt service and more than $5 million in the school nutrition fund

to feed Fayette students.

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