The search for a new Fayette County school superintendent to replace the retiring Superintendent Dave Brotherton was initiated Monday night by the county school board.

The members agreed to have Brotherton draft a time line designating deadlines for applications, interviews and final candidate selection with an announcement of a new superintendent by April 1.

"That's as tight as you'd want to get," Brotherton told the board.

Another work session is set for Thursday night at 7 p.m. to review the time line, go over the proposed range of advertising for the position and edit the brochure which contains facts about the school district and the job in question. The board decided to conduct their own superintendent search rather than pay a professional firm to do the job.

Brotherton estimated the board would receive about 20 applications. "The number of superintendent applications have dropped in the last few years," he said.

In other business, Brotherton reported that he will provide "numbers" in a few days on breaking down construction of the south complex's athletic facilities into phases and some financing options to consider.