Superintendents and local health department directors on Tuesday shared their experiences working together to make Kentucky schools as safe as possible during the coronavirus pandemic.

During the Superintendents Webcast, three sets of superintendents and health directors shared what they have learned this school year.

Dianne Hatchett, Berea Ind. superintendent, and Nancy Crewe, the Madison County Health Department director, said they have been collaborating since the summer. Berea Ind., which has 1,200 students, has not started in-person classes but is hosting small groups of students.

Owsley County Schools Superintendent Tim Bobrowski and Scott Lockard, director of Kentucky River District Health Department, also noted that collaboration is important. Bobrowski stressed the importance of communication, noting that his district uses Facebook to get information out as soon as possible.

“You’ve got to tell your own story and you better tell it fast in these small communities,” he said.

Hopkins County Superintendent Deanna Ashby explained her district, which had been holding in-person classes on a hybrid schedule, moved to virtual instruction for two weeks after fall break because students and teachers traveling after consulting with the county health department.

Ashby said most of the district's teachers want to remain virtual as much as possible, while parents want five-day a week instruction.

“And so our board members get a lot of pressure about this and it’s an on-going dialogue,” she said.

Hopkins County Health Department Director Denise Beach noted that the county is in the red category on the state’s COVID-19 incidence rate chart- with 34.9 cases per 100,000 residents - and that many people in the area are not wearing masks or social distancing.

Ashby also noted that a 60-year-old district bus driver died of COVID-19 last week.

State officials on Tuesday highlighted the fact that some schools and districts are not participating in required coronavirus case reporting.

During Tuesday’s Superintendents Webcast, it was noted that 18 school districts were not listed in the state’s public health reporting spreadsheet. Dr. Connie White, deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Health, reminded superintendents that the daily reporting is required under an emergency regulation.

Lt. Gov. Jaqueline Coleman, during the governor’s daily news conference, noted that more than 200 schools have not reported their cases and quarantines as required on the state’s COVID-19 self-reported dashboard.

“That is unacceptable and it’s irresponsible,” she said. “It jeopardizes the health of your students, your school staff, their families and your community. We all want our children back in their classrooms where they can learn from their teachers and be with their friends, but by not being accountable to your community you are actively impeding the ability of this to happen.”

As of Tuesday, 1,529 schools had self-reported their data for at least one day over the last two weeks. However there are 1,732 schools in the database, she said.

Officials also noted that the public health reporting spreadsheet has been retooled to show positive cases in staff and students for the last 14 days, instead of new cases per day.

The application deadline for the 2020-21 First Degree Scholarship program has been extended to Nov. 18. One male and/or one female student is eligible per public school district, selected by the local school board. Applicants must also meet other criteria, including being the first members of their immediate families to attend a postsecondary institution.

For nine consecutive years, the First Degree Scholarship program has funded a limited number of $2,500 scholarships for eligible Kentucky high school seniors to attend accredited postsecondary institutions. The 2021 award will mark a decade of supporting students! Scholarship funds are raised by the KSBA Educational Foundation, Inc., and are made possible by the generous contributions of donors like you.

KSBA will host the 2020 Winter Symposium on Dec. 4-5 in Louisville. The annual symposium is the last major training event offered before the end of the calendar year (the deadline for completion of yearly state-mandated school board training hours). More information – including a detailed schedule and easy online registration – will be made available in the weeks ahead on the Winter Symposium page of KSBA's website. We encourage you to refer to the website for updates and event information.

Note: Because this is a regular school board election year, newly elected board members may attend this meeting to take part in board service orientation called "New Board Member Boot Camp."

Book your hotel stay now for KSBA’s Winter Symposium at a special reduced conference rate!

Safety is priority No. 1. KSBA is working closely with the host hotel to ensure a safe event for all in attendance. Measures will be taken to offer a socially distanced experience in adherence to current state and federal public health guidance. Attendees will be encouraged to do their part to protect themselves and fellow guests from the spread of COVID-19.

Have you read the October edition of KSBA’s Policy Connection? Districts will find important updates on the impact of COVID on school policies, information on counselor surveys, active shooter training, school emergency planning and more.

National School Boards Association Chief Executive Officer Anna Maria Chávez recently penned an opinion piece for The 74 outlining the potential catastrophic fallout for a generation of students if more federal COVID-19 relief funds are not made available to public schools.

KSBA welcomes the newest addition to its 27-member board of directors. Murray Independent School board member Shawn Smee has been appointed to the KSBA Board of Directors as chairperson for the First Region.

Smee has served on the MISD board since 2018. He is the director of recruitment at Murray State University, his alma mater.

“We are extremely pleased with the selection of Mr. Smee as chairperson of KSBA’s First Region. He is committed to excellence in public education, student-centered, an accomplished board of education member and a respected community leader,” said Murray Superintendent Coy Samons, who will serve as KSBA First Region secretary.

KSBA’s five remaining fall virtual meetings will take place over the next three weeks. Three of these regions will hold regional chairperson elections. Visit KSBA’s Regional Meetings page for meeting dates and host districts.

More detailed regional meeting information, including specific meeting times and registration instructions were distributed by your region’s host district. If you have not yet received the information, please contact KSBA at your earliest convenience. For questions, contact Beth Pritchett at 502-783-0063 or via email.

Note: If you have a conflict on the date of your assigned region’s meeting, you may request to attend another region’s meeting by contacting the host region directly. Find your district's assigned region.

The Kentucky Department of Education has opened a community survey to gather ideas and thoughts from school officials, educators and other partners across the state to help guide strategy on what the future of education should look like in Kentucky.

The survey asks what KDE, districts and educators should:

“Our goal is to lead thoughtful and engaging discussions about our schools and within our communities,” said Commissioner of Education Jason Glass. “It is important to hear from all voices, as this will help shape our vision for what education should look like in Kentucky as we put together a strategy to move forward from the COVID-19 crisis and into a new era of education.”

The Nov. 11 "Learn and Earn" webinar will be a finance session titled Biggest Piece of the Budget Pie: Salaries & Benefits. This webinar counts toward mandated finance training requirements for school board members. Register now!

For questions, contact Laura Cole, KSBA director of Board Team Development, via email or at 800-372-2962.

Over the next several months, KSBA will be spotlighting our Tier 1 and Tier 2 Affiliate Members in Q&A videos. The videos will provide information on the services the companies provide to school districts and why they choose to support public education.

This week’s spotlight is RossTarrant Architects. Randy Brookshire, senior principal of RossTarrant, joined KSBA's Matt McCarty for a Zoom conversation.

Check out all of our Affiliate members on our website.

This edition of KSBA Aware is made possible in part