KSBA Aware - News from the Kentucky School Boards Association

April 22, 2021

In this issue:

Questions surround supplemental school year bill
Third round of federal coronavirus relief detailed
Increased role of school boards in improving student achievement
KSBA announces new portal feature for tracking training hours online
Law Update available on demand
May webinar to address future of interscholastic athletics
Annual Conference less than a month away
Affiliate Appreciation Month -- Thank You to our Affiliate Members
Upcoming dates, deadlines and events

Questions surround supplemental school year bill

As school districts wait to see how many of their students ask for an extra year of school, many questions remain about how the supplemental school year will work in practice.

During the Kentucky Department of Education’s April 13 Superintendents Webcast, officials discussed Senate Bill 128 and its implementation. Students have until May 1 to submit their requests and school boards have until June 1 to decide whether to approve all or none of the requests.

KDE officials attempted to clarify their initial guidance on implementing the bill. After the webcast, KDE issued updated guidance on SB 128.

During the webcast, KDE’s director of government relations Chuck Truesdell explained that even if students plan to repeat a grade, they must take the end-of-year assessment for the grade they’re currently in. Students who already have graduated but choose to repeat classes will not have any new grade counted, he said. Also, graduated seniors also are not eligible for dual credit or Work Ready scholarships.

KDE officials also said supplemental classes must be the same as this year’s classes or have a “reasonable connection” to their previous courses. Districts should look to academic standards tied to various course codes as a guide for determining which courses are supplementary in nature, said Meredith Brewer, KDE’s director of educational policy.

However, the bill does not include the “reasonable connection” provision. In his April 19 Monday Message, Commissioner Jason Glass said that only the courts can issue legally binding orders interpreting a statute and that KDE’s guidance is to assist with the law’s implementation. He also noted that KDE’s guidance notes that local districts will determine which courses are supplementary in nature.

“However, ultimately if a school district determines that completely new coursework at the next grade level is supplementary in nature, it must be prepared to assume any risk that comes with such an interpretation,” he said.

Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, the Senate Education Committee Chairman and bill sponsor, told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the legislative intent was for "local control decisions and for districts to find innovative ways to implement the extra year.

“The local school district determines what is ‘reasonable’ in coming up with their supplemental plan and then submits their proposal to KDE by June 16,” he said.

In addition to the academic aspects of the bill, SB 128 also allows for an extra year of sports eligibility for high school students. Students who have graduated but are repeating classes would be eligible to participate in athletics, as long as they are enrolled for at least four credit hours, Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commissioner Julian Tackett said during the webcast.

Students repeating 8th-grade classes would not be able to play high school football or soccer during their supplementary year, but could be eligible for other high school-level sports, he said.

Third round of federal coronavirus relief funds detailed

Kentucky schools will get just over $2 billion dollars in a third round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Districts will receive 90 percent of the money, Robin Kinney, KDE associate commissioner, said during the April 13 Superintendents Webcast. The district allocations for ESSER I, II and III are now available on KDE’s federal grants website.

Districts can use the new money through Sept. 30, 2024. The process for receiving the ESSER III money will be the same as for ESSER I and II funds – districts will submit signed assurances and a spending plan, Kinney said.

For ESSER III no less than 20% of each district allocation must be used to address learning loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions to respond to student’s social emotional and academic needs and address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented student subgroups. That would include summer learning programs, extended school days and after-school programs, she said. The remainder of the funds can be used for the same purposes allowed under ESSER I and II.

ESSER III allows the state to retain 10% of the funds and 5% of the total funds must be used to address learning loss. It also requires states to consider equity based on high-need and high-poverty school districts, she said. Local districts also are also required to maintain equity in funding and staffing.

Increased role of school boards in improving student achievement

Changes to Kentucky school accountability laws have increased the role of school boards in using assessment data to lead school turnaround efforts, including the selection of outside partners to assist district leaders in developing plans for improved student achievement. From noon until 1:15 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, April 29, KSBA will offer “District Turnaround for Student Success: How Boards Will Lead Turnaround Efforts in our New State Accountability System.”

This special virtual training opportunity is provided in collaboration with The Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE), a joint venture of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and the School of Education and Human Development. Attendees will earn 1.25 hours of board training credit and the webinar counts toward A/S Level II required topic: Student Assessment. Click the “Register Now” button to begin easy online registration or download a printable information flyer.

KSBA announces new portal feature for tracking board training hours online

KSBA is excited to share that board members and district staff will soon be able to check board training records online as part of our improved portal experience. Over the next few months KSBA will be rolling out major improvements to our member portal, beginning with a brand new Academy of Studies feature.

This new feature will allow board members and district personnel to check annual board training hours online. Board members, for the first time, will have the opportunity to track their own hours, saving them valuable time and affording them greater flexibility in consideration of upcoming training opportunities. Look for additional details in the weeks ahead.

Law Update available on demand

KSBA held the 15th Annual Federal and State Law Update on April 20 as a live virtual conference. KSBA attorneys and policy staff provided a 2021 legislative session recap, board policy/procedure updates, Open Meetings and Open Records Act updates, federal law developments and an overview of recent COVID-19 federal relief funding.

The training featured KSBA’s Director of Advocacy Eric Kennedy, Director of Policy and eMeeting Services Katrina Kinman and Staff Attorney John Fogle.

The event, which will be available on demand next week, offers three hours of board member training credit, and EILA and CLE credit has been approved for administrators and board attorneys.

Contact KSBA Director of Board Team Development Laura Cole via email or 800-372-2962 to view the Law Update on demand.

May webinar to address future of interscholastic athletics

At noon (ET) on Wednesday, May 12 at KSBA will offer “COVID Lessons Learned and Re-thinking Interscholastic Athletics for the Future” as part of its Learn and Earn webinar series. Julian Tackett, Commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, will review communication strategies, address issues with local control objectives, discuss how local control is not just for easy decisions and more. Click the "Register Now" button below to reserve your spot.

Annual Conference less than a month away

KSBA's 2021 Annual Conference is less than a month away! We look forward to welcoming attendees to the Kentucky International Convention Center May 14-16 for one of Kentucky's largest gatherings of education leaders. Complete easy online conference registration by clicking the "Register Now" button below. Download a complete schedule of the 2021 Annual Conference to determine what sessions are best for you.

Speaker announced: KSBA welcomes Salome Thomas-EL, a.k.a. “Principal EL,” as the Sunday keynote for our 2021 Annual Conference, capping off an impressive slate of general session presenters. The award-winning principal and internationally recognized educator – who has been featured on Good Morning America, NPR and Oprah Radio – will present “Resilient School Board Members and Leaders: Challenging the Status Quo and Knowing your ‘Why.’”

Hotel blocks filling up: Special conference rate rooms at nearby participating hotels have nearly reached capacity. If you have not done so already, we encourage conference attendees to book rooms as soon as possible. A limited number of conference rate rooms are still available at the SpringHill Suites Louisville Downtown. Click here to book room at special conference rate ($139/night).

Affiliate Appreciation Month

KSBA would like to say thank you to all of our Affiliate Members for their continued support of KSBA and public education. Their investments of time, expertise and resources help to elevate public education in the Commonwealth, and we look forward to seeing our Affiliates at the Annual Conference Trade Show next month. Visit our website to learn more about KSBA's Affiliate Members.