Gov. Andy Beshear is expected to discuss the vaccine roll out at his 4 p.m. news conference today. During Tuesday’s Superintendents Webcast, state Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack explained that the state had planned to work with pharmacies to distribute the vaccine to school personnel around the first week of February but that plan “went off the rails” when local hospitals and health departments began vaccinating teachers.

“The governor is committed and I am committed to fulfilling this promise that all the K through 12 school personnel will have had access to at least one opportunity to receive vaccination before the end of the month of February,” Stack said.  

The vaccinator will work with districts regarding the distribution, she said. Even after teachers and school personnel are vaccinated, they will still be required to quarantine if they are exposed to the virus because while the vaccine lessens the severity of the disease, it does not stop it from being spread, White said.  

Photo: Hopkins County Schools Superintendent Deanna Ashby receives the vaccine on Jan. 13. Credit: Hopkins County Schools Twitter @HCBOE

As coronavirus cases in Kentucky surged after the holidays to their highest levels since the pandemic began, districts across the state pushed back their return to in-person instruction.

The week of Jan. 4 the state saw its highest case level with three days breaking previous one-day case totals. By Wednesday, Jan. 13, the state had reached a total of 313,282 cases and 2,991 deaths, including 47 new deaths. The positivity rate is 12.29 percent.

As of Thursday, at least 15 districts had delayed their return to in-person instruction, with some deciding not to resume in-person classes until February.

At least 26 districts resumed in-person instruction the week of Jan. 4, and at least 77 districts resumed in-person instruction this week. As many as 23 districts plan to return to in-person instruction on Jan. 19. However that number is likely to change this afternoon after the release of the updated COVID-19 incidence map.

After Winter Break, at least 73 districts are using or plan to use a full hybrid model with groups of students attending on alternating days. Ten districts plan to have elementary students attend four or five days a week and middle and high schools use the hybrid model.

Kentucky will receive $928 million in the second round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) federal funding.

The money is part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, KDE Associate Commissioner Robin Kinney said during Tuesday’s Superintendents Webcast. Districts can expect to receive four or five times the allocation they received under ESSER I funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The new funds can be used for eligible expenses starting March 13, 2020, and will be available through Sept. 30, 2023.

In addition to the uses permitted under the first CARES Act, the new funds can be use for:

“Start thinking about what are ways we can create meaningful, quality learning experiences for kids in Kentucky with these funds,” Education Commissioner Jason Glass told superintendents.

Kinney reminded superintendents that the new ESSER money can be used for nurses, mental health professionals and emergency leave days for employees.

“There will be continued encouragement to use these funds quickly and effectively on behalf of students and school districts,” Kinney said, “and states will be asked to communicate often on how we are expending those funds. However, it is a significant amount of funding. So we are encouraging you to continue to be very strategic, as you have in the past, in your planning on the use of the funds.”

A second round of Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) funding will also provide $19.5 million for public schools and $40.8 million for private schools, Kinney said.

The Kentucky School Boards Association will host its 2021 Annual Conference April 23-25 in Louisville at the Kentucky International Convention Center. Please note the new dates. More information – including a detailed conference schedule and easy online registration – will be available in the weeks ahead on the annual conference page of KSBA’s website.

KSBA is now accepting proposals for a limited number of breakout sessions at KSBA’s Annual Conference. The downloadable proposal form must be submitted by Jan. 25. 

KSBA once again invites districts to design banners for display at the conference. This year, however, requested banner artwork will be digitally displayed in conference communications, throughout the convention center, the conference mobile app, and in a variety of other ways. Click here to download banner information, complete with instructions and specifications. Banner artwork must be submitted by March 31.

Student performers are featured throughout the conference. Districts may download a student involvement proposal form and submit for consideration. All submissions must be received by Feb. 12.

The host hotel for the Annual Conference is the Louisville Marriott Downtown, connected by covered pedestrian walkway to the Kentucky International Convention Center. There are multiple neighboring hotels in very close proximity to the convention center. A limited number of rooms are available at special conference rates. Make your reservations now.

House Bill 1, filed by Rep. Bart Rowland, R-Tompkinsville, would allow businesses and schools to remain open during the pandemic as long as they follow a plan meeting Centers for Disease Control or state guidelines, whichever was the least restrictive. 

The other education-related bill is SB 1, which would place a 30-day limit on any emergency orders or regulations, including those that would close schools to in-person instruction. The bill also requires the attorney general to agree before the governor could suspend statutes during an emergency. 

Gov. Andy Beshear on Jan. 7 unveiled his budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021. Beshear’s plan included a $1,000 raise for public K-12 employees, a 1% increase to the SEEK formula, $100 million for K-12 school renovations and replacements, and $50 million to expand broadband access. 

The association completed its fall fundraising campaign for the KSBA Educational Foundation on Dec. 31, capping off our six-week matching challenge generously sponsored by American Fidelity. Thanks to the support of school board members, education leaders, staff and friends throughout the Commonwealth, we are proud to announce that KSBA reached its ambitious goal of $10,000 in the hours leading up to the deadline! In doing so, American Fidelity will match this $10,000 raised dollar-for-dollar for a campaign total of $20,000 – all of which will support the foundation’s First Degree Scholarship Program.

Thank you to those who made gifts to the matching challenge, and to all those who supported the foundation in 2020. Learn more about funding initiatives on the KSBA Educational Foundation's new website. Even though the fall campaign has wrapped, contributions are accepted 365 days a year. Give now!

On Tuesday, KSBA Executive Director Kerri Schelling presented Carroll County Schools with the Fall 2020 Public Education Achieves in Kentucky (PEAK) Award during an outdoor ceremony at the district's Double C Farm.

Learn more about Carroll County's PEAK-winning program on our website.

The January edition of the Kentucky School Advocate is available online. In this month's Advocate, read about some board members' top personal New Year's Resolution as well as their resolutions related to school board service.

Also in the January Advocate:

KSBA is proud to partner with the Commonwealth’s educational cooperatives and various education stakeholder groups as we share the powerful stories of our Commonwealth’s public schools. To learn more about the #TellingOurStoryKy campaign, and to access a variety of campaign resources, visit the new Kentucky Association of Educational Cooperatives website.

In 2020-21, 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 RSA Advisors. Dwight Salsbury of RSA Advisors joined KSBA's Matt McCarty for a Zoom conversation.

Check out all KSBA Affiliate members on our website.

Lexington Herald-Leader Jan. 11: Are snow days, the ‘most magical of winter birthrights’, gone forever for KY schools?

Courier-Journal Jan. 8: Beshear makes another bid to raise teacher salaries, boost education funding in budget

WFPL Louisville Jan. 1: What To Watch In K-12 Education Ahead Of The 2021 Ky. General Assembly

January is School Board Recognition Month, a time when communities recognize the work of their locally elected school boards and highlight the important governance role they play in charting the future of our districts. KSBA will once again offer helpful resources and templates – from social media graphics to certificates and sample media releases to help districts recognize their members.

Visit our website to review and download the materials. Districts are encouraged to seek out unique ways to celebrate board service. Tag KSBA on Twitter and Facebook and use the hashtag #LoveKySchoolBoards. We will share some of our favorites.

This edition of KSBA Aware is made possible in part