KSBA Aware - News from the Kentucky School Boards Association

Oct. 10, 2023

In this issue:

Appeals rules law targeting JCPS unconstitutional
October Learn and Earn to discuss curriculum
KBE to hold two-day virtual meeting
School-based mental health professional use of time survey due Nov. 1
KSBA scholarships and grants for Kentucky high school students
Free COSSBA webinar on challenges facing rural districts
State-mandated board training topic webinars
October Advocate available online
Upcoming dates, deadlines and events

Appeals rules law targeting JCPS unconstitutional

The Kentucky Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a lower court’s decision that a law limiting the power of the Jefferson County school board is unconstitutional.

The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel said that Senate Bill 1 of 2022 singled out the Jefferson County board, in violation of the state constitution’s ban on special and local legislation.

Under the law, the Jefferson County board would be required to turn over all daily operations, including contracts to the superintendent, would not be allowed to meet more than once a month and a vote to disapprove a rule or regulation from the superintendent would require a two-thirds majority.

The Jefferson County board sued in Jefferson Circuit Court after the law was passed and Attorney General Daniel Cameron defended the law. Cameron argued that the board did not have standing to sue. Both the circuit court and the appeals court disagreed.

Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, filed an amicus brief in the case stating that the purpose behind the legislation was to address concerns that JCPS was “failing too many of its students, especially students of color and those living below the poverty level.”

Cameron has not said whether he will appeal the ruling to the state supreme court. The suit only challenged the law as it related to JCPS and the other provisions of the law remain in effect.

October Learn and Earn to discuss curriculum

The October installment of KSBA's 2023 Learn and Earn webinar series is “Curriculum: From input to implementation.”

Recent legislation, including 2022’s Senate Bill 1 regarding the “reasonable review and response period” on proposed curriculum, make it necessary for board teams to have a solid grasp of how curriculum is developed. Join us from noon - 1 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, Oct. 11 as Jana Beth Francis, assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning for Daviess County Schools, discusses academic standards as the basis of local curriculum as well as the requirements for gathering input from school councils, principals, boards and the public. Participants will learn about special resources available to school leaders and best practices for the implementation of effective curriculum.

Pre-registration and payment are required for all Learn and Earn webinars at a cost of $50 per attendee. Each webinar counts for one hour of state-mandated school board training credit.

See descriptions and online registration for all upcoming Learn and Earn webinars.

KBE to hold two-day virtual meeting

The Kentucky Board of Education will hold a two-day meeting starting at 1 p.m. today. The agenda for this afternoon includes a presentation on the tax rates districts set for 2023-24, updates on the United We Learn initiative, the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child initiative and on the Area Technology Centers.

Wednesday’s meeting will begin at 9 a.m. The second-day agenda includes a presentation from Beechwood Independent Schools Superintendent Mike Stacy and Interim Commissioner Robin Kinney, waiver requests from Jefferson County Schools and Murray Independent Schools, and a presentation on the new liability insurance program. The board will also present the 2023 Kelly Award for Business and Education Partnership.

Watch both days live on the Kentucky Department of Education’s media portal.

School-based mental health professional use of time survey due Nov. 1

Per KRS 158.4416(3)(e), the local school district superintendent shall report to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) no later than Nov. 1:

The number of school-based mental health service providers.
The position held.
Placement in the district.
Certification or licensure held.
The source of funding for each position.
A summary of the job duties and work undertaken by each school-based mental health service provider.
The approximate percentage of time devoted to each duty over the course of the year.

This School-Based Mental Health Services Provider Professional Use of Time Survey has been created by KDE so that each school district’s superintendent can fulfill this requirement. Please submit your spreadsheet via email attachment to KDEResearch@education.ky.gov

KSBA scholarships and grants for Kentucky high school students

Nominations are now open for KSBA’s annual student aid opportunities, the First Degree College Scholarship program and the CTE Student Grant program, both of which provide thousands of dollars each year to deserving Kentucky high school students. KSBA invites school boards across Kentucky to nominate students for financial support towards their career and post-secondary pursuits.

Any board of education in Kentucky may nominate two eligible students per public school district – one male, one female – for EACH of the programs. Short and simple online nomination forms, to be submitted by the student nominees’ guidance counselors, must be completed and received by KSBA no later than Nov. 30. See links below for more information.

First Degree College Scholarship (for first-generation college-bound high school seniors):

2024 First Degree College Scholarship criteria, timeline and instructions. Please review carefully, as criteria and instructions may change slightly from year to year.

Online scholarship nomination form, which ultimately should be completed by the nominee’s guidance counselor.

CTE Student Grants: (for high school sophomores, juniors and/or seniors currently pursuing CTE industry certification)

2024 CTE student grant criteria, timeline and instructions. Please review carefully, as criteria and instructions may change slightly from year to year.

Online nomination form for the 2024 CTE Student Grant program.

KSBA is also accepting nominations for the 2024 Kentucky School Board Member of the Year, the KOSAA KUP and PEAK awards. Visit the links for more information on the awards.

Free COSSBA webinar on challenges facing rural districts

The Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) will offer a free webinar at 4 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, Oct. 18 discussing the unique challenges faced by over 9.3 million public school students in rural environments in ensuring their consistent access to high-quality education.

This webinar, “Strategies for Quality Programs in High-Needs Environments: Empowering Rural Education,” is the third installment of COSSBA’s 2023 Urban Board Alliance webinar series. Because KSBA is a COSSBA member state, Kentucky school board members are eligible to take part in this complementary virtual learning opportunity.

Learn more about this free webinar and register. The link also provides access to recordings of previous webinars in the series.

Save the date: COSSBA will host its 2024 Annual Conference Feb. 23-25 in Dallas with a preconference on Feb. 22. Early bird registration is now open at a cost of $595 for the COSSBA Annual Conference only and $825 for the conference and the preconference day. Early registration is available through Dec. 4. Registration is available on COSSBA’s website.

Those attending the COSSBA conference can also reserve hotel rooms at a conference rate by visiting COSSBA’s website. The deadline for hotel reservations is Feb. 1.

State-mandated board training topic webinars

Planning out your board training schedule for the remainder of the calendar year? For the convenience of our members, KSBA is offering webinar opportunities on the state-mandated topics of ethics, finance and superintendent evaluation.

Each of the state-mandated topic webinars is $50 per attendee and pre-registration and pre-payment is required. If you are not able to attend after you register, you will have access to the recorded version of the event and will be able to complete the session at your convenience.

Members will also be able to complete state-mandated training requirements during Winter Symposium, which will be held Dec. 8-9 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown. More information on Winter Symposium will be available in the upcoming weeks.

View a full lineup of webinars and clinic session offerings for the remainder of the calendar year on state-mandated topics.

Questions? Contact training@ksba.org.

October Advocate available online

Soon 10 Kentucky school districts will have a total of 68 electric school buses quietly rolling on the roads. Thanks to a federal grant program, the state has received $26.9 million so far for buses and the charging infrastructure to go with them. Learn how the new technology is working in Wolfe County and how Carter County is rolling out the largest electric fleet in the October issue of the Kentucky School Advocate.

On Nov. 7, Kentuckians will elect their next governor. Hear from incumbent Democrat Andy Beshear and challenger Republican Daniel Cameron on their plans for public education in the state in the Advocate.

Also in the October Advocate: