Due to the coronavirus pandemic and Gov. Andy Beshear’s urging that everyone only leave home for essential activity, KSBA staff has largely ceased operations at the office and many of us are working remotely to serve you.
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In this issue:
- KDE suggests local boards review graduation requirements
- Lawmakers pass one-year state budget
- Districts stand to receive federal stimulus money
- KBE to discuss coronavirus response at Thursday's meeting
- School Report Card Finance Domain now open for review
- Extension of the 2020 property tax calendar
- Call for proposals -- KBA Summer Leadership Institute
- April Kentucky School Advocate available online
- KSBA in the News
- Poll results
- Upcoming dates, deadlines and events
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KDE suggests local boards review graduation requirements
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The Education Continuation Task Force on Monday discussed how high school graduation requirements will be met for this year’s seniors.
While the state requires a minimum of 22 credit hours for graduation, at least 29 local boards of education require more credit hours than the state minimum. Some local boards also require students to show transition readiness in various ways such as capstone projects or interviews. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has issued guidance explaining that local boards can waive those additional credit hours and other local requirements for this year’s seniors, if a board determines it is necessary because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
KDE officials also noted that another option would be for KDE and/or a local board of education to ask the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) to waive the state required seven electives. Under this option, if KBE grants a waiver, seniors could graduate with a minimum of 15 total credit hours and no electives. The KBE is expected to discuss the graduation requirement issue at its Thursday meeting.
KSBA urges board teams to review the
KDE guidance
and review any local requirements. Boards should consider whether to waive their additional requirements or request waivers of state requirements. Boards should reach out to their KSBA Policy contact as they consider policy and waivers.
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Lawmakers pass one-year state budget
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Legislators will have to take up the 2022 fiscal year budget when they return in January or in a special session. Gone from earlier versions of the budget are teacher raises and increased SEEK funding. Most education-related line items are kept at current levels and the per-pupil SEEK base remains flat at $4,000.
The budget does include nearly $40 million for various parts of the School Safety and Resiliency Act, including $18.2 million in bonding capacity facility improvements, $13 million for the Kentucky Center for School Safety and $7.4 million to hire school-based mental health professionals.
The budget also includes some nickel
equalization funding
and designates about half of the state’s Volkswagen settlement proceeds to help districts replace old school buses with new, clean fuel buses.
The General Assembly will reconvene on April 13 for final votes on several bills and to consider overriding any of Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes. Beshear has line-item veto power over the budget bill.
Photo: House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, oversees the vote on the budget which was taken with members voting from outside the chamber sending their votes to those who remained on the floor. LRC
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Districts stand to receive federal stimulus money
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Kentucky schools and districts could receive more than $200 million in emergency relief funds from the federal government, Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) officials told superintendents during an
April 7 webcast
. The funds represent Kentucky’s share of relief for K-12 education from the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security
(CARES) Act
.
Based on estimates by the Congressional Research Service, Kentucky would receive:
- $193.2 million from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, at least 90% of which will be distributed to districts based on the Title I funding formula. All Kentucky school districts could expect to receive about 83% of the amount they received under Title I-A in the 2019 fiscal year.
- Some of an estimated $43.8 million from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. Governors may use these funds to support districts that have been identified as “significantly impacted” by the coronavirus. However, money from that fund also may be used for higher education.
KDE Associate Commissioner Robin Kinney also noted that funds may be available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Kinney urged districts to complete FEMA’s
Request for Public Assistance form
by the April 13 deadline even if local officials can’t yet quantify the assistance they need.
“You may or may not end up qualifying, but we want to make sure you get your name in the hopper by April 13,” said Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Brown. See the full
summary of the webcast
.
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KBE to discuss coronavirus response at Thursday meeting
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The Kentucky Board of Education will meet
online
at 9 a.m. Thursday. The
agenda
includes an update on how the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is responding to the coronavirus with each KDE division slated to discuss the impacts. The board will also consider waiving some requirements in light of the pandemic and discuss requirements that have already been waived by the governor, including the civics test which had been a high school graduation requirement.
The agenda also includes a
regulation change
that would allow local boards of education to forgo charter authorizer training until the district receives a charter application. The provision is also included in Senate Bill 158, which has cleared the Senate and is awaiting a vote by the full House.
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School Report Card Finance Domain now open for review
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The School Report Card Finance Domain is open for districts to validate and approve district-level financial data entered by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and calculate or enter school-level spending per student data.
This year, districts can enter a 400-character financial narrative to be displayed on the school report card. KDE strongly encourages districts to use the narrative which will be displayed on the district’s financial transparency page under the header: “A message from the superintendent.”
The narrative gives parents, community members and researchers a better understanding of the district’s financial picture that cannot be gathered by looking at the data alone.
KDE has provided finance officers guidance on how to calculate spending per student and it can be found on the KDE’s
School Report Card Resources website
. All entries must be completed by April 27.
For more information, email
Jessi Carlton
or call her at 502-564-3930, ext. 2468.
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Extension of the 2020 property tax calendar
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Due to the COVID-19 State of Emergency, the state's property tax calendar has been delayed by 60 days. Under the revised calendar, the 2020 tax bill collections will begin in November and December.
For more information, see the
PDF
sent out by the state's Office of Property Valuation.
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KSBA has a limited number of spaces available for Summer Leadership Institute workshops on Saturday, July 11. Each workshop is 75 minutes in length. If you have any questions about the Institute or submitting a proposal, please contact Laura Cole
via email
or at 800-372-2962 ext. 1122.
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April Kentucky School Advocate online
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Closed Buildings,
Open Schools
Despite the unprecedented closure of all Kentucky P-12 classrooms, schools and districts are finding ways to reach their students. Educators create online lessons and hold video chats that allow both teachers and students to connect. In otherwise empty school buildings across the state, staff spend hours preparing breakfast and lunches for all students who want it. The
April Advocate
explores this new normal in Kentucky public schools.
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KSBA is often called on by media outlets to discuss important school-related issues. Here is an article to which your association contributed in recent weeks.
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Upcoming dates, deadlines and events
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This edition of KSBA Aware is made possible in part
by the following KSBA Affiliate Members.
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Kentucky School Boards Association | 502-695-4630 |
ksba.org
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