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Superintendents hear updates on budget, summer food, United We Learn

During the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Superintendents Webcast, staff discussed the new two-year state budget and its impact on districts.

Included in the budget bill, House Bill 6, was $34.5 million for resource officers (SROs). Associate Commissioner Matt Ross explained that the bill allows KDE to reimburse school districts up to $20,000 for each campus employing at least one SRO. If the funds do not cover all of the campuses, the money will be divided proportionally through a system KDE is developing, Ross said.

Senate Bill (SB) 91 aims to provide relief to districts experiencing real estate growth and a potential cut in funding through the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding formula. Chay Ritter, division director in Office of Finance and Operations, said KRS 157.360(17) – which is known as the “4% adjusted assessment rule” – already allows for some relief, so SB 91 would be in addition to that.

Ritter said the bill is specific to real property assessments only – not the assessment used for SEEK calculations – and multiple qualifying events must occur for a district to qualify. Funds must also be available in the SEEK budget appropriation in order for districts to receive the relief.

To qualify for the 2024-25 school year, districts and their boards:

• Must have qualified in 2023-2024 and 2024-25 for the 4% adjusted assessment.
• Must levy the 4% tax rate or greater in 2024-25
• Must have experienced a cumulative growth in real estate assessments from fiscal year 2022-23 to 2024-25 of more than 14.4%. KDE will adjust local effort specific to real property for growth above 14.4%.

For the 2025-26 school year, districts and their boards:

• Must have qualified in 2024-25 and 2025-26 for the 4% adjusted assessment.
• Must levy the 4% tax rate or greater in 2025-26.
• Must have experienced a cumulative growth in real estate assessments from fiscal year 2022-23 to 2025-26 of more than 25.8%. KDE will adjust local effort specific to real property for growth above 25.8%.

Ritter said he expects if a district qualifies, payment will not occur until the SEEK final calculation that occurs on March 1 each year.

Another piece of legislation, House Bill 727, allows local boards of education to issue general obligation bonds up to 2% of their assessed property value. The bonds must be issued through a competitive solicitation process.

Ross said KDE is working with the School Facilities Construction Commission and the Kentucky Office of Financial Management on guidance for districts to break down the legislation and its potential pitfalls.

KDE staff has created legislative guidance to help school leaders navigate other recent legislation. It is available at KDE Legislative Guidance.

Superintendents also heard from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) about the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (SEBT) program and heard an update on the Kentucky United We Learn Council.

See full news release

KSBA 2024 Federal & State Law Update to be held June 6

KSBA’s 18th Annual Federal and State Law Update will be held virtually from 9 a.m. until noon (ET) on June 6.

This webinar is open to anyone, but is highly recommended for school board members, superintendents, administrators, board attorneys, finance officers and other district personnel with policy-enacting responsibilities.

This three-hour virtual conference, hosted each spring, is presented by knowledgeable KSBA staff and includes an in-depth legislative session recap, board policy and procedure updates, recent Open Meetings Act and Open Records Act decisions, case law developments and federal updates. View/download an event flyer complete with event schedule and presenter information.

Registration is required at a cost of $225 per individual (due at registration). Begin online registration for this event.

Participants are typically eligible for three hours of training credit (state-mandated board training, CLE* and EILA). For board members, the training qualifies for Level IV/V elective credit in KSBA's Academy of Studies. Questions? Contact training@ksba.org.

*CLE approval requested

Leadership opportunity: KSBA Unemployment Program Board of Trustees

KSBA’s Unemployment Program is currently seeking individuals to serve on its board of trustees. These scheduled vacancies on the board include school board, superintendent and finance officer representatives. 

Trustees, who meet for quarterly virtual meetings, are responsible for the oversight of the program. More information on KSBA’s Unemployment Program may be found on the Unemployment Program page of KSBA's website.

Interested individuals are encouraged to complete an online application form. Begin the online application.

The deadline for applications is May 22 with anticipated appointment of new members at the board's June meeting. Questions may be directed to Leah Herrera, KSBA chief financial officer, at 1-800-372-2962 or by email.

About KSBA's Unemployment Program: Properly handling unemployment claims, staying abreast of Kentucky’s unemployment regulations and preparing for adjudicated hearings requires special knowledge and experience. That is why 169 of Kentucky's 171 school districts and three educational cooperatives currently rely on KSBA's Unemployment Program to assist them in dealing with these issues - from responding to initial claims to protesting unfavorable determinations and preparing for appeals if necessary.

June Learn & Earn to discuss tough issues facing districts

KSBA's Learn & Earn webinar series continues Wednesday, June 12 from noon - 1 p.m. (ET) with a session titled "Let’s talk: Working together to solve the tough issues." Join in a conversation with three experienced superintendents – Deanna Ashby, retired superintendent and leader coach, Studer Education; Jason Radford, superintendent, Oldham County Schools; and Mark Martin, superintendent, Meade County Schools – as they discuss common challenges of boards and district leaders. The panel will engage participants to share ideas and strategies addressing shrinking state and federal funding while maintaining instructional supports, recruiting and retaining high-quality staff, planning for the future and other topics.

Register for the June Learn & Earn webinar

The July Learn & Earn webinar will be held from noon - 1 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, July 10 and will discuss understanding the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) processes for school construction projects. The webinar, presented by Derek Phillips and Jessica Phillips of Deco Architects, Inc., will share the KDE processes and requirements for a school construction project, start to finish, including the timeline of significant construction milestones. Participants will learn how KDE assigns tiers and how BG forms affect that timeline. Prepare to walk away with a better understanding of KDE construction requirements and how to make your next project run smoothly.

Register for the July Learn & Earn webinar

Registration and payment is required for all Learn and Earn webinars at a cost of $75 per attendee. Each webinar counts for one hour of state-mandated school board training credit.

Superintendents Advisory Council meets

The Kentucky Department of Education's Superintendent Advisory Council is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 15.

The agenda includes a legislative update from KDE's Director of Government Relations Brian Perry and an overview of the property assessment growth relief provided in House Bill 6, the budget bill, from KDE's Chay Ritter.

Ritter, division director in the Office of Finance and Operations, will also discuss a possible SEEK workshop this summer.

The meetings are no longer streamed, but held in person at KDE in Frankfort.

Superintendent search alert

KSBA's Superintendent Search Service is currently facilitating a search in the following districts. Click the district name to be directed to the position posting and application instructions.

Jackson County Schools

Application deadline: May 17, 2024

Policy update to go out by end of May

KSBA Policy staff have tracked more than 240 bills for the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly for their potential impact on district policies and procedures. KSBA plans to send the Annual Policy Update materials to districts at the end of May.

Employee, Coaches’, and Substitute Teacher Handbook drafts with changes from the Update will be sent in the coming weeks after the Annual Update policy and procedure drafts are emailed to districts.

If you have questions about your district's Annual Update, please reach out to your district's assigned policy consultant at 800-372-2962.

Webinars for board members in their first terms

School board members currently anywhere within their first term of service are invited to participate in the New Board Member Express (NBME) webinar series. Below is the webinar lineup through the end of June, designed for those early in their board tenures. Each webinar title is linked to online registration, or you can visit the NBME page for full session descriptions and registration access. Webinars are each worth 1.00 hour of state-mandated school board training credit at a cost of $75 per session (due at registration).

Introduction to superintendent evaluation for new board members (SEV 111)

May 23 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Congratulations! You made the team (BMD 100)

May 30 | Noon – 1 p.m. (ET)

Introduction to school board meetings for new board members (SBM 100)

June 4 | Noon – 1p.m. (ET)

Introduction to school finance for new board members (FIN 119)

June 10 | 1 – 2 p.m.

Legal orientation I (LGI 100)

June 20 | 9:30 – 10:30 am (ET)

The board’s policy making role (POL 100)

June 25 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. (ET)

May Kentucky School Advocate available online

Lawmakers passed 214 bills during the 2024 General Assembly, including a new two-year state budget. The 2024 May Kentucky School Advocate goes in depth at bills that were passed that will affect public education.

Also in the May Advocate:

• Commissioner confirmed

• Reaching the PEAK

• New year, new leaders

• President's Perspective: Advocacy in the offseason

• KSBA Answers: HB 449 makes changes to school board candidacy filings, training and more

• In Conversation With Kentucky Teacher of the Year Kevin Dailey

• Beyond the Board: Marilyn Clark, Fayette County Schools

KSBA in the News

Because of the unique roles school boards play in matters of policy and education trends, KSBA is often called on by media outlets to weigh in on important school-related issues and provide background. See below for recent instances in which KSBA was featured or cited. (Note: Some news links may be subject to paywalls for non-subscribers.)

(April 24) Opinion: Don't change the constitution to fund school choice. Keep state money in public education. – Louisville Courier Journal

(May 2) Guest columnist: HB 2 puts public education on ballot this November – Frankfort State Journal  

May 15: KDE Superintendents Advisory Council

May 21: Primary election day

June 4: School board election filing deadline

June 4: Interim Joint Education Committee meeting

June 5-6: Kentucky Board of Education meeting

July 19-20: KSBA Summer Leadership Institute