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KSBA Summer Leadership Institute

The 2023 KSBA Summer Leadership Institute will be held this week, July 14-15, at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington. If you have not yet registered, there is still time to join more than 300 board members, superintendents, administrators and exhibitors from across the state for two days of learning and networking.

Attendees arriving early can participate in three hours of bonus sessions Friday afternoon prior to the conference's Welcome Reception, which will be from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Day one of SLI will conclude with the Opening Session with Tim Weisheyer, former president of the Florida School Boards Association, who will help members learn to charge head-on into being a mission-focused leader and developing skills and capacity needed to lead and innovate through all times.

Following Saturday morning's continental breakfast, day two will begin with Plenary Session speaker Daryl Love, a former Fayette County school board member, exploring essential qualities that school board members need to provide effective leadership in unsteady times. Attendees will then have the opportunity to attend three breakout sessions on Friday.

The SLI trade show will feature 28 exhibitors, from a wide range of industries, ready and eager to assist your school district with the services and support you need. Whether you have an immediate project or long-term goals, we invite attendees to visit and chat with exhibitors during SLI to learn how they can help you or answer any questions you may have. View a directory of SLI exhibitors.

Local School Board Member Advisory Council to meet at SLI

The Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE) Local School Board Members Advisory Council (LSBMAC) will meet at 10 a.m. ET on July 14, at Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington.

The LSBMAC consists of 13 members, one representing each of the state's seven judicial districts and six at-large members.

At least two members also represent the KSBA Board of Directors.

The agenda includes:

• Commissioner's update, open discussion and feedback: Jason E. Glass, commissioner of education, KDE
• Senate Bill 5 "Harmful to Minors Complaints," open discussion and feedback
• Kentucky Board of Education model competencies to support local development of Portrait of a Learner/Graduate, facilitated open Discussion and feedback: David Cook, facilitator, director of Innovation, KDE
• Members topics and feedback: David Cook, facilitator, director of Innovation, KDE

State reports record general fund revenue surplus

General Fund receipts for fiscal year 2023 totaled $15.1 billion, exceeding budgeted estimates by $1.4 billion, the largest revenue surplus in history. According to a report by the Office of the State Budget Director, this will be the third consecutive year with a [state] general fund surplus in excess of $1 billion.

“All the major taxes contributed to the $1.4 billion revenue surplus,” said State Budget Director John Hicks. “Individual income taxes by $504.3 million, sales and use taxes by $299.4 million, major business taxes by $311.9 million, and property taxes by $99.5 million.”

The percentage growth rate for fiscal year revenues was 3%.

Visit the Office of the State Budget Director website for more information.

EPA Clean School Bus Grant Program webinars

Authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Clean School Bus Program provides $5 billion over five years to replace school buses with low- and zero-emission school buses. The second funding opportunity under this program is the 2023 Clean School Bus Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Below is a list of upcoming information sessions where you can learn more about the grant opportunity and share feedback.

• July 19 at 3 p.m. - Grant Forms, Popular Q&A, and Self-Certification

• July 26 at 3 p.m. - Training & Maintenance Considerations w/ Joint Office

• Aug. 9 at 1 p.m. - OIG Fraud Prevention & Best Practices

• Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. - 2023 Grants: Feedback & Next Steps

All times are Eastern

More information or to register for a webinar.

Review PDFs of previous webinar presentations.

Visit the EPA Clean School Bus Program website.

Legislature’s interim joint education panel to meet 

The General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Education is schedule to meet at 11 a.m. July 18 in the Capitol Annex. The agenda includes presentations chemistry education, teacher apprenticeship programs and the work of the Coalition to Sustain the Education Profession.

Among those schedule to discuss their district's "Grown Your Own Programs" are Green County Superintendent Will Hodges and Nelson County Superintendent Wes Bradley.

The meetings are typically streamed live at https://ket.org/legislature. 

July Learn and Earn to discuss the Read to Succeed Act

For the July installment of our 2023 Learn and Earn webinar series, KSBA presents, “Senate Bill 9 (2022): The Read to Succeed Act's implementation and initiatives.” 

SB9 has the potential to be transformative in the goal of all children being able to read well before exiting grade three. Called the Read to Succeed Act, SB9 is designed to employ evidence-based reading methods proven successful for struggling readers. Join us from noon - 1 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, July 12 as Christie Biggerstaff, director of Early Literacy for the Kentucky Department of Education's Office of Teaching and Learning, discusses the Kentucky Reading Academies, SB9 implementation guidance and information about required assessments.

Register for this webinar.

For the August Learn and Earn, KSBA presents, "KSBA's eMeeting service: Its value to boards and SBDM councils."

Join us from noon - 1 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, Aug. 9 for this interactive session presented by Katrina Kinman, KSBA's director of Policy and eMeeting Services, and John Powell, KSBA staff attorney. The session will highlight how the use of eMeeting and its related training is valuable to boards and school-based decision making councils as they do their important work. Effectiveness of eMeeting in avoiding Open Meetings Act or Open Records Act violations will also be covered. Training on these topics is critical for effective school-level and district-level governance.

Register for this webinar.

Pre-registration is required for all Learn and Earn webinars at a cost of $50. Each webinar counts for one hour of school board training credit.

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

KSBA announces new lineup of webinars on state-mandated board training topics

Planning out your board training schedule for the remainder of the calendar year? For the convenience of our members, KSBA offers a new lineup of webinar opportunities in August - October on the state-mandated topics of ethics, finance and superintendent evaluation. 

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

Questions? Contact [email protected]. 

School safety task force to meet 

The legislature’s Task Force on School and Campus Safety will hold its first meeting at 2 p.m. (ET) July 18 in the Capitol Annex. The panel, co-chaired by Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, and Rep. Scott Lewis, R-Hartford, is designed to study and review the implementation of 2019’s Senate Bill 1 and review access to mental health services in school districts to determine if federal funds could pay for these services.

At the meeting, Wise will give a presentation on SB1.

The task force is scheduled to meet once a month through November.

More information about the task force. 

COSSBA to host UBA Symposium, Federal Advocacy Conference

The Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) has two upcoming events.

UBA Symposium "Doing the Work - Every Student Every Day" will be held Aug. 24-25 in Chicago

The Federal Advocacy Conference will be held Sept. 25-27 in Washington, D.C.

Catch up on policy updates

In case you missed it, view the July edition of Policy Connection, KSBA’s quarterly district policy e-newsletter. In this issue, KSBA discussed the implementation of district employee exit surveys, policies related to homeless children and unaccompanied youth in foster care, fidelity bonds and several other important updates and deadlines.

If you wish to subscribe to KSBA’s Policy Connection, contact Katrina Kinman, KSBA’s director of Policy and eMeeting Services.

July 14-15: Summer Leadership Institute, Lexington

July 14: KOSAA Summer Conference, Lexington

July 18: Interim Joint Committee on Education

July 18: Task Force on School and Campus Safety

Aug. 2-3: Kentucky Board of Education retreat and regular meeting, Dale Hollow State Resort Park

Aug. 8: Superintendents Webcast