BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

ANCHORAGE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

September 23, 2024

The Board recognized the “Hype” team for their leadership in action during the first week of school. These 7th and 8th grade students created positive energy for their fellow students with signs and messages of encouragement during morning carpool. 

Pictured: Colton Broughton, Eliza Smedley, and Anna Johnson. 

Not Pictured: Megan Tyler, Sebe Topper, Thatcher Cook, Henry Pagano, Eli Park, Sophia Davis, Evelyn Gabriele-Burke, Chase Browning, Lucy Mullaney, Sam Noonan

We were pleased to have a well attended tax hearing and monthly meeting on Monday. Stakeholders are encouraged to continue attending meetings to stay abreast of factual information on happenings within the district. 

The board formally accepted the retirement and request for leave from Superintendent Karen Solise. Although we are saddened that our time with Ms. Solise is cut short, we know the seeds she planted during her tenure by taking a team to the Ron Clark Academy, intentionally growing excitement and positivity amongst students, focusing on high school readiness through electives, and taking steps toward creating an innovation lab will continue to bear fruit for our current and future students. Once the board became aware of her impending leave less than two weeks ago, we had to swiftly develop a plan to ensure our district could continue to function. By statute, our tax rate had to be adopted this week and a working budget is due to KDE by the end of September. A board secretary was necessary for the monthly meeting to occur and our superintendent, by contract, serves in this role for our district. Therefore, the board held a called meeting on September 17th for the purposes of a closed session to discuss the appointment of an interim superintendent. This allowed us to be prepared to take decisive action addressing the vacancy on Monday evening. We are indebted to Ms. Solise for entrusting her private matter with the board a few days prior to the public announcement to allow us to solidify a succession plan to minimize disruptions to our operations. 

During the meeting, the board heard reports on City Council, APTA, NWEA MAP pilot participation, Personnel, Conference participation, Fall 2024 MAP results, School/Council, and district finances. 

The Post-Remediation Mold Screening Report from Metric Environmental that indicated no further remediation is needed was shared with the board and can be reviewed here.

While there have been some reports of an odor in the 3rd/4th/5th wing of the school, we have been assured that this is a result of new ceiling tiles installed in this area during the remediation. This is expected to dissipate with time. The district has been advised that no additional air sampling is necessary at this point and to resume normal cleaning practices. Guidance published by the EPA and the Kentucky EEC, as well as recommendations from third party professionals, help steer our ongoing operations.

In addition to routine consent items, the board accepted ECE service contracts, entered into an agreement with Dinsmore & Shohl for Board Attorney services, and approved the Emerald Coast 8th Grade Trip. The board approved funding for post-construction cleaning, balcony railing, choral risers and minor items needed to reopen the auditorium prior to the Veteran’s Day program scheduled for Friday, November 8, 2024. Progress photos of the auditorium are posted here.

The board approved a real estate and personal property tax rate of 99.6 cents per $100 valuation. This is the same tax rate that has been in effect for our district homeowners since 2020. The board is confident this rate will ensure the district continues to have the financial resources necessary to provide educational opportunities rooted in excellence for our students, while compensating our highly qualified staff with competitive wages. This rate is subject to recall, and therefore, tax bills will not be mailed until a 45-day waiting period has expired. 

Based on the approved tax rate, the board adopted the FY25 Working Budget. We would like to extend a special thank you to our newly onboarded Finance Officer, Prindle Hinton. She worked tirelessly in her first week on the job to prepare monthly financial statements and finalize the working budget in time for our meeting and impending state deadlines.

Additional Notes

• KSBA provides guidance on a school board members’ limited role in personnel matters. There are only a few positions hired by the school board: superintendent, board treasurer, board secretary, board attorney and independent contractors. Outside of an interim appointment, when a district is searching for a superintendent, a screening committee makes a recommendation to the board. While that recommendation must be considered, it does not limit the board’s decision on who it hires.

• Questions about turnover remind us that our district is uniquely poised to attract and retain seasoned professionals. While our salary schedules remain lower than JCPS, our district consistently ranks as #1 in the state for average certified salary. This is a result of our staff having more years of experience on average than other districts. While certainly providing an advantage to our students, the flip side is that as years of experience increases, time until retirement decreases. Each spring, our district celebrates retirements of staff members that have in many cases been serving our district for decades. Dr. Ransdell was retirement-eligible prior to COVID but stayed on to lead our district through that unexpected and challenging time, generously waiting to announce retirement plans until prior to the 2022 election. Ms. Haile agreed to the one-year Interim Principal role with the intent to retire at the end of the contract. Mr. Travis worked in our district for 27 years before announcing his well-earned retirement. Let us join together in celebration of the unique mark each member of our beloved staff leaves on our district. 

The next monthly Board Meeting is scheduled for October 28, 2024 at 6:00pm. Please contact Interim Superintendent Sharla Six if you have any questions or for more specific details please see the monthly board minutes.



Thank you,

Anchorage Independent School District Board of Education

Hannah Barnes (Chair)

Rosanna Gabriele (Vice Chair)

Wilson Greene

Sara Tyler

Andrew O’Brien