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People Are Talking

Kentucky School Advocate

June 2016

Note: To read the complete stories these quotes appeared in, click the link following each quote.

"In the overall scheme of things, it’s not a huge expense for the school system. However, for some families, having to buy supplies on top of school clothes is monumental. Some of the school fees at the high school could be quite taxing on a family’s small budget. Add to that supplies for two or three children and back-to-school becomes a family crisis.” Portion of an editorial praising the Harrison County Board of Education for its continuing policy of providing funding for elementary and middle school supplies and not charging student fees at the high school. From the Cynthiana Democrat. Click here for full story

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“Very few people in the school districts can accurately explain how the state measures ‘Growth’ or ‘Gap.’ However, those are two of the metrics used to determine the final accountability scores. The focus in the schools often becomes less on students and more on managing accountability. There is nothing wrong with being held accountable, but our focus should be on students.” Ballard County Schools Superintendent Casey Allen supporting plans to redesign the state’s school accountability system. From the Paducah Sun. Click here for full story

“What’s more important to the children? And, if we do not keep a counselor, who will pick up the slack?” Pendleton County Board of Education member Elmer Utz on the board’s decision to provide funding to retain a full-time counselor for one of the district’s elementary schools. From the Falmouth Outlook. Click here for full story

“Learning is the main thing. That’s the biggest difference.” Carlisle County Schools Superintendent Jay Simmons on the impact he hopes to see after breaking ground for a new elementary building to replace a school that was designed using an open space concept now determined detrimental to instruction. From WPSD-TV in Paducah. Click here for full story

“It is definitely something we are researching. We want to be able to do what’s best for our kids. Unfortunately, in our world today, it’s possible we could have an overdose situation at one of our schools. With an antidote ready, we could potentially save a life. It would be another tool for us that we hope we would never have to use.” Madison County Schools Nursing Coordinator Becky Carr on her district’s consideration of an offer made to all Kentucky districts of two free doses of a heroin antidote. From the Richmond Register. Click here for full story

“It’s not that I’m against this tax, it’s the fact that we don’t have a say in it. If it goes to the ballot and it passes I’m OK with it. I have grandchildren that will go to that school and I want them to have the best education, but I personally don’t see nothing wrong with the facilities we have at the moment.” Business owner Darrell Moffitt on his leadership of a petition to force a referendum on a nickel facilities tax proposed by the Hancock County Board of Education. From the Hawesville Hancock Clarion. Click here for full story

“It’s probably a good savings to the district. As we have been able to sit down as a board and look at this, there appears to be a substantial savings to the district as compared to if we were to offer less money and then offer all the benefits that would go with the position.” Scott County Board of Education Chairman Haley Conway on a contract with the new superintendent that sets a salary without a separate benefits package. From the Georgetown News-Graphic. Click here for full story

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“I had to stay focused and keep my brain on task. I did that by setting a goal of getting finished with the exam. You have to get all the way through and be as efficient as you can in the amount of time (three hours) you are given. Finishing is the most important thing. I was a little nervous, but I knew I could do it. Really, having scored a 36 the first time was relieving. The pressure was not as high. It didn’t have to be quite as perfect.” Simon Kenton High School (Kenton County) junior Chelsea Russell on achieving a second perfect score on the ACT. From the Fort Mitchell Community Press & Recorder. Click here for full story

“There are several things they are pushing as big returns right off the bat. One of those in most schools is LED lighting in the gymnasium. Clearly, we would qualify for that; we don’t have LED lighting. The lighting that we have is probably adequate, but it’s old, it uses a lot of energy. As (the lights) malfunction, we can’t replace them because they don’t make those parts anymore. It is probably an area that we’ll need to look at.” Harlan Independent Schools Superintendent Charles D. Morton advising his board about energy efficiency improvements. From the Harlan Daily Enterprise. Click here for full story

“It will be taken into account. We will have to sit down with the budget and see what’s available and what’s going to be available. We certainly want our teachers to be happy. The state puts on more each year and that gets passed along. More is being asked of teachers these days.” Boyd County Board of Education Chairman Bob Green on concerns about workload and pay expressed by the president of the local KEA chapter. From the Ashland The Independent. Click here for full story

“It was really a worthy cause to do this.” Simpson County Board of Education Chairman David Webster on a college scholarship he and his colleagues are supporting by contributing one-third of their annual compensation. From the Franklin Favorite. Click here for full story

“To my knowledge, there is no other academy around us, or possibly in even the state of Kentucky, that is going to have a STEAM immersion program that will go and cover as many students and as many grade levels as we are proposing to do.” Bardstown Independent Schools Gifted and Talented Coordinator Amy Adams on plans for a program for students in grades four through seven. From the Bardstown Kentucky Standard. Click here for full story

“It was awesome that we could pay less money for college ahead of time. There were also classes here at school, so we didn’t even have to leave the school.” Owen County High School student Samantha Tamplin on how her school’s dual-credit program prepares her and her classmates for college. From the Owenton News-Herald. Click here for full story

“Could you imagine practicing without a basketball goal? The only time our athletes see a track is in competition and they deserve more.” Fulton County Schools Superintendent Aaron Collins expressing hopes that community donors will help cover the cost of a $1 million track and field upgrade for his district. From the Hickman Courier. Click here for full story

“That’s been stagnant for many, many years, so we have to find creative ways of buying buses to transport students. The costs of buses have increased tremendously, but the funding for transportation has remained the same, and that’s a problem that all school districts in Kentucky are having to deal with.” Floyd County Schools Superintendent Henry Webb on a reality of the flatlined school transportation funding in the new state budget. From the Prestonsburg Floyd County Chronicle. Click here for full story

“I grew up on Dayton Pike, and I had to walk sometimes, and my dad took neighbor kids to school because he was leaving at the right time. It was a hard decision for me. But I believe our students deserve the money in the classroom. I think we can do it if we have to.” Dayton Independent Board of Education member Carrie Downard on the board’s decision to end bus transportation for most students in order to balance next year’s budget. From the Covington River City News. Click here for full story