Campbellsville Ind. board approves new superintendent's request to create associate superintendent position; division of duties will allow schools chief to focus on instruction, spend time in schools
Central Kentucky News Journal, Campbellsville, July 13, 2017
Smith presides over first meeting as superintendent
‘I want to thank everyone for making this such a smooth transition'
By Zac Oakes
Campbellsville Independent Schools held their first board meeting with Kirby Smith at the helm as superintendent Monday evening.
Smith, who took over on July 1, said he was thankful to the board and all the faculty and staff within the school district for making the process go as smoothly as possible.
“I want to thank everyone for making this such a smooth transition,” Smith said. “... I look forward to working with each of you.”
In other news from a relatively short meeting:
• A flooring issue at Campbellsville Elementary School has been causing problems. Moisture is being trapped in the floor and causing problems at the school. Finance Director Chris Kidwell said they are
looking into several options for repairing the floor to determine the best path to take. The goal, Kidwell said, is to have the repairs completed by the start of the school year in August.
•The board approved the creation of an associate superintendent/chief operating officer position. By creating this position, Smith said, it will allow him to spend more time being an instructional leader and
spend more time in the schools. Smith said the person will oversee buildings and grounds projects, among other things. That position will be posted in the coming days, according to Smith.
• The board also approved changes to the most recent salary schedule. The salary schedule for the year was approved in May. Changes approved at Monday’s meeting include a one-percent increase for certified staff with 15 years or more for Rank I and Rank II, according to Kidwell, as well as an additional 25 cents per hour for classified staff with 20 years or more.
Kidwell said it puts the district on par with surrounding districts when it comes to compensation for employees who have been with the district for several years.
• The board also approved the creation of archery programs at Campbellsville Middle and Campbellsville High schools. The board also approved to create a coaching position for the program with the salary being $1,800. Smith said archery is taught in the schools’ physical education classes and referenced the national award-winning archery program at Kentucky Christian Academy.
“ We’ve had a lot of people ask about it, so I t h i n k there is a lot of i n t e r e s t and it’s something that will take off really quick,” Smith said.
• Smith said he met with Taylor County Schools Superintendent Roger Cook and Assistant Superintendent Charles Higdon, along with city and county government officials regarding the Central Kentucky Career Academy. Smith said the academy opening is slated for the 2018-2019 school year.
“We’re really excited about that and the opportunities it will provide for our kids,” Smith said.
• Smith told the board that some of the teacher workstations in the schools are beginning to get old, as well as some other technology equipment and they may need to look into replacing that in the near future.
• Smith and the board are working on plans to incorporate some working meetings into the current meeting schedule. The meetings will be open to the public, though some will involve executive sessions.
Board Chair Pat Hall said that those meetings will not involve any decision-making.
• Personnel Report
New hires — James Cheuvront, CHS custodian; Thomas Phillips, CMS custodian.
Resigned employees — Chance Cox, CHS instructional assistant; Amy Deaton, CHS special education teacher; Sharon Fryman, Homebound teacher; Phyliss Richardson, Homebound teacher.
Hired athletics — Ashley Goodin, CHS girls golf coach.
Transfers — Amanda Barnett, CES teacher; Faye Caulk, CES special education teacher; Anthony Epps, CHS special education teacher; Zachary Lewis, CMS Principal; David Petett, CHS Principal; Kirby Smith, Superintendent.
Posted: Thursday, July 13, 2017