Kentucky School Advocate
November 2015
A different kind of energy star
The energy manager for Scott County Schools, who also works with KSBA’s School Energy Managers Project, has been named Energy Engineer of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers. Jim McClanahan received the award Sept. 30 at the World Energy Engineering Congress in Orlando, Fla. The association’s awards are given to energy professionals who have achieved international, national, regional or local prominence in their fields. McClanahan is both a certified energy manager and a professional engineer.
Under McClanahan’s auspices during the past five years, all Scott County schools have earned ENERGY STAR certification. He helped the district save more than $2 million in avoided costs and used utility company rebates and in-house labor to carry out many energy efficiency upgrades.
McClanahan has also been Woodford County Schools’ energy manager and is currently training the new energy manager there and helping with the district’s ENERGY STAR certifications.
McClanahan also assists other school energy managers throughout the state and is available to serve districts that don’t have an energy manager.
HR honor roll
Ten Kentucky schools have been recognized for outstanding teaching and learning conditions, as evidenced by their results on the 2015 TELL (Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning) Kentucky Survey, along with school safety and student achievement scores. Winning schools and honorable mentions will be used as examples of best practices for other schools across the state.
These Winner’s Circle schools are:
• Ballard Memorial High School, Ballard County
• Earlington Elementary School, Hopkins County
• North Marshall Middle School, Marshall County
• Park City Elementary School, Barren County
• Gamaliel Elementary School, Monroe County
• Thomas Nelson High School, Nelson County
• Chenoweth Elementary School, Jefferson County
• Carter G. Woodson Academy, Fayette County
• Arnett Elementary School, Erlanger-Elsmere Independent
• Allen Central High School, Floyd County
Over 89 percent of the state’s certified educators completed the TELL survey, 2 percent more than participated in 2013. The survey is given every two years.
National profiles
Four Kentucky school districts have been chosen as presenters for breakout sessions during the 2016 National School Boards Association conference in Boston, April 9–11.
Taylor County Schools’ self-paced, performance-based learning system will be explained by Superintendent Roger Cook in a session titled, "Learning in a School that Never Closes." Delegations from the Washington County and Nelson County school districts will discuss their experiences with the state’s superintendent evaluation system. Those scheduled to present are Washington County Superintendent Robin Cochran and board Vice Chairman Curtis Hamilton; and Nelson County Superintendent Anthony Orr and board Chairman Damon Jackey. Boone County Superintendent Randy Poe and Deputy Superintendent Karen Cheser will helm a session titled, "Walking the Talk: Moving Beyond Discussion in our Quest to be a 21st-Century District."
Greta Medford, chief of the education division at Kentucky ROTC, will discuss ROTC and schools in a clinic on "Exploring the Impact of the Citizenship Program in Schools."