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1113 Take Note

Take Note

Good work!
Ten Kentucky schools have been singled out for their positive working conditions based on the most recent TELL (teaching, empowerment, leading and learning) survey taken in all school districts. The schools named to the Winner’s Circle are: Cuba Elementary in Graves County, Murray High School in Murray Independent, McLean Middle School in McLean County, Cub Run Elementary in Hart County, Corbin Middle School in Corbin Independent, Carter Traditional Elementary in Jefferson County, Elkhorn Crossing School in Scott County, Conner Middle School and the Boone County Area Technology Center in Boone County, and West Liberty Elementary in Morgan County.

New evaluation training
Kentucky school boards will receive new training opportunities focused on both the new superintendent evaluation system under development and the state’s Professional Growth and Effectiveness System for teachers and principals, thanks to grant funding. KSBA has received a $45,000 subgrant from the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence as part of that group’s grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The foundation awarded the Prichard Committee funding to train members of several groups in the new evaluation systems and to create buy-in and support for the new systems. While KSBA will provide training for school board members, the project will enable the Kentucky Association of School Administrators and the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents to do the same for their members.

Using the subgrant from Prichard, KSBA is developing a training program and materials for school board members on superintendent effectiveness and evaluation. The training also will give board members an understanding of the new teacher and principal evaluation systems now being piloted statewide.

“The key is to give school board members a working knowledge of all three professional growth systems,” said KSBA Interim Executive Director David Baird. “This will enable them to answer questions in the community and help dispel rumors or incorrect information.”
With the subgrant, KSBA will deploy a statewide training cadre to provide in-district training to 60 school boards at no cost to them, except for the trainer’s travel expenses. Other boards would be able to take advantage of the training during presentations at KSBA conferences and regional meetings this year and next year.

An overview of the new superintendent evaluation system in development is already being presented at this year’s Fall Regional Meetings, which began in September.

Success is showing up
All the elementary and middle schools that won this year’s High Attendance Day competition Sept. 18 scored a perfect 100 percent attendance. The competition is sponsored by the Kentucky Directors of Pupil Personnel. Research has shown attendance is one of the strongest predictors of academic success. Winning schools will receive $500.

In the small schools category, the winners were: Blackberry Elementary in Pike County, East Bernstadt (Independent) Middle School and Paintsville (Independent) High School, at 99.87 percent.

In the large schools category, the winners were: Providence Elementary in Clark County, Belfry Middle School in Pike County and Central High School in Jefferson County, at 99.22 percent.

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New director, familiar face
KSBA Senior Policy Consultant Katrina Kinman is being promoted to lead the association’s Policy/Procedures and eMeeting Services. Kinman, who has been with the policy unit since 2008, will take over from retiring longtime Director Dara Bass on Jan. 1, 2014. Kinman has been the policy consultant for a 47-district area in mainly western Kentucky, and said she is “delighted and honored” to be selected as director.

“Dara Bass has built a solid foundation for our policy team and set the bar for quality service at a high level,” she said. “As we make this transition over the next few months, we will continue to provide quality customer service to our district subscribers as we have done under Dara’s leadership.”

Kinman’s work history also has given her experience at the school district level. She worked for nine years in the Franklin County Schools, six of them as administrative assistant to the superintendent and school board secretary. Kinman, a Franklin County High School graduate, holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in educational leadership, both from the University of Kentucky.

In addition to being a senior policy consultant, Kinman has been program manager for KSBA’s paperless meeting service, eMeeting. Since 2008, that service has grown from 38 to 69 school district subscribers and has expanded with the creation of eMeeting for school councils. In addition to handling eMeeting, policy and procedures and online manuals, the department creates customized employee, substitute teacher and coaches’ handbooks.

New on board
Three new regional chairpersons have taken their seats on KSBA’s Board of Directors following elections at the Fall Regional Meetings in their area.

Owsley County school board member Scotty Combs represents the Upper Kentucky River Region on the KSBA Board of Directors. Combs is a family nurse practitioner who holds an associate degree from Lee College, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Eastern Kentucky University and a master’s degree in nursing from Eastern Kentucky University. He is an alumnus of Owsley County Schools and has been a school board member since 2010. Combs is a member of Breathitt Lodge 649 F&AM.

A KSBA Kids First honoree for advocacy in public education is the new chairperson of the Central Region on the association’s board of directors. James Sargent, chairman of the Anderson County school board since 2009, is a service technician for AT&T. Sargent sits on the board of directors and is treasurer for CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) Franklin-Anderson counties. He is a Frankfort High School graduate and attended Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

Bill Robertson, vice chairman of the Fulton Independent school board, represents the First Region on the KSBA board. Robertson has served his local board a total of nine years in two separate stints. He is a retired industrial arts teacher and painting contractor. Robertson is a former local chamber of commerce and Rotary Club president, Fulton city commissioner and mayor pro tem, and has been honored for his service to the Boy Scouts of America. He is a graduate of Central City High School and holds a bachelor’s degree from Murray State University.