Kentucky School Advocate
October 2020

New book designed to help board member, superintendent communications skills
A new book, “Maximum Impact: Boards of Education and Superintendents Communicating as a Team,” draws on 67 years experience of co-authors Brian Creasman, Fleming County superintendent, and Brad Hughes, former KSBA communications director, to help board members and superintendents learn to use clear, consistent communication practices.

Chapters include building and maintaining community support, the art of listening, successful social media and news media relations, communicating in calm and in crisis, board meeting messaging, engaging the school family, acknowledging mistakes and telling school success stories.

“As leaders we often fail to understand the importance of listening in our communications strategies,” said Creasman, who was named 2020 Kentucky Superintendent of the Year. “Throughout ‘Maximum Impact,’ Brad and I have stressed the importance of listening as being critical to the overall effectiveness of superintendents and boards and their governance, leadership and teamwork responsibilities.”“Maximum Impact” is jointly published by the American Association of School Administrators/The School Superintendents Association and Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group Inc.

The book includes a forward by former National School Boards Association president and current State Rep. C. Ed Massey. It is available for pre-order at bit.ly/MaximumImpactbook and at Barnes and Noble.

KBE settles Bell Co. and Pineville Ind. student enrollment dispute
The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) adopted a final order on Oct. 7 to settle a long-running dispute between Pineville Independent and Bell County Schools.

Pineville schools sought to count enrolled students for the 2019-20 school year who live in the Bell County district for the purpose of receiving SEEK funding. At issue was close to $6,000 per student, per year. Pineville schools argued their continued existence depends on that money.

Under the order KBE approved, Pineville can count those students enrolled during the 2018-19 school year for the purpose of SEEK funding until they finish eighth grade, graduate or withdraw, whichever comes first. But Bell County district residents enrolled in Pineville schools during the 2019-2020 school year or later cannot be counted for SEEK funding, the order says.

Of the 548 Pineville students in 2019, only 197 lived in the district, while 268 lived in Bell County’s territory, with the rest from other jurisdictions.

Five Ky. public schools named 2020 Blue Ribbon winners
The U.S. Department of Education named five Kentucky public schools as 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools based on their overall academic excellence.

The five schools and their districts are:

•     Carter City Elementary School (Carter County)

•     duPont Manual High School (Jefferson County)

•     Hazel Green Elementary School (Laurel County)

•     Junction City Elementary School (Boyle County)

•     Marie Gatton Phillips Elementary School (McLean County)

The Kentucky schools are among the 367 public and private elementary, middle and high schools across the country that were recognized this year. There also are also five private schools in Kentucky named 2020 Blue Ribbon Schools. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

The 38-year-old national Blue Ribbon Schools program has become a trademark of excellence and a symbol of exemplary teaching and learning. The schools were recognized as Exemplary High Performing Schools, among the state’s highest-performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.