Kentucky School Advocate
November 2020
Owensboro PR officer named to NSPRA’s 35 under 35
Owensboro Independent Schools’ Public Information Officer, Jared Revlett (right), has been named as one of the top 35 school public relations professionals under 35 by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).NSPRA’s 35 Under 35 program recognizes those who are making a difference for their school districts or education-related employers. This year marks the fifth NSPRA class of 35 Under 35.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this award from the national organization,” Revlett said. “When I got involved with the Kentucky chapter of the School Public Relations Association, I had no idea how valuable those partnerships would be for me, especially as our district navigated the COVID pandemic. I could not have earned this award without the partnerships both locally and statewide, but also with districts across the country as well.”
Revlett, vice president of the Kentucky School Public Relations Association, was the only honoree from Kentucky this year and the third to receive the award.
“Jared has an innate ability to synthesize all the information into what can be easily understood. His daily contributions are invaluable to our organization,” said Superintendent Matthew Constant.
Judge strikes Jefferson Co. anti-tax petition
A Jefferson circuit judge ruled Oct. 30 that organizers of an effort to repeal Jefferson County Schools’ 7-cent tax increase did not reach the number of signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot.
Judge Brian Edwards decided that thousands of signatures on the petition were invalid due to duplicate or inaccurate information. The petition committee, No JCPS Tax Hike, has said they plan to appeal the ruling.
But Jefferson County Superintendent Marty Pollio and supporters celebrated what would be a $54 million revenue increase, earmarked for new schools, racial equity initiatives and increased instructional time.
“This may be the most important day in the history of our school district,” Pollio said following the ruling, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. “I can’t say enough about what this means for the kids of this community. It is a game changer for us.”
The district sued after finding duplicate signatures and other problems with the petition. Though the question was on the Nov. 3 ballot, the votes will not be counted but instead held for 22 months. Board member James Craig (right) said he was confident the measure would have passed, but was happy with the ruling.
“The beneficiary of Judge Edwards decision will be the hundreds of thousands of students who will pass through the newly constructed doors of JCPS in the future,” he said.
Tobacco free schools distributes nearly 12,000 signs
Schools in 101 districts and 51 state-operated area technology centers across Kentucky are displaying a total of nearly 12,000 metal signs and window or door stickers announcing that their campuses are tobacco-free, thanks to a partnership among the Foundation For a Healthy Kentucky (FHKy), the Kentucky Medical Association and the Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care.
"Our goal was not only to encourage more school districts to adopt tobacco-free campus policies, but to help change the culture of Kentucky’s school environment to a place where tobacco use is simply not the norm, no matter what time, what day of the week, or what event is happening on campus," said Ben Chandler, FHKy president and CEO. "These signs are a reminder that we care about our kids’ health so tobacco use has no place in Kentucky schools."
To date, 167 districts (roughly 97 percent of all districts) are tobacco free – representing a significant increase following the passage of legislation that prohibits tobacco use on school properties.
Overall, the partnership gave Kentucky school districts 1,540 metal property entrance signs, 1,693 metal signs for outdoor facility fences, 3,674 window stickers for school building doors, and 4,887 bus window stickers. In addition, they gave school districts 20,223 small cards with a reminder of the new tobacco-free campus policy to hand out in car pool lines and at school events.