Kentucky School Advocate
September 2021
New board member portal
School board members and selected district administrative staff can now log in to KSBA’s new portal. The features allow our members and their districts to track board training hours – saving valuable time and providing greater transparency.
Visit ksba.org/portalresources.aspx for helpful training documents and videos to get started tracking hours online. Please note that the online training hour tracking function currently requires separate login credentials than other portal functions. For access to eMeeting and/or unemployment upload, for instance, you will still visit the existing portal.
Should you have additional questions or concerns, email
[email protected]Regional meetings to have survey results, roundtable discussions
KSBA’s 2021 slate of fall regional meetings, running through November, will focus on several pressing issues facing local school boards. Attendees of KSBA’s 12 regional gatherings will be presented with analysis of the association’s recent legislative survey of key education topics. The program will also include an update on the legislature’s School Funding Task Force. The evening will culminate with roundtable discussions on the role of boards and the balance of local and state decision-making.
Members in attendance will be able to share their insights with colleagues and KSBA staff. The discussions will inform KSBA’s advocacy, communications and training strategies in the months ahead and will be critical as the association works with legislators ahead of and during the 2022 session of the General Assembly.
Visit KSBA’s website for more information. Invitations and instructions for your assigned regional meeting will be provided by your regional chairperson in the weeks leading up to the meetings.
KBE member resigns
Cody Pauley Johnson of Pikeville resigned from the Kentucky Board of Education on Aug. 10. Johnson represented the 7th Supreme Court District. Her term was set to expire on April 14, 2024. Johnson’s background was in business, and she was interested in addressing challenges in education such as funding and class sizes. Gov. Andy Beshear will name a replacement to fill the remainder of her term.After the passage of House Bill 178 in 2021, the board’s make up was changed to allow for equal representation of males and females, and of the two political parties. Therefore, the new member of KBE will be required to be a male Republican who lives in the 7th District.
Board member appointed to Recovery Ready Council
Corrie Shull, Jefferson County vice chairman, has been appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear to the Advisory Council for Recovery Ready Communities.
Shull, a minister at Burnett Avenue Baptist Church, was one of 13 people appointed to the council, which was created by House Bill 7 during the 2021 General Assembly. The council, which is housed under the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, is comprised of members from different areas including business, recovery, education, local government, health care and others.
The council will determine appropriate and meaningful “Recovery Ready” standards for the Commonwealth’s communities. The Recovery Ready framework is designed to bring consistency to local substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.
KBE approves COVID-19 employee leave
Kentucky public school employees who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be granted leave days if required to quarantine under an emergency regulation passed by KBE.
The KBE on Aug. 5 approved regulation 702 KAR 1:191E, which requires districts to provide paid leave to eligible employees who are placed in quarantine by a medical professional, health department or school district. Employees are eligible if they have been vaccinated or if they “present a statement from a treating medical professional that a disability prevents the employee from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, or is prevented from taking the COVID-19 vaccination based on sincerely held religious belief.”
The regulation only applies to this school year. If an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, they must use sick days instead of the new leave.
Local boards may determine that some employees can do their job remotely during quarantine and would not have to be on leave. Districts may also require employees on quarantine leave to undergo a COVID-19 test at the district’s expense and, if the test is negative, require the employee to work.