Take Note

Kentucky School Advocate

September 2015

 

KSBA President Allen Kennedy has been reappointed to a new term representing local school boards on the state’s Education Professional Standards Board.

 

Kennedy, of Hawesville, has been a member of the Hancock County board since 2007 and currently serves as its chairman. He became KSBA’s president in January. A retired human resources manager, Kennedy also is a trainer in the KSBA Board Team Development cadre, working with district leaders in professional development courses offered by the association. His new term on the EPSB board runs through September 2018.

 

Other appointments to the EPSB board by Gov. Steve Beshear include Letcher County Schools library media specialist Leslie Anne Fields, Campbellsville University Vice President of Academic Affairs Donna Hedgepath, and Westridge Elementary (Franklin County) Principal Kimberly A. Young. Barren County Schools curriculum specialist Ellen Blevins also was reappointed to the board.

 

Nominations are being accepted until Nov. 13 for four director-at-large seats on the KSBA Board of Directors. Candidates for director-at-large must be local board members eligible to serve as director at the time of nomination. A local board member can’t seek nomination if the term would coincide with another member of the same board already serving on the association board.

 

In accordance with KSBA bylaws, a nominee selection committee appointed by President Allen Kennedy will review the candidates and present a slate of nominees for approval during the business session Feb. 27 at KSBA’s 2016 annual conference. Four current directors-at-large are eligible to continue serving another three-year term. They are Oldham County board member Larry Dodson, Daviess County board member Dianne Mackey, Newport Independent board member Ramona Malone and Lawrence County board member James See.

 

The KSBA board, in addition to three officers, consists of 12 directors-at-large and 12 regional chairpersons. It meets at least quarterly.

 

Self-nomination forms and more information are at KSBA Director at Large. Forms may also be requested by contacting Kathy Amburgey at [email protected] or by calling her at (502) 783-0078.

 

School district Section 504 leaders and Americans with Disabilities Act coordinators can take advantage of three detailed days of training on the requirements of those laws. Sessions during the Sept. 23-25 conference at the Embassy Suites in Lexington will cover school district responsibilities in disability-related personnel and public-access issues, accommodations for students and staff, and current court cases and actions by federal agencies, including the Office of Civil Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. Updated Section 504 model procedures and forms for student services also will be reviewed.

 

For details and to register, click here and find the event on the rotating tabs. Cost for all three days for KSBA Special Education Service subscribers is $550; for nonsubscribers, it is $1,650. Otherwise, the cost schedule varies based on number of days/sessions attended.

Two Lee County Schools leaders are winners of the 2015 Kids First Awards, honored by KSBA for their advocacy work on behalf of public education.

 

Lee County school board Chairman William Owens and the district’s superintendent, Dr. Jim Evans, received the award during KSBA’s Summer Leadership Institute for recognizing the need for high-quality Internet services in their community, and pushing to address the need on behalf of the children in their county. Owens, who also is a member of KSBA’s board of directors, and Evans successfully partnered with a large coalition of groups during this year’s legislative session to address this issue through telecom deregulation.

 

Kids First Awards are given annually to a school board member, a superintendent, state senator and a state representative. The latter two are presented at KSBA’s Kids First Advocacy Day during each legislative session.

 

PHOTO: From left to right, KSBA Associate Executive Director David Baird, Lee County Superintendent Jim Evans, KSBA Executive Director Mike Armstrong, Lee County Board of Education Chairman William Owens and KSBA Director of Governmental Relations Hope McLaughlin.