Adapt and achieve
Change is perhaps not adequate to describe what is going on in the world of Kentucky PS-12 education, but however fast the pace, school boards are doing their best to keep up and keep their eye on student achievement. That’s why the planning committee for KSBA’s 2018 annual conference chose the conference theme of: “Kentucky School Boards: Adapting and Achieving” from among the possible slogans.
“I think this year’s annual conference theme is terrific because it is a perfect description of Kentucky’s public schools – and our school boards,” said KSBA Executive Director Kerri Schelling. “Adapting and achieving are behaviors that school board members do all the time so it was no surprise that it was the top vote-getter among the planning committee.”
The theme will be woven throughout the three-day conference March 2–4 at Louisville’s Galt House.
Planning for the event is continuing; visit KSBA’s website,
www.ksba.org, in the upcoming months for details.
Battle stations
A total of 108 schools from 19 districts are participating in the 2018 Kentucky Battle of the School Buildings. Competitors include the 2016 inaugural winner, Woodford County’s Southside Elementary.
The competition recognizes the top school building that reduces its energy use on a percentage basis in calendar year 2017 compared with calendar year 2016. It also honors all participating schools that reduce their energy use over that period by at least 20 percent, as measured by energy use intensity (EUI).
Magna-nimous
The National School Boards Association has opened its annual Magna Awards program for nominees for the 2018 honors. The national recognition program honors school board best practices and innovative programs that advance student learning, showcasing school district leadership, creativity and commitment to student achievement. Entries are assessed by a panel of independent judges.
Magna nominations are judged in three enrollment categories: under 5,000 enrollment; 5,000-20,000 enrollment; and over 20,000 enrollment. One Grand Prize Winner is named in each category, with Grand Prize Winners receiving $5,000 from sponsor Sodexo. There are five additional winners and five honorable mention winners within each enrollment category.
All Magna winners and honorable mention recipients are recognized in a special section of the American School Board Journal, as well as at the School Leaders Luncheon at NSBA’s Annual Conference.
The deadline for nominations is midnight on Monday, Nov. 6. For more information, go to
www.nsba.org and enter Magna Awards in the search box.
Charter point man
School board members and others attending this year’s KSBA Winter Symposium will hear the latest on the implementation of Kentucky’s charter school regulations and their role in that process from the state’s charter schools point person. Earl Simms, recently hired by the Kentucky Department of Education to head the agency’s new Division of Charter Schools, will be the Friday keynote speaker at the winter training session, Dec. 1–2 at the Marriott Louisville East.
Simms came to Kentucky from Missouri, where he most recently was St. Louis director of the Office of Charter Schools with the University of Missouri College of Education. In that post, he monitored school compliance and the performance of 10 K-12 charter schools with an enrollment of 4,000 students. Simms is a graduate of duPont Manual High School in Jefferson County and holds a bachelor’s degree from Murray State University.