The Corbin Board of Education (BOE) held its regular meeting on Sept. 11 at Corbin Primary School (CPS), a familiar place for new Corbin Superintendent Travis Wilder, who had previously served as principal at CPS.
“She’s done an amazing job starting off the school year,” Wilder said when introducing new CPS principal, Tonya Proffitt.
The meeting began with three CPS students leading the Pledge of Allegiance and reciting their PAWS chant, which is how they start each day at CPS.
Traditionally, the principal leads the morning meeting, but they have now shifted the responsibility to the students.
Proffitt shared that the CPS students had just completed their MAP testing on the same day as the BOE meeting and are waiting for KSA scores as well.
Proffitt discussed the “Opportunity Myth,” a report by The New Teacher Project (TNTP) that explains that students are working hard in school, but reveals they often aren’t prepared for college and careers.
“Kids were doing what teachers asked. They were complying. They were graduating.” Proffitt said. “They found that they were not ready for college and career, as we expected them to be.”
The report identifies four key components that schools can use to help students succeed: grade-level-appropriate assignments, strong instruction, deep engagement, and high expectations.
At a leadership meeting presented by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) in March, Proffitt highlighted from the report that out of 28,000 analyzed middle and elementary schools where students start below grade level, only 5% help students gain more than 1.3 years of learning per year. Without a solid academic foundation, students struggle to thrive. CPS aims to be a “trajectory-changing” school, and to achieve this goal, they focused on belonging, consistency, and coherence.
CPS also highlighted its Professional Learning Community (PLCs), which help plan lessons and prepare instruction. CPS will be using the Sorting Student Work tool.
Enrollment at CPS has reached 850 students, which BOE member Paul Taylor acknowledged as a significant increase compared to surrounding schools, expressing that he was “impressed.”
Proffitt also detailed how the school is following and implementing several state requirements, including a minute of silence each morning and teaching cursive writing. Students begin with print in kindergarten and first grade, transitioning to cursive in second and third grade.
Additionally, the school announced a student showcase event scheduled for October 17, featuring kindergarten and first-grade students.
On the business side, the board approved a list of actions, including requests for fundraisers such as penny wars, school dances, the Scholastic Book Fair, and the Spring Carnival. They also approved field trips for programs such as band competitions, the Arts Academy, and JROTC, as well as updates to the employee and student handbooks. Additionally, a $30 fee for lost or damaged cellphone pouches, which are now required under the district’s cell phone policy.
