The Williamsburg Board of Education met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 20 to recognize staff and students, review legislative state bills, and set goals for the calendar year.
The board began the meeting with Superintendent Tabetha Housekeeper requesting that the 504 handbook discussion be tabled until next month’s meeting to give administrators more time to review it.
The board also reviewed the first reading of the new valedictorian policy proposal that establishes clear criteria proposed by school administrators for how the honor should be determined moving forward.
Housekeeper recognized several educators with the “Going the Extra Mile” Award, which is awarded based on anonymous submissions from other educators, students, or community members who identify staff members making significant contributions to the school system and their students.
The educators recognized for the Going the Extra Mile Award are Nikki Holman for her high energy, Michele King for her team-first attitude, Kassie Lowrie for her work as the library media specialist and as the elementary Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) coach, Timothy Wyatt for his work as the middle and high school STLP coach, the “Jacket Newscast” and “Buzz” newspaper, Cooper Powell for his contributions as a substitute teacher for the choir department and the “Christmas in a Small Town” and second-grade “Angel” plays, Todd Mattingly for his work as a teacher and coach, and Jenni Shannon for her engaging classroom environment.
Students from Lowrie’s elementary STLP team were recognized for “The Jacket Reads Podcast,” which earned a near-perfect score and advanced them to the STLP state championship, which will be held in Lexington in April.
Students from Wyatt’s middle and high STLP teams were recognized for qualifying for the state championship in his first year as a teacher.
The Williamsburg Middle School football team, under Mattingly’s coaching, was celebrated for their sportsmanship and for achieving three-time conference championship and region runner-up titles.
The next item on the agenda was the Superintendent’s report.
Housekeeper gave a report on the school board’s goals for the school year, with student learning as the top priority.
She discussed the weekly “student learning team” meetings, where they discuss classroom practices, what needs improvement, and assessment data.
Housekeeper also highlighted the support teachers have received from the board, including the addition of Brad Miller as the assistant principal for the middle school and the addition of two teaching and learning coaches, Michael Dow and Alicia Whitworth, who provide one-on-one instruction and coaching to teachers in need.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup,” said Whitworth. “My goal is to fill up teachers’ cups and give them the tools that they need to be the best educators for our students.”
Whitworth went on to explain some of the areas their job encompasses, including professional learning communities (PLCs), instructional coaching, and classroom visits and feedback.
WEA representative Aaron Brock discussed state legislative education bills being discussed in Frankfort.
Brock informed the board of Senate Bill (SB) 101, which addresses penalties for student assault on school staff and enhances their safety. This bill lowers the age at which a student can be charged as an adult for assaulting a teacher, from 16 to 14. Brock described this bill as controversial for some people.
The next bill discussed was SB 22, which is the “Grow Your Own” program. This bill would allow high school students to obtain dual credit hours through teacher apprenticeship programs. Brock mentioned they are doing this next year.
House Bill (HB) 257 was discussed, which changes accountability and assessment systems and defines what success looks like for graduates after high school.
SB 59 was mentioned, which aims to ban schools from advocating for or against ballot measures and prohibits school districts from using any tax dollars or resources to do so.
SB 181, which requires all electronic communication between school staff and students to occur through district-approved platforms to enhance safety, is being improved.
“I believe what was proposed is that the school can now choose more types of methods for us to communicate,” said Brock.
Last, HB 289 proposes changes to student enrollment policies.
“It would require the state board of education to create a non-resident application form that is universal for every school,” said Brock. “It would also want districts to publish non-resident enrollment populations and create a capacity that is knowledge put out.”
Two community members addressed the board. The first community member to address the board was Joy Mack, who introduced herself as a longtime jacket and proud parent of a Williamsburg City School (WCS) graduate, but many know her as the former principal of WCS.
Mack raised concerns about recent Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) scores.
“Obviously, everyone was disappointed,” said Mack. “If you weren’t embarrassed or devastated, you’re probably part of the problem.”
Mack also raised concerns about the school calendar, emphasizing the importance of maxing out instructional days.
Mack pointed out weak parent communication and emphasized the need for stronger communication.
Additionally, she called out inadequate teacher pay.
“If we do not commit to long-term teacher pay for the next three to five years, we’re not going to continue to retain our good teachers,” said Mack.
She closed by emphasizing her respect and appreciation for educational staff and thanked board members for listening.
The second community member to address the board was Aaron Brock.
Brock proposed expanding elementary athletic opportunities, noting that current seasons are short and limit student participation. He plans to submit a formal proposal in the future to lengthen seasons, fundraise, secure sponsors from businesses, involve parents, and partner with the University of the Cumberlands to have students/athletes help coach.
Finance Officer Dalton Sizemore informed the board that the audit deadline is at the end of the month.
Tax collection prior to Dec. was $669,947.39.
“The actual month of Dec. was a great tax month for us,” said Sizemore. “We collected $364,875.04.”
Total collections to date, including prior to Dec. and the month of Dec., were $1,034,822.43.
“We have 9 exonerations for $14, 516.72 and we also have 424 bills still outstanding, totaling $253,458.27,” said Sizemore.
At the end of Dec., the collection rate was 76.38 percent, which is 0.8 percent higher than last Dec.’s 75.49 percent.
