For the second year, each school’s decision-making council members also were there, along with the principals. Farris said that because the councils’ roles by legislation was to help the schools improve student achievement, it was important for them to be a part of the conversations.
“I told our principals that it is an expectation of the board that their councils be here. What they get out of this is that they know they have a board team that is wanting to hear the great things that are going on and wants to support them in getting all their kids where they need to go,” Farris said. “It also builds that leadership capacity across the district, as well, for principals to have the opportunity to sit in front of their councils and share with their stakeholders, as well as the chool board, because they are the instructional leaders in their buildings.”
Board Chairwoman Judy Hicks said it was helpful for the board to hear from the councils, but the meetings gave the principals and council members a chance to hear what is going on in the other schools as well.
“I think it is very, very powerful for our elementary school principal to get to hear the middle school part and the middle school principal getting to hear the high school part. There is so much going on in our district as far as folks talking to each other and having these conversations between levels,” Hicks said. “For some time in our district, we didn’t have that. Elementary people talked to elementary people, but not so much to middle school folks.
“And middle school folks talked to each other, but not so much to high school folks. So this is just tremendous for them to get to hear what is going on in the other schools.”
After each group made their presentations, the board asked each what the most pressing need was in their schools. Farris said those discussions helped the board when it came to prioritizing needs and allocating funds.
“Providing an opportunity for board teams to discuss student achievement results with their principals helps board teams in prioritizing needs, developing board and district achievement goals and allocating resources to improve the achievement of the district’s students,” Farris said. “Often times, these discussions allow board teams to have discussion about policies that need to be revised or developed to support the schools’ focus.”
In other business the board also:
— approved a supplemental service provider contract for Central Elementary School.
— approved a memorandum of agreement between the Kentucky Department of Education and Clark County Board of Education for a professional leave request for Grace Rodriguez.
— approved a memorandum of agreement between the Carter County Board of Education and Clark County Board of Education for a professional leave request for Darlene Combs.
— approved a memorandum of agreement between the Newport Board of Education and Clark County Board of Education for a professional leave request for Paula Gordon.
— approved change order No. 20 for $22,875 for the addition of manhole No. 8 and piping to connect it with manhole No. 7 as required by Winchester Municipal Utilities for the new George Rogers Clark construction project.
— approved by a vote of 3-1, with Mike Kuduk voting no and the District 5 seat vacant, change order No. 21 for $27,057.20 for the addition of a new sanitary sewer line for the future competition gymnasium.
Architect Ron Murrell said installing the line now before concrete for the gym pad is poured would avoid having to come back in the future when the gym is built and dig up the concrete pad to install the line.
Murrell said that while it was not imperative that the board install it now, doing it later would probably cost two or three times as much as installing it now.
Contact Bob Flynn at bflynn@winchester-sun.com.
