A regular meeting of the Lawrence County Board of Education was held at Lawrence County High School in the library on November 21, 2022, at 6:00 PM. Board members Jim See, Maddlene Roberts, Barbara Robinson, and Chairman Heath Preston were all present in person. Ms. Garnett Skaggs was present virtually.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman, Heath Preston. The first order of business was an adoption of the agenda, to permit Blaine Elementary teachers/Ms. Ferguson to apply for the Excellence in Education Grant. A motion was made by Jim See, seconded by Barbara Robinson, and the motion passed.
Next in student/staff presentations/recognitions, the Louisa Middle School Football Team was recognized by the Board of Education for their 2022 KYMSFA 8th Grade Division 2 Football State Championship!
Dr. Fletcher asked LMS Head Football Coach, Tom Frazier, to say a few words about the championship team. Coach Frazier said, “Bottom line is this group of kids, this group of parents, and these coaches put together something that hasn’t been done…at least not since I have been here. We put in a lot of work, some work that you don’t get to see. We talked about it early in the season, that there is a lot of work that goes into these things, that people don’t get to see.” He elaborated, “One of the biggest things is we don’t want to be given anything, we want to earn what we get.” He continued, “It’s a beautiful thing to see and be a part of watching them learn how to earn what they get. They learned how to be leaders this season. We had several opportunities this season to know what it means to be a leader and to know what it means to serve others. I am a big believer that the biggest part of leadership is in how to serve. They have learned to fight through adversity and have resilience. They learned what discipline is.” Coach Frazier stated, “I am just so proud of the way our community came together.” Coach Frazier. Coach Frazier finished with his appreciation to all those people that supported the team throughout the season. That list included the LC Administrators and teachers, churches, businesses, first responders, and more. Each of the Board of Education members gave remarks of high praise and accolades to the LMS Football team and coaching staff on their 2022 Championship!
In the communications, Dr. Fletcher and Mr. Burns are in the process of getting a second quote for the football field turf on the Luke Varney, Jr Memorial Stadium field. The goal is to have two quotes by the December LC Board meeting and have more discussion on the matter. Dr. Fletcher will continue to co-chair the Teacher Retention Task Force with KDE Commissioner Jason Glass. KEDC Superintendents met with lawmakers and discussed issues facing KY school districts. Some of these issues include safety measures, Safety Resource Officers (SRO), pay raises, construction, etc. Lawrence County Schools had an NTI Day on Friday, Nov 18, 2022, and school closures on Nov 21-22, 2022, due to illness throughout the schools in the LC District. Ms. Webb and Ms. Brady continue leading the work for Portrait of a Graduate. Dr. Fletcher will be chairing the first in-person Local Superintendent’s Advisory Council meeting since the COVID pandemic. District staff members held their Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday, Nov 21, 2022.
In the student learning and support services, there was a motion to approve the Oct 17, 2022, Regular Meeting and Nov 1, 2022, Special Meeting minutes. The motion to approve was made by Maddlene Roberts and seconded by Barbara Robinson. The motion was approved. In the Claims and Orders of the Treasurer, Dr. Fletcher pointed out that the LC Board helps with student-athletes physical therapy needs, by which Dr. Lester provides services to students through the recovery process. The academic team’s t-shirts are normally provided, and bus parts are usually a large part of the costs. The HVAC system funding needs have been taken out of allowable ESSER funding, which saves toward construction monies. The Claims and Orders of the Treasurer were approved. Finance Officer, Ms. Brandi Vanhoose, gave the monthly financial report. The bank reconciliation for October was $10,969,470. The tax revenue was $3,266,123. The expenditures were $1,571,697. The Fund 1 cash balance was $1,571,697. And the October ending balance was $13,263,325. The motion to approve the monthly financial report was approved.
In the Consent Agenda, the LC Board discussed the service agreement with Randy Lawson to prep and reseal the gym floors for LCHS and LMS. The LC Board discussed making this a regular budget item. The KVEC dues are to be paid in the amount of $6,450. In requests, there are fundraisers for the LCHS Softball Spring Break Cal Ripkin Training in Myrtle Beach, SC from April 1-7, 2022. The LCHS Band will travel to the “Music in the Parks” Concert Band Ratings Festival at Kings Island, Cincinnati, OH on Saturday, May 13, 2022. In facilities use, the Louisa East will be used by the LC Wrestling Club on Dec 17, 2022, and Jan 7, 2023. In construction updates, the 2022 District Facility Plan (DFP) has sent a soft draft of the facility plan to KDE. The Local Planning Committee is waiting for approval or updates on the plan from KDE. Once the plan is approved through KDE, a hearing will be held, and the plan will go before the LC Board of Education for approval. The Softball Facilities Project is in the process of attaining red/black tin for the building. The land elevation has been changed and completed. The footers have been poured. The sidewalks are almost complete. A motion to approve Pay Application #1 in the amount of $119,589.38 toward the LCHS Softball Fieldhouse & Upgrades Project #22-147 was made by Jim See and seconded by Barbara Robinson. The motion was approved.
There was a discussion of the School Resource Officer (SRO) position that has opened in the LC School District. A motion was made by Maddlene Roberts to approve the renewal of the Law Enforcement Agreement with the Sheriff of Lawrence County, KY for a School Resource Officer. The motion was seconded by Barbara Robinson and was approved.
There was a motion to approve a bid for the LCHS serving bar through Colonial Food Service Equipment, which offered the lowest bid. The motion was approved.
The purchase of an instructional tool, the Anatomage Table from Anatomage, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, is the single source manufacturer and distributor of the table. The anatomy table will be used in the Career Technical Education programs of Nursing, BioMed, and Agriculture Education. The motion to purchase the table was made by Barbara Robinson and was seconded by Jim See. The motion was approved.
There was a review of the 2022-2023 Needs Assessment, Phase 2 of the District Improvement Plan Process with Chief Academic Officer (CAO), Katie Webb. Ms. Webb gave an in-depth summary of each school’s grade levels noting their present educational levels, and the grade levels that require improvements throughout the LC District.
The LC Board approved a Declaration of Emergency regarding the Blaine Middle School Science position and Fallsburg Physical Education position for grades 6-8 for the 2022-2023 school year. Neither position has qualified applicants to apply. A motion was made by Barbara Robinson and seconded by Jim See. The motion was approved in favor of the Declaration of Emergency. There were motion approvals for the updates to 2022-2023 LC Schools pay scales/salary and the Superintendent’s Personnel Action/Update.
The motion to adjourn was made by Maddlene Roberts, seconded by Jim See, and was approved. The next Lawrence County Regular Board Meeting will be held on December 19, 2022, at 6:00 PM in the LCHS library.
All residents are always invited to attend the Lawrence County Board Meetings to become aware of the issues affecting our students and schools. The meetings may also be viewed virtually through the public viewing link. A copy of the most recent Lawrence County Board agendas & meetings may be found on the current Lawrence County District webpage at www.lawrence.k12.ky.us.