New county school board goes to work at first working session of the year

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

New board members David Norman, left, and Diane Breeding, center, are joined by, from left, Larry Pate, Damon Jackey and Diane Berry.

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, 11 p.m. — Two new members joined the Nelson County Board of Education Thursday evening at its monthly working session.Cox’s Creek resident Diane Breeding and David Norman of New Haven, representing the county’s 4th and 1st districts respectively, were officially sworn-in as new board members by board attorney Terry Geoghegan. The new board started right in to work, naming Damon Jackey as board chairman and Diane Berry as vice-chair.

2015-16 BUDGET DRAFT. Tim Hockensmith, the district’s chief operating officer, presented the new board with a brief overview of a draft of the 2015-16 budget, which he said may pose some financial challenges for the district.

The 2015-16 budget must include funding for a 2 percent across-the-board raise which will cost the district about $460,000, he said. Adding to that is the cost of normal step raises, which will increase that figure to approximately $700,000.

The district’s budget will also need to cover the the additional cost of a 3 percent contribution to the teacher retirement fund of approximately $125,000.

Chief Operating Officer Tim Hockensmith discusses a draft of the 2015-16 district budget with the school board Tuesday evening.

The district is already expecting a reduction in its state SEEK funding for 2015-16, Hockensmith said. He told the board that the added financial pressure makes it clear that the the four percent tax revenue increase will be needed later this year to help cover the district’s rising expenses.

“If we take less than the four percent (tax revenue) increase, it will mean making cuts or dipping into our contingency funds,” he said.

OUT-OF-DISTRICT CONTRACTS. Chuck Thompson, director of pupil personnel, presented the board with a list of area school districts that send student to or accept them from the Nelson County Schools.

Board members Larry Pate and Diane Berry expressed concerns about the large number of students who live in the county school district, but attend the Bardstown City Schools.

In his six years on the board, Pate said he wasn’t happy with not knowing why students leave. “We say we’ll look at it, but nothing every gets done,” he said.

Sara Wilson, executive director of student support, left, and Kim Brown, director of secondary schools, discuss changes in the district’s graduation requirements with the board of education during Tuesday’s working session.

There are many different reasons students leave the district, Thompson said. Superintendent Anthony Orr told the board in some cases county students attend city schools because their parents did. Chairman Damon Jackey suggested that parents who work close to town find it more convenient to have their children attend a school closer to their workplace.

While recognizing that parents may look at different factors when they decide what schools their child attends, Berry suggested the board look further into the reason students leave.

“I want us to take a look at it to see if we can see what it is we are lacking,” she said.

Pate said he didn’t like to see so many students leaving the district because state funding goes with them, adding that he would like to see more students coming into the district than leaving it each year.

ANNUAL NUTRITION REPORT. The new, healthy school lunch guidelines the district implemented this year have presented challenges to the district’s school cafeteria managers. The new guidelines dramatically reduced fat, sodium and lowered the school lunch calorie counts.

April Peach, the district’s director of school nutrition, told the board that the schools saw an increase in the amount of food thrown away the first month the new guidelines were implemented. The latest data suggests students are adapting to the new menus, she said, and less food is being thrown out.

Cafeteria managers are also finding new ways to prepare and present food to make the changes more acceptable, she said.

In other business, the board:

— reviewed graduation requirements that establish credit thresholds for students to be considered sophomore (6 credits), junior (12 credits) or senior (18 credits);

— reviewed a request to participate in the Kentucky School Board Association’s intervention in an electric utility rate increase before the Kentucky Public Service Commission. The proposed rate increase would mean an increase of about $30,000 in total electricity costs for three district schools, Hockensmith told the board.

NEXT UP. The Nelson County Schools board of education meets next at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, at the district’s Central Office on Wildcat Lane.

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