County school board discusses need to expand its Early Learning Center

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, 11:55 p.m. — The Nelson County Schools’ next construction project is likely to be the expansion of the district’s Early Learning Center (ELC) on Cardinal Drive in Bardstown.

Tim Hockensmith, chief operating officer for Nelson County Schools, shows the board a document during Thursday’s working session.

During the board of education’s monthly working session Tuesday, chief operating officer Tim Hockensmith said the need to expand the ELC is clear as enrollment numbers continue to increase.

The district’s daycare program was originally intended to operate at the ELC facility; however due to the increased number of preschool students, the daycare was moved to Foster Heights Elementary.

The separate daycare program requires the district to transport children across town each day from its preschool program to the daycare at Foster Heights. If enrollment increases at Foster Heights, the daycare program might be squeezed out, Hockensmith warned.

“The ELC is the only building in the district that doesn’t have enough room,” he said. “That’s why we’ll be bringing the board a recommendation (to expand it).”

An estimate provided last summer to add seven classrooms and a new multi-purpose room to the ELC totaled about $2.5 million. An scaled-back option to build just two new classrooms totaled about $1.7 million.

Board member Diane Breeding voiced concern that other promised projects may be pushed aside to pay for the ELC expansion. Thomas Nelson High School was promised construction of an auditorium, and that project can’t be forgotten, she said.

“We’ve talked about how important that is, and it was promised in five or six years,” Berry said. Improving the ELC in phases was considered because it would likely allow funding to build an auditorium at TNHS.

Board member Diane Berry voiced concern over giving the expansion of the Early Learning Center priority over the board’s earlier promise to build an auditorium at Thomas Nelson High School.

“I don’t want to have to tell those parents, ‘Well, you’re going to have to wait another year or two or three,’ ” she told Hockensmith.

Hockensmith said the recently approved bond refinancing is very likely give the district the ability to borrow more money for construction projects. In addition to the Thomas Nelson project, he noted that there are also projects waiting for funding at New Haven and at Bloomfield Middle School.

He told the board he hopes to have the final numbers on the amount of construction money the district will have at its meeting on Feb. 17.

MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT. Cheryl Pile Director of Special Education Preschool Coordinator gave the board members an update on the district’s Medicaid reimbursement record.

This slide shows the increases in Medicaid reimbursement levels the Nelson County School District have achieved each year.

The district bills Medicaid for its students who receive a variety of services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing and other services provided by district staff, Pile explained.

For the current school year, the district has received $221,365.13 in Medicaid reimbursements — more than double the amount the district received from Medicaid during the entire 2013-14 year. The Kentucky Department of Education keeps part of every district’s Medicaid money, part of which is used for training.

Pile explained the increase is partly due to the district’s improved efficiency in billing Medicaid for the services the district provides. The district employs a third-party billing agency that helps the district maximize its Medicaid billing. The billing agency is paid 8 percent for its services.

WORK READINESS PROGRAM. Kim Brown, the district’s director of secondary schools, gave the board an overview of the district’s new Work Readiness Program that will allow students to seek a work readiness certification that will allow them to be better prepared to enter college or the workforce after leaving high school.

Students in the program will be required to be active in a club, sport or other school or non-school public service activities. The program will also help the district meet its goals or reducing the drop-out rate and reduce achievement gaps. Participants will learn interview skills, resume writing and other soft skills that can help them find jobs.

SCHOOL MAKE-UP DAY. Sara Wilson, executive director of student support, said she will bring a recommendation to the next board meeting to use March 13 as the make-up day for the Jan. 27 snow day. The other option is to add the make-up day to the end of the school year. The board’s final decision will come at its Feb. 17 board meeting.

In other business at its work session, the board:

— reviewed its student growth goals contained in the Personal Growth and Effectiveness System program;

— heard updates to the district improvement and school improvement plans;

— heard Orr explain the “Expect the Best” award program will now include a parent recipient and a student recipient each month.

NEXT UP:  The board will meet at its regular scheduled meeting 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17 at the district’s Central Office on Wildcat Lane.

-30-