MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 8/22/11
The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:
· Operation Preparation Letter (Attachment)
· EverFi Financial Literacy Platforms
· Kentucky Retirement Systems START Program
· Next Monthly Superintendents’ Webcast on August 26
· PEEK System Established to Collect Best Practices (Attachment)
· Education Jobs Fund (EduJobs) Reminder
· Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP)
· Facility Condition and Educational Suitability Assessments Update
· Purchase Authorizations for School Buses
- Training on New Americans with Disabilities /Section 504 Regulation Changes Available
- Magnify the teaching experience with help from LSC
- SREB online survey request
- 2011 Kentucky Public Service Recognition Week Poster Contest
- Dome Theater provides new “Immersive Learning” techniques
If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.
KDE Items
Operation Preparation Letter (Attachment)
Last week, I announced an important new initiative to increase the access Kentucky middle and high school students have to college and career advising. Operation Preparation is a joint effort by the Workforce Development Cabinet and the Kentucky Department of Education and is designed to bring schools, students, parents and communities together to focus on college/career advising. Operation Preparation will be held in March of 2012 but it is already generating a lot of interest. Attached you will find the official announcement from Commissioner Brinly and myself. Please keep watching for more details in the weeks ahead.
EverFi Financial Literacy Platforms
EverFi is the nation's leading online, high school financial literacy platform. Thanks to the support of our Kentucky banks, EverFi's products are available to Kentucky's school districts at no cost. On-boarding and training is a simple process. Schools and teachers have the ability to be activated on the platform in approximately 20 minutes. EverFi will be used in over 3,000 schools nationwide this Fall.
As effective as the EverFi high school platform has proven to be, in these uncertain financial times it is clear that educating even younger students in personal finance is crucial. To satisfy this pressing need, EverFi will be releasing Vault, a personal finance platform geared for 4th-6th graders, this October. In partnership with the Calipari Family Foundation and KBA member banks, Vault will also be available to elementary schools across the Commonwealth at no cost. Vault is set for an October 1st release to all schools.
If you are interested in learning more about EverFi and Vault, please contact Charlie Peabody at charlie@everfi.com.
Kentucky Retirement Systems START Program
KDE will host a live webcast on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon ET, to provide instructions and discussion time for the new KRS START program as the changes relate to the school district’s MUNIS/Payroll module. A webcast link along with the presentation outline will be distributed to finance contacts prior to the webcast. Please pass this information on to all of those in your district that will need to watch this most important webcast. Questions about the webcast should be forwarded to Pat Boyd via e-mail at patricia.boyd@education.ky.gov .
Next Monthly Superintendents’ Webcast on August 26
The August superintendents’ webcast will occur on Friday, August 26 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET. The topics will include data quality, Operation Preparation, the November 10 KDE Productivity Conference, the PEEK software and an update on the NCLB waiver request. I am also happy to take suggested topics from superintendents. If you have a topic you would like to have addressed, send it to Mary Ann Miller at maryann.miller@education.ky.gov .
PEEK System Established to Collect Best Practices (Attachment)
The Kentucky Department of Education has established Performance Excellence Education Kentucky (PEEK), a system of collecting, evaluating and sharing Kentucky school districts’ best practices in the areas of district operations. Our goal is to help school districts improve their productivity in operational areas by gathering the best of good practices throughout Kentucky into a single repository.
We are building a bank of excellent, Kentucky-specific practices in areas such as school finance, budgeting, transportation, technology, facilities, hiring, personnel, school and community nutrition, athletic programs and others. We also hope to provide a forum where superintendents and their operations staff can contribute, access or discuss best practices with each other, as well as with other experts. This effort will allow for broader dissemination of practices you are implementing and which you have found to increase operational efficiency and conserve limited resources.
In order for PEEK to be successful, superintendents and operations staff should submit their best, locally-developed, Kentucky-specific practices. To submit your best practice, go to http://peek.education.ky.gov/BestPracticesCatalog/submit.html. Attached are some examples to provide guidance in completing the Web-based application.
Submissions may come from superintendents, principals, finance officers, directors of pupil personnel, district assessment coordinators and others in management roles. These electronic submissions will be reviewed by trained reviewers, who can provide feedback on documenting your success. Approved submissions will be posted and catalogued with a district name and contact person so every school and district leader can easily search for successful processes and network with others facing similar challenges.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Jeff Stamper via e-mail at jeffrey.stamper@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-4201 or Larry Stinson via e-mail at larry.stinson@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-5130.
Education Jobs Fund (EduJobs) Reminder
NOTE: The following reminder pertains only to districts who have not yet submitted a budget for EduJobs. If your district has already submitted a budget for the full award amount, it is not necessary to resubmit.
Districts must submit a budget by school-level for funds to be released. Upon approval of the school-level budget, an award notification will be sent to the superintendent and finance officer.
In order to receive reimbursement, districts must submit a school level MUNIS expenditure report by the 25th of every month. Expenditure reports will be reviewed for allowable object codes. Upon review of the expenditure reports, reimbursement will be processed within 7-10 business days. Any expenditure reports received after the 25th will be processed accordingly within 7-10 business days of receipt of the expenditure report. All funds must be spent by September 30, 2012. The final reimbursement request must be submitted by November 25, 2012.
Education Jobs Fund expenditure reports may be submitted by the following methods:
Email to: vickie.terry@education.ky.gov. Fax to: Vickie Terry (502) 564-6771 Mail to: Vickie Terry, KDE Division of Budgets, 16th Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601.
Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP)
Results from the 2011 administration of the state assessment system will be available in the next few weeks. I know that you will use that information to make adjustments in your Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP). As you make those adjustments, please be sure to include strategies and activities that will help achieve the goals established in your pledge to support the Commonwealth Commitment to College and Career Readiness. A review of the strategies in the Kentucky Department of Education’s College and Career Readiness delivery plan found at this link http://www.education.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/F7DE530A-4EEC-4943-BD57-393B87803EE2/0/CCRDeliveryPlan.pdf will provide good ideas for actions you can take at the local level.
You will also need to encourage schools in your district to make similar revisions in their Comprehensive School Improvement Plans (CSIPs). They, too, should include strategies and activities that will directly impact achievement of your College and Career Readiness (CCR) goals. In fact, allocations of resources through Title I and Title II will not be released to schools and districts required by those federal programs to submit improvement or corrective action plans unless those plans have included specific strategies and activities in support of CCR goals.
Facility Condition and Educational Suitability Assessments Update
Parsons distributed the draft school reports via a web link to the Feedback application. Schools that had both their condition and educational suitability assessments conducted this spring have been reviewing their draft school report and utilizing the Feedback system to document any changes regarding:
· any recent updates implemented at the school
· corrections to the data
· areas missed or not properly represented
Schools have been instructed to create a Feedback comment or send KDE an e-mail stating that the review is complete. As of August 18th, 23 schools have confirmed that their review of the report is complete.
KDE has extended the review period through August 23th for over 150 schools to ensure adequate time to thoroughly review the report. Please work with your staff to complete the data reviews as soon as possible.
The link below for the FICS Project webpage has additional information and attachments:
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Facilities/2011+Facilities+Assessment+Project.htm
For questions regarding this project, please contact Paige Patterson-Grant, PaigePatterson@education.ky.gov or 502-564-5279.
Purchase Authorizations for School Buses
Directions for school bus Purchase Authorizations for 2011-12 can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Transportation/Bus+Procurement.htm
Orders received on or before November 18, 2011 will be delivered no later than May 1, 2012. In addition to the Purchase Authorization you will find a listing of options for purchase. All options must be purchased by the use of a local district purchase order. As was the case last year, the Purchase Authorizations will be completed on line and returned electronically. Confirmation documents will be returned within two working days.
All KISTA financed bus orders should arrive at this office by November 1, 2011 to allow the department adequate time to approve the bonds.
The Request for Applications for districts to take advantage of the hybrid electric bus upgrade available from federal stimulus funds through the Department of Energy will be released on or about August 30, 2011 with a separate e-mail.
If you have questions regarding this matter, please contact David Mangum at (502) 564-5279.
Outside Agencies
Training on New Americans with Disabilities /Section 504 Regulation Changes Available
Join KSBA staff in Lexington on Sept. 14 and 15, 2011!
Learn How to Implement the new Americans with Disabilities Act Regulations
As part of the 2011 Policy/Procedure Update, you received both model policy and procedure language regarding new responsibilities to accommodate the public and staff under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Two new sets of Federal regulations that became effective in the spring of 2011 require major changes in implementation requirements in the area of ADA/Section 504 accommodations to staff and to the public. On September 14 and 15, 2011, in Lexington, KSBA will provide legal and practical guidance on your new responsibilities. These regulations are lengthy and complex. It is imperative that your district administrators learn this information. Some new responsibilities include:
· Providing a number of companion event tickets next to wheelchair seating in arenas and auditoriums;
· Allowing into your events/activities miniature service horses in most situations;
· Making accommodation due to a staff member’s past disability;
· Limiting questions that you can ask individuals with disabilities regarding use of service animals, or their medical information;
· Accommodating staff disabilities that are not severe.
These are just a few of the changes brought about by the new regulations. The second day of the training will focus on changes in student services and the newly released KSBA Section 504 Model Section 504 Procedures.
Magnify the teaching experience with help from LSC
The Louisville Science Center (LSC) offers its 2011-2012 Education Guide online for educators across the state.
The guide provides information to help teachers plan LSC field trips, experience hands-on labs, explore virtual programs and much more. Teachers can search for programs by grade level and subject area to personalize learning for their students.
LSC offers programs in science, physical education/health, mathematics, technology, social sciences, language arts and the arts. The programs are correlated to Kentucky standards.
For more details, download the 2011-2012 Education Guide:
http://www.louisvillescience.org/uploads/7/File/LSC%20Education%20Guide%202011-2012.pdf
SREB online survey request
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) is requesting that school district superintendents participate in a short survey about online learning options in their districts.
As the prevalence of these programs increases, SREB is trying to get a sense of how many districts have programs and what those programs look like. This initial survey seeks to determine how many programs are available. SREB will do a follow-up survey with those districts that currently have or are planning to start online programs.
To take the survey, please visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DistrictOnlineLearningPrograms. SREB asks that superintendents take the survey regardless of whether their districts offer online programs or not.
For more details, please contact Holly Lynde, research and policy coordinator for SREB’s Educational Technology Cooperative, at (404) 879-5558 or holly.lynde@sreb.org.
2011 Kentucky Public Service Recognition Week Poster Contest
The Kentucky Personnel Cabinet is sponsoring a poster contest for school children ages 6 to 18 years old. The contest is tied to the 2011 Kentucky Public Service Recognition Week in October.
This contest provides an opportunity to increase the awareness among children of the achievements and contributions of state employees in the workplace and our communities.
The theme is “State Employees – Making a Difference Every Day in Every Way.” The deadline for submitting a poster is September 23.
There will be one winner in each age category: Ages 6-9; Ages 10-13; and Ages 14-18. Each winner will receive a $100 savings bond and be invited to attend the proclamation signing declaring Kentucky Public Service Recognition Week.
For more information, please contact the Personnel Cabinet’s Office of Employee Relations at (502) 564-5595 or (502) 564-5954 or click here.
Dome Theater provides new “Immersive Learning” techniques
The Dome Theater Mobile Planetarium was developed in association with NASA, Rice University, the Smithsonian Institute, Huston Museum of Natural Science and 11 other universities and museums.
This program brings an immersive educational experience to your school and students for an entire day. Programs cover new standards and provide a unique way of learning through "video surround."
The Dome Theater is a completely self-contained, professionally staffed, disability accessible event and can accommodate up to 550 students in a day. Presentations cover pre-K through 8th-grade curriculum, and every classroom may see a different program. Subjects covered include history, biology, geology, earth science, space science and more. The programs are narrated by celebrities such as Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks.
By bringing the field trip to you, the Dome Theater is committed to allowing as many students as possible to experience a new, dynamic way of learning while saving your schools’ funding.
For more details, please visit http://www.dometheater.net, or contact Kentucky State Director Max Kolenda at (888) 655-7263, ext. 250 or maxk@kramerintl.com.