The Superintendent shall conduct the election of chairman. The Superintendent shall call for nominations and seconds for the office of chairman, and the member receiving the majority vote of the members present at a roll call vote shall be declared the chairman. The Board member so elected shall assume the chair immediately upon his/her election. The chairman shall serve one (1) year terms beginning immediately following their election.

Following the election of the chairman, s/he shall call for nominations and seconds for the office of vice-chairman, and the member receiving a majority vote of the members present at a roll call vote shall be declared the vice-chairman. The vice-chairman shall serve one (1) year terms beginning immediately following their election.

The Board Chair will call for a motion to approve Mr. Alvin Garrison being appointed as Board Secretary.

The Board Chair will call for a motion to approve Ms. Annette Burtschy being appointed as Board Treasurer.

Attached is the proposed contract for legal services with Adams Law, PLLC, effective January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. 

Mary Ann Stewart, Esq. and Aaren Meehan, Esq. of Adams Law, PLLC will continue to provide general counsel services to the Covington Independent Public School Board.  Both are partners who concentrate their practices in the areas of school law, public entity representation, employment, and special education. Ms. Stewart and Ms. Meehan, along with the other attorneys in the Adams law firm have proven to be valued team players for the District.  Their expertise and efficient assistance in the complexities of school law and other legal areas continues to be an invaluable, essential, and reliable asset to the operation of the School District.

Per this Agreement, Adams Law shall bill all services rendered for general counsel purposes, including litigation and litigation support, risk management, etc., at the reduced rate of $195.00 per hour. 

• 2025 Legal Services Contract(3184784.1).pdf

Pursuant to CIPS Policy 01.42, Regular Meetings, In January, the Board shall adopt a schedule of regular meetings for the calendar year, identifying the date, time and place of each meeting. Rescheduled regular meetings shall be noticed and held as special meetings.

• 2025 Board Meeting Schedule_approved 12.19.24.pdf

Pursuant to CIPS Policy 01.821 Board Member Expense Reimbursement, it is necessary to obtain Board approval of all out-of-district travel by CIPS Board Members for 2025.  All Board travel will qualify for Kentucky School Board Association yearly professional development hours.

Selections for will be open to serve on the following committees for the 2025 school year:

Budget Committee
The committee meets starting in late January/early February through April of each year around 8-10 times on a Tuesday or Wednesday from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm.  We try and schedule all the meetings on the same day of the week.

Brief description of what the budget committee does:

• Discuss where the district is at with the current general fund budget: highlights of trends on staffing & non-personnel.
• Discuss any facts that the district knows about to help balance next year’s budget in regards to revenue (SEEK increase/decrease, other funding sources increase/decrease) and/or if increases in expenditures (retirement % increase, utilities increase etc.).
• Discuss auditor, insurance, bank bid to bid out or not?
• Review all department budgets.
• Discuss how the general fund budget was built and what cuts are needed to balance the budget.Discussion is had on how to balance the budget.Discuss other fund budgets such as grants, nutrition services, daycare etc. on how the budgets are built.

Contact Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance at 859-392-1016 for further questions.

Board members serving on committee: Tom Haggard and Michelle Williams

Covington Education Foundation Committee
The Covington Education Foundation was formed in 1997 to help fund scholarships and provide support for activities to benefit the intellectual and artistic growth of children in Covington. The Foundation's goals are to provide post-secondary scholarships, develop youth leaders, and support mentoring. The Foundation offers annual scholarships to Holmes seniors who plan to attend two or four year accredited colleges and universities. The committee typically meets on the third Thursday of each month.

Contact Janice Krumwiede, Administrative Assistant at 859-392-3182 for further questions.

Board members serving on committee: Tom Haggard and Stephen Gastright

TEAM Foundation Committee
The Tom Ellis Athletic Memorial Foundation was established to help athletes and the athletic program at Holmes High School. The committee consists of faculty members, both active and retired people, alumni, community leaders and two Board members.  We meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 9:00 A.M. at the Masonic Temple,. located at 15th and Madison.

Contact Mr. Gary Huhn by email, at school 859-655-9545, ext. 12002 or at home 859-431-8099 with any questions.

Board member serving on committee: Stephen Gastright

Calendar Committee
The Calendar Committee will not meet until Spring of 2026.

Code of Acceptable Behavior and Discipline
The Code of Acceptable Behavior and Discipline Committee convenes once or twice a year to review and update the Code. Typically, these meetings begin in the spring, although specific dates have not yet been set.

Board members serving on committee: Stephen Gastright and Kareem Simpson as alternate

Local Planning Committee
Local Planning Committee is an advisory committee to the local board of education charged with the development of a four (4) year District Facilities Plan. The committee is made up of a maximum of twenty (20) members and a minimum of ten (10) members that include; parents, teachers, building administrators, facilities directors, central office staff, one local board member, local governmental building, code enforcement or planning officials and the school superintendent, who is a non-voting member of the committee. The superintendent shall ensure that each LPC represents local demographics, providing a diverse committee that, in a meaningful way, reflects the composition of the district. The superintendent shall chair the LPC meetings until a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson are elected. This committee studies information concerning the district’s buildings, financial information, demographics and other information at its discretion to develop a plan for addressing the districts construction needs. The committee’s role and duties are further clarified in this School Facilities Planning Manual.

Contact Ken Kippenbrock, Executive Director of Human Resources and Operations at 859-392-1015.

Board members serving on committee: Stephen Gastright and Tom Haggard as alternate

Policy Committee
The committee will meet on a regular basis to review board policies and recommend any updates or revisions to the full board.  The committee shall consist of two members of the Board of Education, the Board Attorney and the Superintendent as permanent members.  Other members and content experts will be invited to join the committee, as appropriate, depending on the policies being reviewed. The Board Chair and Superintendent will be responsible for developing a schedule for the committee, with the goal of reviewing all ten chapters of the policy manual within a four-year cycle. 

Board members serving on committee: Hannah Edelen and Kareem Simpson

• Increase the percentage of proficient and distinguished students in reading and math (all grades) by 5%. Increase subgroup proficiency by 7% (Black students, EL and students with disabilities).
• Increase the percentage of students who are “postsecondary ready” (college or career) by 5% (growth goal for all students and each of the 3 subgroups).
• Increase the percentage of students meeting ACT Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) college ready benchmarks by 5% (growth goal for all students and each of the 3 subgroups).
• Establish a data tracking system for monitoring college enrollment, trade school, military enlistment and employment post graduation by Fall 2025. Employment tracking should include wage data collection.
• Decrease teacher turnover by 5% between EOY 2024-25 and EOY 2025-26. 

Pursuant to KRS 61.810 (1) the Board may go into executive session.