The personnel actions listed on the exhibit have taken place since the board meeting of October 22, 2020.

Currently, Covington Independent Public Schools is in the year 2 phase of their curriculum development project.  Mr. Scott Alter, Assistant Superintendent of Student Learning will take the Board through a quick recap of year 1 and explain what is happening in year 2 of our curriculum development.  Attached are curriculum protocols which have been built by district leadership in collaboration with school administration and teacher leaders. 

Budget Narrative for October FY2021 monthly financial statement:

1. General fund (fund 1) – as of 10/31/20, revenue received of 18.5 million with expenses of 10 million.
2. Special revenue (fund 2) – as of 10/31/20, revenue received of 2.2 million with expenses of 3.1 million. Many grants in fund 2 are on a reimbursement basis. Money is requested after the expenses have occurred. There is a delay on receiving fund 2 revenue.
3. Capital outlay (fund 310) - as of 10/31/20, revenue received of $163,000 with expenses of $0. The state does not provide all the capital outlay funding until the end of the fiscal year. This fund is used to pay the district’s bond payments. Bond payments occur throughout the whole fiscal year under fund 400 (new for FY’13 per KDE). Money will be transferred out of capital outlay into the debt service fund throughout the fiscal year.
4. Building fund (fund 320) - as of 10/31/20, revenue received of $563,000 with expenses of $693,000.This fund is used to pay the district’s bond payments. Bond payments occur throughout the whole fiscal year under fund 400 (new for FY’13 per KDE).Money will be transferred out of building fund into the debt service fund throughout the fiscal year.
5. Construction fund (fund 360) - as of 10/31/20, revenue received of 3.8 million with expenses of 1.9 million. This fund is used to pay for the district’s construction projects.
6. Debt Service fund (fund 400) – as of 10/31/20, revenue received of $0 with expenses of $374,000.See detailed explanation under capital outlay and building fund.
7. Daycare fund (originally fund 50 – switched to fund 52 per KDE) – as of 10/31/20, revenue received of $259,000 with expenses of $78,000.Revenue comes in throughout the fiscal year.
8. Food service fund (fund 51) – as of 10/31/20, revenue received of 1.3 million with expenses of $589,000.
9. School Activity Fund (fund 25) – as of 10/31/20 revenue received of 335,500 with expenses of -4,000.This fund was set up end of FY20 due to a new GASB standard that went into effect. All Redbook monies have to be entered into MUNIS. This is the start of the fund therefore the expenses have a negative balance. In FY21, it will balance out to not have negative expenses.

Completed 11/2/20 by Annette Burtschy

Pursuant to Policy 04.3111, the treasurer shall prepare warrants or "Orders of the Treasurer" to be acted upon at each regular Board meeting. The Board shall give subsequent approval to all budgeted disbursements made between meetings of the Board. Disbursements shall only be made on invoices for purchases made in accordance with District policy and procedures.

Each year the School Facilities Construction Commission (SFCC) provides an offer of assistance to school districts to help with technology needs.  If a school district decides to accept the offer, the district must match the offer equally within the general fund budget.  This has been budgeted in general fund already.

Kentucky school districts updated on legislative appropriations for school security measures.

(FRANKFORT, KY) – During a July 9 webcast, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) updated local school district staff on a new School Security Request (SSR) process related to funding in the 2020 budget.

House Bill 352, the 2020 budget bill, included $18.2 million for a variety of school safety facility upgrades. The appropriation is based off a survey done by the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) in 2019 and requirements in Senate Bill 1 (2019).

SB 1, passed on March 11, 2019, under an emergency clause, identifies six required security devices for schools. The devices are main entrance locks, a main entrance camera, a main entrance intercom, classroom door locks, classroom door window coverings and exterior door access control. Money from the $18.2 million can only be used for these six devices.

“It’s a pretty short list and we have just now finished the process, instructions and guidelines, so districts can start submitting funding requests,” said Chay Ritter of KDE’s Office of Finance and Operations.

Each district’s portion of the security funding is based on its average daily attendance (ADA) rates. In order to receive funding for security, districts must submit an SSR form, which details what schools will do with the funding and the amount of funding requested.

“Jefferson County, the largest district, gets the largest chunk of funding. The smallest district will get the smallest chunk of that, based on ADA,” Ritter said.

Since SB 1 was passed under an emergency clause, it allows districts to request funding for retroactive projects, which includes those completed from March 11, 2019, to June 30, 2020. Districts also can use the funding for security projects through the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30, 2021.

The district had an eligible project that met the criteria of SB1.  The district will get reimbursed for $92,355.92.  This will free up funds once the project is closed to be used for another future construction project.

The Covington Independent Board of Education approve the proposed Owner-Architect Agreement for the John G. Carlisle Elementary School Emergency Project to replace the Chiller and VFD Drive.

The Covington Board of Education approves and accepts the Owner - Architect Agreement with PCA Architecture for the JGC Elementary Emergency Project-BG 21-101.

The following change order pricing is for the Sixth District Elementary:

• During the removal of the old shingle roof it was discovered that the deck wood below the shingles was deteriorated and needed to be replaced along with some joist boards. Cost: $1,630.00
• Replacing the existing metal coping on the lower back roof from bone white coping to new 24-gauge dark bronze coping to match the rest of the replaced coping.  Cost: $830.00

The total cost for this Change Order work is $2,460.00.

The following change order pricing is for the Sixth District Elementary wet roof insulation replacement that was included in the base bid for 4,500 square feet of wet insulation. During the replacement of the wet roof insulation replacement it was determined that a total of 3,192 square feet was needed resulting in a reduction of cost. 

The total reduction in cost for this Change Order work is -$4,767.00.

In conjunction with T-Mobile’s Project 10 Million Contract for additional Wi-Fi hotspots  the agreement also includes a reduced cost on Chromebooks that will allow us to complete our 1 to1 initiative district wide.  At $185.00 per device, this price includes the device and the management license needed in order to enroll the Chromebooks into the District Google management system. Our expected need is 600 devices. CARES funding will cover this expense. 

CIPS is exploring the opportunity of starting an Esports team at HHS.  The district’s investment will be as follows:  Small supplement for coach(es), computer equipment, space, and jerseys/uniforms.  Our students will be able to participate, like other sports, in a season, playoffs, and state competition if we are good enough. We are aiming for the next season, which begins in February.

The benefits of Esports are as follows:  A Growing Trend in K-12 Esports in high school is undeniably a big business and growing trend worldwide. This new popularity suggests that Esports may soon become as mainstream as high school football or baseball since competitive gaming is now a varsity sport in high schools across the United States. As of June 2019, NASEF reported 260 clubs in 27 US states and three Canadian provinces, with more than 3,000 students participating. 

There’s little argument about the benefits of extracurricular activities for high school students.  Studies have shown that students who are involved in extracurricular activities are more successful in a number of ways, including:

•Higher graduation rates and higher attendance

• Improved scores in math and reading

•More students aspiring to higher education

•Higher focus in class

•Higher self-esteem, with fewer engagements of smoking and drinking.  

Apart from tangible benefits such as these, students who engage in extracurricular activities (athletic, artistic, scholarly, or otherwise) experience an essential sense of belonging. Also, Esports represent a unique opportunity to capitalize on an after-school activity that is already occurring and to formalize the gathering by creating a school-sponsored, constructive activity.  Esports can also help students develop the soft skills required in higher education and careers, ones that may not develop through involvement with traditional sports. 

Offering Esports is a smart way for high schools to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM fields. Students who are drawn to gaming are often equally interested in technology in general.  Esports integration into the K-12 education environment represents a low-risk, high-yield opportunity, since these students will continue to play Esports whether their school is involved or not. Schools must simply decide whether it’s worth the effort to positively influence a narrative already in place. 

There are many opportunities for high school students interested in Esports to attend colleges with Esports teams. In 2016, seven colleges and universities had sports programs, and by 2018, 63 institutions had Esports programs.  Nearly 200 US colleges and universities are offering approximately $15 million per year in combined scholarships for Esports, and teams can earn millions in tournament prizes.

According to NACE, the average Esports scholarship a student receives toward tuition per year is $ 4,800. However, some students may receive up to half off on tuition. It’s important to note that alongside the essential, future-ready skills that Esports can foster, students involved in their school’s Esports team are more social, more team-oriented, and more collaborative than their solo-gamer peers. They are less isolated, because they are held accountable for their own growth in a team environment. And for some students, this may be the first time they have ever been on a team sport. Because gaming can be isolating, getting students involved in Esports teams shifts their experience from a solo to a social experience, where they can feel like an accepted member of their school community—which has been shown to boost physical and mental health.

Board approval is requested to write the following 21st Century Community Learning Center grant applications due December 10, 2020: 

Holmes Middle School, Ninth District and Sixth District, in partnership with Covington Partners, will write a continuation grant in the amount of $100,000 in years one, two and three, and $95,000 in years four and five.  This funding will allow the school to continue current programming that meets the academic and social needs of the school and the community. Programming will include academic assistance, youth development activities, and family engagement opportunities.   

John G. Carlisle, in partnership with Center for Great Neighborhoods, will write a continuation grant in the amount of $100,000 in years one, two and three, and $95,000 in years four and five.  This funding will allow the school to continue current programming that meets the academic and social needs of the school and the community. Programming will include academic assistance, youth development activities, and family engagement opportunities.   

Holmes High School, in partnership with Gateway Community and Technical College, will write a continuation grant in the amount of $100,000 in years one, two and three, and $95,000 in years four and five.  This funding will allow the school to continue current programming that meets the academic and social needs of the school and the community. Programming will include academic assistance, youth development activities, and family engagement opportunities.  

December 2 ~ Budget Committee Meeting, 2:30 - 4 p.m., in the Boardroom

December 4-5 ~ KSBA's 2020 Winter Symposium, Louisville Marriott Downtown

December 16~ Budget Committee Meeting, 2:30 - 4 p.m., in the Boardroom

Visit our District App for upcoming Athletic events and our website for District apparel online store. 

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