Covington Independent
September 09, 2021 5:00 PM
Covington Board of Education
I. Call to Order
Ms. Glenda Huff, Board Chair
II. Roll Call
Ms. Glenda Huff, Board Chair
III. Pledge of Allegiance
Ms. Glenda Huff, Board Chair
IV. Welcome and Board Chair Comments
Ms. Glenda Huff, Board Chair
V. Public Input
Ms. Glenda Huff, Board Chair
Rationale

This is an opportunity for the community to provide input and comments on district business. To submit public input, for scheduled virtual meetings email Becky Egan, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent by 3 p.m., one day prior to the scheduled meeting at becky.egan@covington.kyschools.us

Please include in the email:

  • Full name
  • Address
  • Comments you would like addressed to the Covington Board of Education
Members of the public may address the Board during the period set aside by the Board without submitting an item for the agenda. No action shall be taken during this portion of the meeting on issues raised by employees or the public unless deemed an emergency by the Board. Please note: Comments are asked to refrain from personal remarks in which an individual is named. Comments are limited to two minutes unless extended by the board chair. Critical comments or complaints are processed through the District’s complaint procedures. Questions and concerns will be addressed by the Board through various venues, including, but not limited to, the district website and e-mail.

VI. Amend the Agenda
VII. District Recognition and Presentations
Board Member
VII.1. TLC's Summer School Staff Recognition ~ Ms. Jessica Perrin, Ms.Brittany Vancini and Ms. Kathy Sparks
Ms. Sarah Flerlage, Board vice chair
Attachments
VIII. Informational Items (Action Possible)
VIII.1. Transformational Learning Center Annual Update
Ms. Lorie Duffy, Principal
Rationale

Transformational Learning Center's administration and staff will report to the Board their annual report.

Attachments
VIII.2. Shortened School Week Request
Ms. Esther Brady, Director of Special Education
Rationale

Student #2120428540 requires a shortened school week due to significant anxiety. The student receives mental health support through outpatient services. The ARC (Admissions and Release Committee) will devise a plan to slowly transition the student back into full attendance as his health allows.

VIII.3. Fundraiser Request ~ Holmes High School Concessions
Mr. Ken Ellis and Tina Stevens - Athletic Fundraising
Rationale

Pursuant to CIPS Policy 09.33 Fund Raising Activities, Board approval is required for all school-wide fundraising activities. Coaches work concessions during various athletic events and other events at Holmes High School to raise funds for their groups. 

Attachments
VIII.4. Fundraiser Request ~ School Based Enterprise Program
Mr. Brian Riley and Mr. Donny Roundtree - SBE
Rationale

Pursuant to CIPS Policy 09.33 Fund Raising Activities, Board approval is required for all school-wide fundraising activities. School Based Enterprise (S.B.E.) program would like to sell t-shirts, Spooky Grams, Spring Grams, Valentine Grams, Christmas Tree Grams and End of the Year Sale  to raise money for various S.B.E. events. S.B.E. is also having a Thanksgiving Food Drive to feed at least 40 families.

Attachments
IX. Report of the Treasurer
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
IX.1. FY22 Working Budget
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
Rationale

The Board of Education is required to approve a close estimate Working Budget for all funds by September 30th of each year.   Each of the funds is balanced with anticipated expenditures equaling anticipated revenue.  Special Revenue includes all new projects for FY2022.  Building Fund, Capital Outlay Fund, Food Service Fund, Debt Service Fund, and Daycare Fund are also presented in this Working Budget.

This is an informational item and will be brought back to the Board for approval on September 23, 2021.

NOTE:  fund 360 has an error message showing that this fund is not balanced.  There is a MUNIS issue that the Finance Director is working on with MUNIS support to correct.

Attachments
IX.2. Capital Funds Request FY22
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
Rationale

The General Assembly continues to allow flexibility in the use of school district capital funds without forfeiting the district’s eligibility to participate in the School Facilities Construction Commission (SFCC) program.  To exercise that flexibility, a district must submit a Capital Funds Request (CFR) electronically through e-mail to Jana Cox, at the Kentucky Department of Education, Division of District Support, in order for proper processing to occur. 

Please find attached the Capital Funds Request (CFR) that will be submitted to KDE.  The district is including HHS & HMS FY’22 lease payments on the 1 to 1 devices, and two buses for the district.  The total of these expenses are $480,869.  Once approved by KDE, these general fund expenses will be moved over to this funding.  This will free up the general fund by $480,869.  This freed up money will be used to help balance the FY’22 general fund budget.

 

Attachments
X. Consent Agenda
X.1. Approval of Minutes ~ August 26, 2021 Special Meeting
Attachments
X.2. Approval of Minutes ~ August 26, 2021 Regular Meeting
Attachments
X.3. SBDM Councils' Carryover Funds FY2021
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
Rationale

Unused ending balances may be carried over upon petition by the Site Based Council to the local Board of Education per KRS160.345.  The limit of what can be carryover is 5% of the original site based allocation.  The amount requested to carryover is $23,366 (see attached detail spreadsheet).

Attachments
X.4. School Activity Fund Balances - July 2020 through June 2021
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
Rationale

The Kentucky Department of Education recognizes that it is a best-practice for board members to be knowledgeable of each schools’ activity fund balances.  School activity fund balances for a 6 month period will be brought to the board in January/February (July through December) & July/August (July 2020 through June 2021) of each year.  

Attachments
X.5. School Activity Information on Receipts (Revenues) for FY21
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
Rationale

This is a new item for the board that the board requested during the May 2018 board meeting.  The board wanted to see the school activity receipts (revenue) broken down by category in regards to student generated money versus non-student generated money.  This will be brought to the board each July/August showing detail information on receipts from the prior year.

Attachments
XI. Individual Approval Agenda Items
XI.1. American Rescue Plan Homeless Children and Youth Phase I
Lori Eifert, Project Home Coordinator/Foster Care POC
Rationale

The Kentucky Department of Education is offering the American Rescue Plan Homeless Program-Phase I Funds through a competitive grant process.  This is a two-year grant, and the initial award is from 2021-2022.  The proposal is due by September 16, 2021, and award notifications will be sent by September 20, 2021. The average award is approximately $123,000.  Districts may or may not receive the total amount requested, and all awards will be based on homeless population, strength of academic services proposed, and allowable expenditures.

The purposes of this funding would be to identify homeless children and youth, provide wraparound services in light of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and assist homeless children and youth to attend school and participate fully in school activities including in-person instruction and summer learning and enrichment programs.  

I am asking the Board for permission to apply for the grant.

XI.2. Superintendent Travel Request ~ AESA Conference
Mr. Alvin Garrison, Superintendent
Rationale

Mr. Alvin Garrison, Superintendent, is requesting to attend the 36th Annual Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) Conference, November 30 - December 4, 2021 in Houston, Texas. By attending the conference, Members of the Executive Council with Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services, (NKCES) will learn about service agencies in the nation and attend sessions which are applicable to our district's work. NKCES will pay for the travel cost and make the arrangements.

XI.3. District Employee Quarantine Leave Resolution
Rationale

On Aug. 5, 2021 the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) approved an emergency regulation entitled “District Employee Quarantine Leave” – effective upon its filing with the Legislative Research Commission. Please carefully review the regulation, at 702 KAR 1:191E. It states that each district SHALL provide paid quarantine leave to all eligible employees, if the employee 1) has been placed in quarantine by a medical professional, health department, school district, etc.; and 2) has been vaccinated against COVID-19 (or if they “present a statement from a treating medical professional that a disability prevents the employee from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, or is prevented from taking the COVID-19 vaccination based on sincerely held religious belief”). This emergency regulation applies only during the 2021-2022 school year, and only relates to quarantine for COVID-19 and its variants. 
 
Under this emergency regulation, the quarantine leave cannot be used if the employee is diagnosed as having an active COVID-19 infection. As explained during the Aug. 5, 2021 KBE meeting, if a person tests positive for the infection they are therefore ill with COVID-19 and should use their sick days instead of quarantine leave. While in effect, the regulation will apply without local board action to require this leave for eligible employees, and so we at KSBA do not believe boards need to take any action at this time. 
 
However, the regulation gives some discretion to local districts/boards on three issues which may require local action. The regulation says that:
  1. “A school district, at its discretion, may determine quarantine leave is unnecessary when an employee can fulfill his or her job duties remotely during the quarantine period”; and
  2. “In order to shorten the quarantine period, a school district may require an employee on quarantine leave to undergo a COVID-19 test at the district’s expense and provide the results to the district. Such test shall occur no sooner than the earliest date recommended by [CDC and state DPH] quarantine guidelines. A district may require an employee testing negative for COVID-19 to return to work in accordance with [CDC and DPH] quarantine guidelines; and
  3. “A school district may require the employee to provide written documentation from the entity placing the employee in quarantine.”
If a district/board wants to implement any of the three above options, we suggest that either a resolution should be adopted by the board indicating such, or at least adopt a motion to this effect in a meeting and record it in detail in the meeting minutes

Attachments
XI.4. Agency Nurse Support
Dr. Janice Wilkerson, Assistant Superintendent to Student Support
Rationale

The Health Services Department has processed 144 positive cases, 350 school-related quarantines, and 1,943 total quarantines in all of last school year. In just these first 3 weeks of school this year, the department has already processed 90 positive cases, 262 school-related quarantines, and 632 total quarantines. When looking specifically at positive cases and contact tracing, we've almost done the same amount of work in 3 weeks that we did all of last year. Without assistance, we may will lose nurses quickly. The department has tried to utilize internal support staff for assistance, but we have quickly realized that we need a more long-term solution.  Ms. Jennifer Fowee, Director of Health Services is proposing that we hire agency nurses to help work through this pandemic. There are many benefits of having agency nurses during this time:

  • They can do everything that one of our current school nurses can do, whether that be contact tracing and processing quarantines, or handling other tasks such as medication administration, diabetic care, tube feeds, SBHC, immunization compliance, taking care of injuries, providing support services (dental, vision, hearing, etc.), and more. 
  • They can cover a health office if a nurse is absent (we have a nurse on maternity leave now, and we've already had 2 nurses who have had to quarantine).
  • They are hired by and managed by the agency (I cannot find time to conduct interviews right now, so this is huge).
  • RNs work on their own license and they're covered by the liability of the agency.
  • We can adjust the need for using agency nurses at any time. Once the pandemic slows down, we're not obligated to keep using the agency nurses. 

Based on the information provided by Western Nursing Services, an RN cost $46/hour, paid from us to the agency (we aren't covering fringes, benefits, etc.). We need to plan to have one RN per school for a total of 8 agency nurse (TLC excluded - since they are so small, we will delegate their COVID issues to an existing nurse). At 7 hour work days, 5 days/week, for 8 nurses, we are looking at a rough cost of about $13,000/week. This could be a perfect use of ESSER funds. We can change the number of agency nurses that we have working for us at any given point. 

XII. Addendum Agenda (Action Possible)
XIII. Report of the Attorney
Ms. Mary Ann Stewart, Board Attorney
XIV. Further Discussion and/or announcements by the Board of Education
Mr. Alvin Garrison, Superintendent
XV. Upcoming Events
Mr. Alvin Garrison, Superintendent
Rationale

September 23 ~ Regular Board Meeting, 5 p.m., location TBD

September 24 ~ Homecoming Football Game, 7 p.m. 

October 20 ~ 2021 Hall of Honors Celebration, Drees Pavilion @ 6 p.m. 

Download our District App for upcoming events and notifications.

XVI. Executive Session
Rationale

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

XVII. Adjournment
Ms. Glenda Huff, Board Chair