Covington Independent
June 25, 2026 5:30 PM ET (4:30 CT)
Covington Board of Education Regular Business Meeting
Return
I. Call to Order
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair
II. Roll Call
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair
III. Pledge of Allegiance
Board Members
IV. Welcome and Board Chair Comments
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair
V. Public Input
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair
Rationale

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. Report of the Treasurer
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
VI.1. Monthly Financials
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
Rationale

Budget Narrative for May FY2026 monthly financial statement:

 

  1. General fund (fund 1) – as of 5/31/26, revenue received of 48.9 million with expenses of 35.7 million.
  2. Special revenue (fund 2) – as of 5/31/26, revenue received of 9.0 million with expenses of 9.6 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. School Activity Fund (fund 25) – as of 5/31/26 revenue received of $282,000 with expenses of $42,000. This fund was set up end of FY20 due to a new GASB standard that went into effect.
  4. Capital outlay (fund 310) - as of 5/31/26, revenue received of $309,447 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.
  5. Building fund (fund 320) - as of 5/31/26, revenue received of $2,841,000 with expenses of $1,514,000. 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.
  6. Construction fund (fund 360) - as of 5/31/26, revenue received of $452,000 with expenses of 6.3 million. This fund is used to pay for the district’s construction projects.
  7. Debt Service fund (fund 400) – as of 5/31/26, revenue received of $175,000 with expenses of 2.245 million. See detailed explanation under capital outlay and building fund.
  8. Food service fund (fund 51) – as of 5/31/26, revenue received of $2,996,000 with expenses of $3,297,000.
  9. Daycare fund (originally fund 50 – switched to fund 52 per KDE) – as of 5/31/26, revenue received of $414,000 with expenses of $322,000. Revenue comes in throughout the fiscal year.

 

April budget changes for fund 1:

5/26 Superintendent’s emergency/timing budget – in budget at 500K – this is used throughout the school year.

 

Completed 6/2/26 by Annette Burtschy

Attachments
VI.2. Warrant Expenditure Report ~ June
Ms. Annette Burtschy, Director of Finance
Rationale

Monthly warrants.

Attachments
VI.3. Indirect Cost Rate for FY2026-2027
Burtschy
Rationale

Each local board of education is encouraged to approve the Indirect Cost Rates prior to July 1, the start of the federal fiscal year (in previous years it was October 1).  If the decision is not to approve the Indirect Cost Rate by July 1, then the district cannot apply the rate at a later time during the fiscal year.  If a board adopts the Indirect Cost Rates, they are not obligated to apply the rates.  The method by which they are calculated is through each school district’s Annual Financial Report submitted to KDE.  Once those rates are submitted, starting in fiscal year 2026, KDE has implemented a 3-year rolling average calculation provided by the US Department of Education.

 

The Non-Restricted Indirect Cost Rate is used for Food Service and that rate is 15.56% and the Restricted Indirect Cost Rate that is used for Grants is 3.48%.

 

Attachments
VI.4. Donations FY26 from School Activity Funds
Burtschy
Rationale

  1. Donations are defined as gifts of real or personal property to the school from persons or entities outside the school system for use at the school or for the students of the school.

     

  2. Local boards shall receive any gift for the benefit of schools in the district and hold and use them as requested, provided that the purpose for which it is used shall be in harmony with the aims and general program of public education in this state. Schools receive contributions and donations from a variety of sources, including external support/booster organizations. Boards should ensure the purpose of the contributions and donations is clear and the donor and school staff all understand and agree upon the purpose for which the funds will be used.

     

  3. However, the local board may give the responsibility for the donations to the schools by establishing a policy allowing schools to maintain their own donations. If the board allows donations to be kept at the school level, the principal and/or bookkeeper shall produce a listing of donations for submission to the school board at year-end.

     

  4. The Donation Acceptance Form (Form F-SA-18) shall be completed stating the purpose of and any restrictions on the funds received.A donation acknowledgement should be sent to the donor.

     

  5. Cash donations to the school for a specific purpose (restricted purpose) shall be maintained in a separate activity account and expended as indicated by the donor as long as the board has approved a policy for the donation to be maintained at the school level. Tracking this balance as a separate account with proper supporting documentation for expenditures will reflect that the donor’s wishes were met.

     

  6. Cash donations to the school for general use (unrestricted purpose) shall be deposited in a general account as long as the board has approved a policy for donations to be maintained at the school level. The principal and SBDM council will decide the use of these donations. These donations must be used to support student activity.

     

  7. Equipment or other property donations to the school will remain at the school and be included on school inventory records and become the property of the local board. These donated items shall be reported at year-end along with cash donations to the school board.

Attachments
VII. Consent Agenda
VII.1. 2026-2027 District Assurances
Mr. Tony Magner, Director of Federal Programs
Rationale

This is our yearly review of the Assurances from the Kentucky Department of Education stating the Covington Independent Public Schools and the Non-Public Schools that receive funding from our district are in compliance with all the assurances listed in the Grant Management System document.

The District Assurances state CIPS is in compliance with various programs in the district. The assurances are general assurances that the district must follow.

Upon review and approval, we will send a statement via GMAP to KDE from Mr. Garrison with the meeting date stating that we will be in compliance with these assurances.

This process is required to be completed by June 30, 2026 in order to submit a cash request from KDE. 

Attachments
VII.2. Conquest Consulting agreements for services 2026-27
Mr. Tony Magner, Director of Federal Programs
Rationale

Approval is requested to enter into a contract with Conquest Consulting to provide coaching, training, and implementation support for the district’s Reading Mastery and Decoding programs. Conquest Consulting will support preschool, three elementary schools, and the middle school through coaching for instructional coaches, reading interventionists, and teachers.
Conquest Consulting will also provide beginning-of-the-year training and summer professional learning for staff implementing Reading Mastery and Decoding. This contract includes continued support for current participating schools and adds support for Biggs as they implement Reading Mastery. 

Attachments
VII.3. Science Consulting Contract
Mr. Tony Magner, Director of Federal Programs
Rationale

Approval is requested to enter into a contract for elementary science consultant services to support the continued implementation and refinement of high-quality science instruction across the district’s elementary schools.
The consultant will provide professional learning and training for elementary teachers, lead district collaborative planning sessions, and support teachers with lesson internalization and intellectual preparation aligned to high-quality instructional resources. The consultant will also assist with the creation and revision of science assessments and support ongoing curriculum revisions to ensure stronger alignment with the district’s high-quality instructional resources, standards, and instructional expectations.

Attachments
VII.4. Covington Recreation Committee Appointments
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair
Attachments
VII.5. 2026-2027 Professional Development Plan
Mr. Scott Alter, Assistant Superintendent of Student Learning
Rationale

Attached are the 2026-2027 Professional Development (PD) plans for the district and all schools.  Our sessions for our 2026-2027 Professional Development Academy are also in this packet for review. The District PD Plan will need to be approved by the board and the schools' PD Plans are presented to the board for review and comment.

Attachments
VII.6. Leave of Absence Request ~ Employee #5772
Ken Kippenbrock - Executive Director of Human Resources and Operations
Rationale

Employee #5772 has requested an intermittent leave of absence (FMLA).  Beginning 06/15/2026 and returning 07/17/2026.  Leave will be fully paid.  

VIII. Individual Approval Agenda Items
VIII.1. Read Ready Covington
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair
Attachments
VIII.2. Children's Hospital Athletic Trainer Services Agreement
Mr. Ken Ellis, Athletic Director
Rationale

This contract with Children's Hospital for Athletic trainer coverage is slightly cheaper, but more importantly is a three-year agreement and adds Middle School coverage, something we did not get with the previous provider. I recommend approval. 

Attachments
IX. Addendum Agenda (Action Possible)
X. Report of the Attorney
Ms. Aaren Meehan, Board Attorney
XI. Board Member Discussion/Comments
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair
XII. Upcoming Events
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair
Rationale

Visit EventLink.com for all spring athletic schedules. GO BULLDOGS!

XIII. Executive Session
Rationale

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

XIV. Adjournment
Mr. Tom Haggard, Board Chair