Bus Driver Recruitment Incentive Program
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Hopkins County Board of Education has implemented a Bus Driver Recruitment Incentive Program to address the driver shortage.
Employees will receive a $500 referral bonus after referring a new bus driver or monitor who complete one year on the job. New drivers or monitors will receive a $1,000 new hire bonus after completing one year on the job. (Driver trainer time will count towards the year’s time for bus drivers.)
The board also voted to increase hourly wage for 1st year bus drivers to $12.54 from $11.52.
Currently, the district needs about 15 additional drivers to fill open routes, reduce the number of second runs, and increase the number of sub drivers. The Recruitment Incentive Program will be reviewed when the 2020-2021 salary schedule is approved.
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Accountability Results Show Improvement
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F
our Hopkins County elementary schools received 4 stars in the state’s new 5-star accountability system for public schools. The district, as a whole, received 3 stars at elementary, middle, and high school levels. That is the same as the overall state rating, which was released Oct. 1 by the Kentucky Department of Education.
The 4-star ratings were received by Earlington, Hanson, Pride, and West Broadway Elementary schools.
“We’re mostly pleased by the results, especially at the elementary level,” said Hopkins County Schools Superintendent Deanna Ashby. “We’re excited about the results at Earlington, which went from a TSI school classified for Targeted Support and Improvement to a 4-star school. This is a great improvement that is directly related to the dedicated efforts put forth by faculty, administrators, students, and staff.
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Flu Season is Approaching
Flu season is just around the corner. The flu virus can easily spread among students and staff in schools. This article provides action steps that teachers can take to help prevent the spread of the flu virus.
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Statistics in Schools Resources
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Using new Statistics in Schools resources in your classroom during the 2019-2020 school year will support efforts to make sure EVERY child is counted in the 2020 Census. This count impacts the federal funds that communities receive for special education, classroom technology, teacher training, after-school programs, school lunch assistance, and more.
Program funding depends on Census
The following programs receive funding based on the amount of people who complete a Census form:
- Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid)
- Title 1 Grants to Local Education Agencies
- National School Lunch Program
- State Children’s Health Insurance Program
- Foster Care (Title IV-E)
- Child Care and Development Fund
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Employment Engagement Survey
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- Can you believe it is almost the end of the year? Please check the address on your payroll stub that is emailed. This is where your W2 will be mailed in January.
- Student attendance is so important. It not only impacts grades and student achievement, but so many funding calculations are driven off attendance numbers. Final SBDM allocations have been sent to Principals. See where your school is compared to last year.
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Yates receives Transportation
WOW Award
Dee Yates is the October recipient for the transportation WOW (Winners on Wheels) award. Dee is a retired bus driver who subs for us and is always willing to lend a helping hand when needed. During Fall Break she stepped up and volunteered to drive our ADT routes to ensure students arrived to school safely and home as well. We appreciate her positive attitude and willingness to be a mentor to our new drivers!
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MLK, Art, Essay Entries Due Nov. 22
Hopkins County students in kindergarten through 12
th
grade are invited to participate in an Essay Contest and Visual Arts Contest organized as part of Hopkins County’s 37
th
Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.
The theme is “How Can You Use the Teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Promote Unity and Make a Difference in our Community?” Students are asked to creatively express how the works of this great American leader are relevant to today’s youth.
Entries are due at the school level by Nov. 22.
Forms are available at the following link:
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Scholarship Fund to Honor Mr. Gant
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The Community Improvement Foundation has announced that a scholarship fund is being created in memory of Charles Gant. Mr. Gant, who passed away earlier this year, was assistant superintendent of Hopkins County Schools.
Once the endowment is funded, scholarships will be awarded to two students from both Madisonville-North Hopkins and Hopkins County Central high schools. The awards will be granted to a student entering vocational/technical training and a minority student pursuing an education major with the hopes of “growing our own” future educators and workforce. Representatives of Madisonville-Hopkins County NAACP, Hopkins County Schools, Hopkins County government, and the community took part in the announcement. The Foundation will be working with a committee to raise funds to award scholarships to these students and to perpetuate Mr. Gant’s legacy. Donations may be sent to the Community Improvement Foundation, P.O. Box 413, Madisonville, KY 42431.
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Architects Selected for Hanson Project
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Hopkins County Board of Education has unanimously selected Sherman Carter Barnhart as the architectural firm for the Hanson Elementary School project.
The new school will be built on the existing campus in Hanson.
The new elementary school has been the top priority on the district facilities plan for new construction since 2011. Part of the structure was built in 1928, making the facility the district’s oldest school in operation. The school is also at capacity, and located in a high-growth area of the community.
Board members expressed excitement at taking this first step on the construction of a new Hanson Elementary School. Timeline for the project is still being determined.
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High Schools Recognized
for Excellence in Global Education
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Madisonville North Hopkins and Hopkins County Central High Schools have received national recognition for excellence in global education from EF High School Exchange Year, the leader in high school exchange.
The EF High School Exchange Year Global Education Excellence Award is presented annually to high schools that demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to international understanding and global awareness. Hopkins County Central and Madisonville North Hopkins are among a select group of high schools and districts recognized across the United States for the 2018-2019 school year.
"Madisonville North and Hopkins Central have shown an outstanding commitment to offering a global education,” said Bob Fredette, president of EF High School Exchange Year. “By welcoming exchange students into the classrooms, the schools have created new and unique learning opportunities for not just the exchange students, but for the American students and faculty as well."
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Baptist Health Madisonville joined with Hopkins County School administrators, teachers and students to celebrate the launch of Project Fit America at South Hopkins Middle School. The Oct. 14 celebration included a ribbon cutting and the students demonstrating exercises on the school’s new outdoor fitness equipment, or the “fit pit!”
South Hopkins Middle School is the thirteenth school to receive this grant since Baptist Health Madisonville began sponsoring the PFA program in 2014. Each grant is valued at over $16,500.
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#LionChaser / #GiantSlayer
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West Broadway Elementary School students Ranger and Alexander Posey were honored with the #LionChaser / #GiantSlayer Award during the Oct. 14 Board of Education meeting. They were walking home from school on Sept. 9 when they saw a car accident on Seminary Street. They stopped to check on the driver, Cindy Orten Watts. Ranger tapped on her window and asked if she was OK, then he gave her a snack bag of Oreos he received at school. He said she needed them more than he did. Ms. Watts was so impressed with their caring hearts and the concern they showed her that she brought them a certificate and gift card to school to show her appreciation.
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How a Bill Becomes a Law ...
James Madison Middle School students involved in KYA learned about the bill-making process in the Kentucky General Assembly recently from State Sen. C.B. Embry. They also discussed their ideas for new laws with Embry. KYA (Kentucky Youth Assembly) is a three-day educational opportunity in which students serve as part of a model state government.
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Nature Fest
Mahr Park Arboretum held its second Nature Fest on Thursday. Madisonville North Hopkins students who are involved in Key Club, AP Environmental Science, and AP Biology led a group of Jesse Stuart Elementary students through different nature-related stations. Students learned about trees, pollinators, native plants, bats, water quality, the food chain, wetlands, insects, and park history. The event, which brought together about 150 educators, students, community leaders, and volunteers, was organized by the Mahr Park Charitable Trust and MNHHS teachers Maria Bailey and Kim Shaw.
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Hopkins County Central High School’s production of Roald Dahl’s “Matilda the Musical” opened to rave reviews on Oct. 25. The musical featured student performers from Central as well as other schools in #TeamHopkins.
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Marching Maroons Win Region
Madisonville North Hopkins High School Marching Maroons won the Class 4A West Regional Championship! The band finished 5
th
in State Semifinals on Oct. 26. The video above is from the Regional Competition. Congratulations to all!
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Region 2 Soccer Champs
Madisonville North Hopkins High School boys soccer team won the Region 2 championship! This qualified the team for the KHSAA Soccer State Tournament. Congratulations to the players and coaches!
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Junior Leadership consists of ambassadors from each elementary and middle school and two from each high school in the district. Junior Leadership Ambassadors are Macy Cotton, Earlington Elementary; McKinley Wilson, Grapevine Elementary; Emma Rogers, Hanson Elementary; Ryder Sandidge, Jesse Stuart Elementary; Ani Mier, Pride Elementary; Bentley Duncan, Southside Elementary; Olivia Bernal, West Broadway Elementary; Kaleigh Faulk, West Hopkins Elementary; Riley Butler, Browning Springs Middle; Ella Knight, James Madison Middle; Kylee Groves, South Hopkins Middle; Aleecia Brown, West Hopkins Middle; Hailey Stokes and Javen Jones, Hopkins County Central; Emma Peyton and Krey Cunningham, Madisonville North Hopkins; Zak Brown and Braedyn Tyson, Career and Technology Center.
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