Fayette County Board of Education

September 26, 2022

As part of our commitment to providing timely, clear, and accurate information to students, staff, families, and community members, we are pleased to provide a recap of our monthly school board meetings.  

WELCOME, SPECIAL REMEMBRANCES, and STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Board Chairman Tyler Murphy welcomed members of the public attending the meeting at the John D. Price Administration Building, located at 450 Park Place, as well as those watching the board meeting online.

Board Vice Chair Amy Green invited the audience to observe a moment of silence and asked everyone in our community to pause to acknowledge the tragic death of Sheila Kallay, who was a paraeducator at William Wells Brown Elementary School and had been a member of Team FCPS since 2015. Our hearts remain with her family, the William Wells Brown Elementary School community, and all those touched by her passing.

Tonight's board meeting also featured a performance by students from Russell Cave Elementary, who put together a special celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month this performance. Fifth graders presented “Vamos a la mar,” a Guatemalan folk song, in Spanish and English. They composed and performed the instrument accompaniment, and added an improvised rhythmic section, with activities they like to do at the beach. Fourth graders performed the popular Cuban anthem “Guantanamera,” and played accompaniment on ukuleles.

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT

Under the Superintendent's Report, Superintendent Demetrus Liggins asked Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Ron Chi to provide an update on the magnet and special program application timeline and process.

Chi explained that the district is in the process of reimagining how we share information with families about our magnet, gifted, and specialized school programs. Plans include a districtwide showcase event and a revamped,more family-friendly application and selection process.

Although the application window has traditionally been in the fall for the subsequent year, the district will instead begin accepting applications in January, when families are more likely to be thinking about the next school year.

FUTURE FACILITIES PROJECTS

Fayette County Board of Education members took action Monday to break ground on a middle school in the Hamburg area, go out to bid on the construction of a combined Career and Technical Center, and acquire land for a third elementary school in the Masterson Station area. Meanwhile, FCPS Superintendent Demetrus Liggins outlined plans for continued public input on future projects.

“Fayette County Public Schools is a destination district for families who want a challenging, engaging, and innovative education for their children,” said Liggins. “As a growing district, we have to be proactive about staying ahead of new housing construction, while also renovating and maintaining existing facilities.”

By unanimous vote, school board members voted to:

• Hire Rising Sun Developing to build a new 172,000-square-foot middle school on Polo Club Boulevard.
• Seek bidders to transform the old newspaper building at 100 Midland Avenue into a 162,000-square-foot future-forward Career and Technical Education center.
• Purchase roughly 28 acres at its appraised value of $211,670 per acre in the northwest Lexington area between Leestown and Georgetown Roads north of Citation Boulevard.

“Today’s board decisions will help us alleviate crowding in our district middle schools, lead the state in preparing the workforce of tomorrow, and position us to stay ahead of crowding at the elementary level,” said Fayette County Board of Education Chair Tyler Murphy. “Our Board’s actions continue to balance both the needs that currently exist in our district while preparing intentionally for the future.”

Read more here.

PUBLIC COMMENT

During the portion of the meeting for remarks by citizens, the following individual shared comments with the Board related to the district practice related to purchasing graduation caps, gowns, diploma covers, and other senior class attire:

• Chris Gancio

BOARD ACTION

The board voted to:

• Purchase additional science kits from Amplify Science, which is the primary instructional resource for science classes in grades K through 8. More kids were needed due to increased student enrollment. Current data since the adoption of the new science program shows consistent and sustained growth in schools using the resource with fidelity.
• Create partnerships with the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, and Western Kentucky University to develop Grow Your Own initiatives, to provide a pathway for current FCPS students and employees to earn teaching and leadership credentials. Aligned to the district's Strategic Plan Priority for Highly Effective and Culturally Responsive Workforce, the goal of the programs is to increase the number and diversity of certified teachers and administrators in FCPS.
• Enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Kentucky Department of Education to receive roughly $2.6 million in Read to Achieve grant funds over the next two years. The grants have been awarded to 21 schools in FCPS to help teachers and library media specialists improve the reading skills of struggling readers in grades K through three, and assist schools in employing reading interventionists who specialize in providing these services.
• Set a new facility usage rate schedule for the 2022-23 school year.
• Approve contracts with:
• Imagine Learning to provide Odysseyware, which is an online program students in middle and high school use for credit recovery.
• Screencastify, a software that allows students and staff to record their computer screen, narration, and/or webcam video.
• Maxim Healthcare Staffing Services, Edge Music Therapy, Hands on Therapy, NR Professional Staffing Solutions, Music Therapy of the Bluegrass, Wellness Music Therapy, The Stepping Stone Group, Therapy Lex, Clinical Behavior Analysis, and Mary Courtney Daughtery (MCD O&M) to provide services to students with special needs. 
• Adopt the 2022-23 Working Budget.
• Accept the Monthly Financial Report.

The official minutes from the September 26, 2022 action meeting will be posted within the agenda of the next meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education.