'We know how we got here, now let's focus on getting out'
New school superintendent lays out agenda for fiscal stewardship in the new school year
BEREA—The school district heard from its new superintendent last month when he appeared at the regularly scheduled July board of education meeting.
Ryan Neaves, PhD, addressed the Berea Independent Schools Board of Education, saying that while everyone was aware of how the District came to be in its precarious financial condition, “What’s not important is how we got here, it’s how we’re going to get out of it, and how we’re going to move forward as a District,” he said.
Neaves also said that, “Every decision we make will be made under the lens of finance.”
His comments were oblique references to how, under the previous administration, dysfunction and a lack of communication in the central office resulted in a one and a half million dollar deficit and then superintendent Diane Hatchett, PhD being put on administrative leave from March until the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
As he eases into the first superintendency of his career, the remainder of Neaves’ other brief comments focused primarily on his desire to learn and ask lots of questions of his staff.
Finance Director Nathan Sweet told the Board that the District is now slightly under budget, after tightening costs, including letting go three dozen staff members—mostly teachers—in March. The deficit has been reduced to 711,000 dollars, down from the 1.2 million the District faced at the end of the previous school year.
Sweet also announced that the District had reached the federal threshold for free school lunches for the entire student population. That calculation is based on a school having at least 40 percent of its students’ families receiving some other kind of federal aid such as Medicaid. Sweet said that 55 percent of the school’s student population meets this criteria.
The small energy efficiency solar project on the roof of the school is now complete, Sweet said, adding that it cost 98,000 dollars to complete. The outstanding 600,000 dollar bond on the failed remainder of the solar project is still being paid down, most recently to the tune of 50,000 dollars, that is expected to be covered by a 62,000 dollar tax credit for the solar energy updates, according to Sweet.
Sweet also said in answer to a question by Board Member Jackie Burnside, PhD, that the District is actively seeking more substitute teachers for the upcoming school year. Those who are interested must have a high school diploma or a GED equivalent, according to the distributed Board agenda notes.
Other business items included Neaves explaining to the Board that the new state law, SB181, that prohibits educators and coaches from directly communicating with students by text, will be handled via an app that will allow personnel to still communicate with students, but indirectly. Several tutorials for parents and staff will be made available.
It’s that time again! The Berea Celtic Fest is every third weekend in August. See this year’s schedule at the end of this mailing.
Additionally, New Horizons Academy has been engaged again to provide virtual learning courses for students in the District who are homeschooled.
While approving the onboarding packet for Neaves, Board Chair John “J” Morgan joked that he’d been made aware of literature on how to be a good Board member, and that perhaps it would have been helpful to have that information previously, a reference to outgoing interim superintendent Elmer Thomas, PhD’s admonition at the May Board of Ed meeting that the Board’s one job was to “hire a competent superintendent”.
“I may talk to you about buying copies for folks,” he said to Christine Knight, the District’s front office staff.
A 4,000 dollar gift from Dick’s Sporting Goods was accepted by the Board in support of the School’s girls’ softball team.
Board Member Tom McCay said during Member comments that he did not support hiring a part-time public relations person for 30,000 dollars a year, to help manage the school’s “story” on the grounds that it was unfair to teachers who’d been let go, the result of budget adjustments last school year.
Neaves explained that the role is important to the success of the District, saying, “If we don’t tell our story, someone else will.” He also noted that the payments to a 30- hour-a-week PR professional come from a different money stream than the one used to pay staff.
“I cannot see hiring another person to do promotions for the school. We should be doing that ourselves,” McCay countered.
Morgan responded that, as a professional communicator himself, having a professional dedicated to the task helps because, “There is a an intentionality that really takes a professional. And, it takes time and energy.”
Further, Morgan said that it was an investment that may or may not work, but given the District’s history of poor communication he thought it was a risk worth taking. “I think [poor communication] is a reason we’ve lost students,” he said.
Burnside asked if the PR role could also be combined as a teaching role to help students learn to communicate with the public. Morgan said perhaps in the future, not this time around.
There was a lot of back and forth between Morgan, Burnside and McCay who let on that they had not seen the job description nor knew about the 30,000 dollars for the position as it was distributed to them in their Board agenda packets before the meeting.
The voice vote on the position was split in favor of the position. Morgan, Vice Chair Sarah Roher, and Board Member Nathan Hackett voted yes, McCay voted against, and Burnside eventually, after some back and forth with Morgan, said she would be in favor of it if it helped Neaves have a better start in his new role. Therefore, the vote passed 4 to 1.
Board of Education meetings in the District are held every third Monday at 7:00 PM in the Kennedy Theater of Community School on Pirate's Way. They are live streamed here. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be August 18.
It’s time for Berea’s 16th annual Celtic Fest and Gathering!
www.berea-celtic.org
Come join the more than 60 excellent traditional musicians perform more than 40 hours of live music
Thursday, 8/14
7:00 PM: Opening night at Honeysuckle Bourbon House featuring
John Skelton, Rebecca Baumbach, Skip Cleavinger, John Mock and Ruby. Admission $10.
Friday, 8/15
1:00 PM: Randy Clepper, John Sherman, Bella Issakova at The Kentucky Artisan Center.
2:00 PM; Private concert at BCHS with Dogwood Road.
6:15 PM: Songs of Ireland w/ Kathy T. Schneider at Taleless Dog Booksellers,
Center St.
7:30 PM: Concert at Russel Acton Folk Center, Jefferson St. featuring John Walsh/Mark Rosenthal, Mark Brown, Dogwood Road, Over The Mountain, Bella Issakova/Randy Clepper/John Sherman, Jil Chambless/Dan Vogt.
10:00 PM: Session for all musicians at the folk center.
Saturday, 8/16
11:00 AM – 5:30 PM: Sessions at the Boone Tavern Garden, Short St. Session leaders: Walsh/Rosenthal, Penzien/Payne, Cleavinger/Baumbach, Issakova/Clepper/Sherman, Boylan/Jones, Atwater/Donnelly, Mast/Balcom.
1:00 PM: Jil Chambless and Dan Vogt at Top Drawer Gallery, N. Broadway.
1:00 PM: Jeni Balcom and Doug Mast live at Kentucky Artisan Center.
2:00 PM: Dogwood Road at Taleless Dog Booksellers.
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Four excellent presentations at Cowan Chapel, Union Church, Prospect St. Each presentation $5. Four presentations $15.
1:00 PM: Aubrey Atwater, Elwood Donnelly – Songs from the Isles.
2:00 PM: John Skelton – pipes and flutes.
3:00 PM: Clepper, Sherman, Issakova – Modern Trad.
4:00 PM: Mark Rosenthal. John Walsh - Bouzouki, guitar, etc.
1:30 PM: Bodhran workshop with Jeremy Wade and Justin Bridges. $5.
3:15 PM: Irish Ceili (dance workshop) with Amelie Maniscalco. $5.
Both at the Folk Center, Jefferson St.
7:00 PM: Justin Bridges, Jeremy Wade at the Union Church entrance.
7:30 PM: Celtic Celebration Concert at Union Church. $20.
Performers incl. Cathy Tully Schneider, Turlach Boylan, Eddie Jones, Skip Cleavinger, Rebecca Baumach, John Mock, Mark Rosenthal, John Walsh, Jeni Balcom, Doug Mast, Randy Clepper, Bella Issakova, John Sherman, Aubrey Atwater, Elwood Donnelly, John Skelton, Over The Mountain.
Sunday 8/17
10:30 AM: Celtic inspired servicer at Union Church with Jeni Balcom on Irish harp.
12:00 PM: Jeni Balcom on Irish Harp and Doug Mast on concertina at the Boone Tavern
1:00 PM: Jil Chambles and Dan Voigt live at Kentucky Artisan Center.
For more information: www.berea-celtic.org
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