Jason Gay

The abbreviated meeting focused primarily on New Business, beginning with the consideration of bids for the Power Park paving project, which included resurfacing areas around Power Park, the mess hall, Cochran Avenue, and Alexander Circle. An alternate bid for sidewalk construction was excluded to realize significant savings. The Finance Committee reported on disbursements for February 8 through March 13, 2020, covering various funds including the General Fund and Police and Fire Pension Fund, with a recommendation to approve warrants. Discussions also addressed financial matters such as utilizing cash reserves versus borrowing for projects, noting the current low interest rate environment. Ordinances included accepting a five-year franchise bid from MCI Metro for communication services, changing retail hours for alcohol sales from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and adjusting annual license fees for liquor licenses. Municipal orders involved reappointing several members to various city boards and commissions, including the Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Fort Thomas Tree Commission, and Design Review Board. Reports highlighted significant project completions such as the bike station at Tower Park, tennis court resurfacing, crosswalk improvements, and basketball court refinishment. The impact of the coronavirus situation on city operations, ensuring the protection of personnel, maintaining essential services, and restricting public access to city buildings were also discussed.

The initial part of the meeting was a Finance Corporation special meeting convened to discuss financing a roof replacement project at Highlands Middle School, which involved presenting a plan of financing, reviewing outstanding local debt, and determining borrowing capacity, with an indication that $12.5 million was available for borrowing against a need of $590,000 for the current project. Following this, the main Board of Education meeting included recognitions for student and staff achievements, such as dance team success, music concert excellence, recognition for National Merit Finalists Bianca and Kaden Schroeder, and the presentation of Tradition of Excellence awards to several individuals including Haley Ryan. Discussions also covered the upcoming NESTIS event honoring teachers and workers, updates on girls' volleyball and basketball seasons, the sanctioning of girls' wrestling, and the upcoming high school musical 'Sweeney Todd.'

The meeting began with acknowledgments regarding student achievements, specifically the FCCLA group returning from the national conference with silver awards, and the TSA group where one student placed eighth nationally. Congratulations were extended to Mr. Guest News on his new appointment as principal at Bluefield Elementary. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the Community Forum, where multiple parents raised concerns about the high school graduation ceremony logistics. Key issues discussed included the limited three-ticket allocation per graduate when held on campus, conflicts with college orientations, the stress caused by potential weather-related date changes, and the desire for an off-site location to accommodate larger families and community support. A speaker offered assistance in researching and planning an off-site ceremony and questioned why a previous plan involving a ten-dollar fee per student to fund an off-site venue in 2020 was rejected. Board members discussed practical constraints such as the required time for teachers to finalize records after the last day of school (June 2nd), suggesting that any off-site ceremony would likely need to occur in the week following school closure.

The meeting commenced with updates on various district activities, including foundation grants distributing funds and the 100 Year celebration planned for Woodfill. Recognitions were given to Johnson Elementary as a Kentucky Green School, the Odyssey of the Mind teams who qualified for Nationals and World competition, and the forensics team for being named School of Distinction. A special segment recognized Brooke Groth for receiving the Tradition of Excellence award for her dedication as a special education assistant and advocacy for student inclusion. Third-grade students presented their project on courageous leadership through inclusive playground design, detailing problems such as inaccessible surfaces and lack of sensory equipment, and outlining proposed solutions like rubber surfacing, new swings, and sensory walls, while also discussing funding strategies with the PTO and Education Foundation. Economic concepts such as scarcity and opportunity cost were discussed in relation to the playground project.

The meeting commenced with board recognitions, including a science teacher who is a semifinalist for Valvoline Teacher of the Year and another recognized as a teacher leader for the University of Kentucky Holocaust Initiative. A new assistant principal was welcomed to the administrative team. Discussions included upcoming events such as the booster club fundraising drive and PTSO organization member drives at open houses. Action items involved the approval of facility use fee schedule revisions, which had not been updated in approximately ten years, and the approval of a resolution to release the district's right of first refusal for properties on Miller Lane due to lack of purchasing interest. The board also approved continued participation in the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services (NKCES) for the 2022-2023 school year. A significant portion of the meeting focused on establishing areas of emphasis for the upcoming year, including becoming a destination district, focusing on efficiencies and teacher salary competitiveness, providing job-embedded professional development, enhancing community/alumni engagement, improving attendance rates, looking for revenue increases, enacting the five-year facility and technology plan (including HVAC and internet access), enacting the strategic plan through leadership teams, focusing instructionally on rigorous coursework and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and conducting a resource review of the K-12 social studies curriculum.