When Kentucky voters head to the polls this November, they will be posed with tough decisions about the next U.S. President and their community’s stance on medical marijuana.
But they will also be pressed to decide, or ignore, Amendment 2, which reads: “To give parents choices in educational opportunities for their children, are you in favor of enabling the General Assembly to provide financial support for the education costs of students in kindergarten through 12th grade, who are outside the system of common (public) schools, by amending the Constitution of Kentucky to say…the General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools.”
Better known as the “School Vouchers,” or “School Choice,” Amendment, its language and implications have drawn some bipartisan supporters — who believe it would offer a competitive race for education, create more opportunities for private charter schools, and generally foster a wide range of opportunity for students, faculty and administration.
However, it has drawn the ire of many, many public school officials across the Commonwealth — and the Trigg County Schools Board of Education is no exception.
During Thursday night’s meeting, board member Charlene Sheehan opened legal, forthright discussions about the law’s possible ramifications to a rural community like Cadiz — which relies on the fluctuating SEEK formula, and its own local taxation, to provide a singular place of community learning.
Based on the Kentucky Council for Better Education and other resources, Sheehan said the district would stand to lose about 13% of its budget, or $3.4 million, and more than 30 educators if the law came to be — as the state’s annual pot of cash theoretically gets sliced even further.
She called the law a “dangerous, far-reaching amendment,” with she and fellow board member Gayle Rufli noting that potential charter and private schools don’t have to ascribe to strict annual standards — nor do they have to answer the calls of public transportation, cater to students with disabilities, or even hire certified educators.
Furthermore, Board Attorney Jack Lackey said fewer students attending Trigg County Schools would lower the district’s annual SEEK allotment, and would thus require more local tax effort in order to supplement lost income.
In other school news:
— Board members received distressing news from Sherman Carter Barnhart Architect Chris Jones, when he and Director of Operations Matt Ladd confirmed that there remain two serious issues with the new co-curricular building.
The turf lines were supposed to be in-lays, and not painted, while some of the paving and curbwork around the building has already shown some cracks due to failed installation of industrial, heavy-use materials.
Both of these items were correctly ordered in original draft plans, but Jones, Ladd and Lackey all confirmed this didn’t translate in the realized work.
Simply put, board member Clara Beth Hyde was furious.
A punch list for the CTC building, Ladd added, should be finished by the end of the year, alongside possible reimbursement for said mistakes.
— Speaking of the CTC building, Jones did present several renderings of what a new Trigg County Middle School and vo-tech facade will look like, pending educator and board approval. A new awning for TCMS, Jones said, would be a project for next summer, while CTC signage could come earlier.
— Ladd also noted that while the district still has new electric busses needing to arrive, the one currently in use is “beloved.” Air conditioned and efficient, he said its Gracey/Julien/Glenwood Mill Road route takes up 47% of its battery, and is easily charged. Cold weather and difficult terrain tests for the state-of-the-art ride may come at a later date.
— On Day 10 of her career at Trigg County, new Director of Pupil Personnel Laura James said that, as of now, the district is up eight students enrolled from this point last year, and that number may rise when Christian County Public Schools opens up next week.
— Also, in order to allow for consistency, board members unanimously approved for the Trigg County High School release be moved back from 3 PM to 2:55 PM, so parents and younger students no longer had to wait.
