Beech Tree News Network

The Butler County Board of Education held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 14, in the Butler County Middle School library.  All board members were in attendance.

District Finance Officer, Eric Elms, presented the financial report for October.  The beginning balance was $1,439,975.06.  The end-of-the-month balance was $905,443.54.
Superintendent Scott Howard gave his monthly report. He told the board about the following meetings he has attended: Bowling Green Chamber Meeting, Transportation Employee Meeting, KSBA Regional Meeting, KDE Facilities Meeting, Morgantown Elementary Meeting, Trane Meeting, GRREC Board of Directors’ Meeting, North Butler Elementary Meeting, SOKY Jobs Meeting, Annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner and Awards Banquet, Delta Faucet Meeting, and Royal Crown Cola Meeting.  Howard told the board the district-wide SACS accreditation process was going well, and the team was scheduled to be in the schools November 13-15.  He also reminded everyone that schools would be closed November 23-25 for Thanksgiving break.

Butler County High School Principal Michael Gruber presented his school’s test scores to the board and explained their future plans. With the release of the state's accountability scores, Butler County High School saw an overall mix of scores.  One of the highlights for BCHS was seeing the school's achievement gap score improve from 25.5 to 41.  Principal Michael Gruber stated, "I am very proud of the efforts made by our faculty and the progress that was made in closing our achievement gap." Additionally, ACT composite scores at the high school also saw an increase this past year.  Gruber reported that in years past, the scores have been somewhat flat; however, last year the scores increased from 17.5 to 19.2, which was just below the state average of 20.  Even with this progress, Mr. Gruber pointed out there is still plenty of work to do.  "We strive to continue to improve our graduation rate and appreciate the help our Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Robert Tuck, provides in helping us to prevent students from dropping out."  Another area the school continues to focus on is improving the number of students who are college or career ready.  BCHS wants to ensure that all students are prepared to make a smooth transition into the real world after they graduate. CLICK HERE FOR BCHS PRESENTATION Board Presentation 2017.pdf

Butler County Middle School Principal Tim Freeman presented his school’s test scores and talked about some of the initiatives the middle school faculty and staff are implementing.  Freeman said, “I am so proud of our students and staff. We are so much more than a test number.  Our overall achievement was at 63.5 and even though that is a couple of points lower than last year, we really made tremendous gains with novice reduction and our GAP population in the tested areas of Reading, Writing, and Language Mechanics.  Because of these gains and using the 2016 calculator, Butler County Middle School would be right on the proficient line.  Butler County Middle School would like to thank our board members and Board of Education for their continued support.  In our school, we work hard on not only academics, but we also work on our students’ work ethic, organizational skills, coping skills, and real world situations.  We not only want to prepare our students for the academic world, but for the career world as well.  As always if you have any questions or feedback to help better our students please contact the school.”
CLICK HERE FOR BCMS PRESENTATION Butler Co Middle.pptx_.pdf

The board approved the following:

·       BCHS Yearbook Trip Request to Visit Opryland Hotel and Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 8th, 2017

·       BCMS Band Trip Request to Attend the MSU Quad State Middle School Band Festival at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, on November 20th, 2017

·       BCMS Band Trip Request to Attend the EKU Honors Band Clinic at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky, on December 2nd, 2017

·       Gifted/Talented Overnight Trip Request to Attend the Kentucky Youth Assembly in Louisville and Frankfort, Kentucky, on December 3rd – 5th, 2017

·       Indoor Multi-Purpose Athletic Facility Guidelines and Procedures CLICK HERE FOR GUIDELINES BCHS Indoor Facility Contract Guidelines rev.docx

·       Members of the Calendar Committee for FY 19