Beech Tree News Network

The Butler County Board of Education met Tuesday night at the Green River Youth Development Center, taking care of bond sale issues to finance school improvements and hearing presentations on the Green River YDC, SACS Accreditation progress, and the Confucius Classroom.
 
The Butler County School District Finance Corporation met briefly before the Board of Education meeting to authorize a bond sale for September 16 to finance improvements to BCHS, BCMS, and MES.  During the Board of Education meeting, the Board approved a resolution to enter into a contract lease with the School District Finance Corporation to be able to use proceeds of the bond sale.
 
Ben Annis and Mack Clark of the Green River Youth Development Center welcomed the Board to the school.  Clark said that Green River is maxed at 40 students.  Annis talked about the computer lab with 10 computers; he said that four to five students have graduated that would not have were it not for resources the Board made available to the school.  Annis showed a video of Green River students making a “Dear Me” video letter to their younger selves similar to the Brad Paisley song “Letter To Me” with advice on how they could have avoided trouble that brought them to Green River.
 
Robert Tuck presented a progress report on SACS accreditation, referring to the 2012-2013 report and looking to the upcoming accreditation visit.  Tuck reviewed positives from the last report, including how instructional time was “fiercely protected” across all schools according to the report.  Opportunities for improvement included institutional fatigue on new initiatives and using results for continuous improvement, although Tuck now regards using results for improvement now as a strong point in the school system.  Tuck went over required actions from the last report and how the school district has been meeting them.
 
Donna Annis gave a report on the Confucius Classroom project, along with Mr. Lin of the Confucius Institute who teaches in the Butler County School System.  Annis went over what Lin has gone over with students, including Chinese culture, calligraphy, and Chinese greetings.  According to several people at the meeting, students seem to be enjoying the experience.  Annis reported that a grant for the Confucius Classroom has been obtained.  Both elementary schools have the Confucius Classroom for the first half of the year; it moves to BCMS and BCHS in the second half.
 
Superintendent Scott Howard told the Board that the district received news earlier in the day that North Butler Elementary School and Green River YDC were named honorable mention in the TELL Kentucky survey regarding teaching conditions, school safety, and student achievement.  Only 66 schools in Kentucky received honorable mention.  NBES and GRYDC will be considered along with the other 64 schools for the TELL Kentucky Winners Circle Award on September 22.  Ten schools will receive this award.  Howard expressed his pride in the two schools for making honorable mention.
 
In other business, the Board approved requests for a shortened school day for two BCMS special needs students and a shortened school day and week for two MES special needs students.  The Board approved the FY 16 working budget, FY 15 SBDM carryovers, the FY 16 substitute teacher handbook, FY 16 school nutrition indirect cost recovery, FY 16 school nutrition application, the FY 16 day treatment services contract with Ohio County, an FY 16 revised salary schedule, the Green River YDC FY 16 KECSAC memorandum of agreement and FY 16 budgets, and revised 310B and 310BM revised budgets.  The Board approved trip requests for the BCHS girls basketball team to attend the Ballard Memorial Tournament on December 21-23 and for the BCHS girls golf team to attend golf regionals in Hopkinsville on September 28-29.  The Board approved the BCHS Chamber Choir BBQ and Basket auction and FY 16 fundraisers for BCHS, BCMS, MES, and NBES.
 

Story by Don Thomason, Beech Tree News