Week in Review

Another great week in Fayette County!  This week, I attended the Equity Council meeting, gave opening remarks at the Lexmark and United Way Breakfast to Lexmark leadership on ways to “Give 10” to make a difference in the life of a child, attended our District Leadership meeting, and held my Direct Report’s meeting at Northern Elementary School.

The Equity Council meeting featured a presentation by the LHS Student Voice Against Violence Team.  Students shared the impact of violence in our community and how educators can help students work through grief and trauma.  We also welcomed some of our talented educators from Puerto Rico who were recruited as part of our minority recruitment effort to diversify our talented teaching force.

During my remarks at Lexmark, I invited their leadership to “Give 10” by adopting an elementary school and implementing the R.E.A.L program to foster a community readers and learners.  Our District Leadership meeting focused on our on-going theme: Leadership In A Changing World…What Got You Here…Won’t Get You There…we must adopt a growth mindset.

While at Northern Elementary School, we had the opportunity to learn about the amazing learning experiences unfolding each and every day in our classrooms.  I met with students and was able to thank our child nutrition workers, teachers, and staff for the work they do each and every day!

Finally, I was contacted by local media for a comment regarding the State Budget Director’s memo about possible employer match increases for school districts and local government agencies.  Please find my comment below and pictures from this week’s  events.

“Across the Commonwealth, our elected officials, state educational leaders, education advocacy groups, local school district superintendents, county officials, teachers, education support professionals and county employees have voiced a commitment to working together to address the unfunded liabilities of the public pension system. Fayette County Public Schools looks forward to collaborating with all of those partners to develop and participate in a long-term solution that balances fiscal responsibility and employee interests with our primary responsibility of serving all students at high levels.

We appreciate the candor and transparency with which Governor Bevin and members of the General Assembly have approached this critical situation and are grateful to State Budget Director Chilton for highlighting the magnitude of the potential impact on school districts and local government agencies if no action is taken. His memo outlining a worst case scenario underscores the urgency with which we must move forward.

Clearly, a 50.47 percent employer match increase for school districts would be untenable. We have confidence in the collective leadership of the Commonwealth to come together and find a long term solution that will not divert critical resources from students at a time when we are working hard to close both the achievement and opportunity gaps.”