Board hopes to leave SEEK intact

By SUSAN WHEELDON, CJ Staff Writer
Commonwealth Journal

December 20, 2008 09:24 pm

— Pulaski County Schools Superintendent Tim Eaton encouraged those at this month’s Pulaski County School Board meeting to let local legislatures know they agree with Governor Steve Beshear’s proposal to leave the SEEK formula intact.
Governor Beshear currently has a proposal in the face of the state budget crisis that would avoid cuts to the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) pro-gram. SEEK money is used to provide services for special needs students, utility cost and transportation cost.
According to Eaton, however, legislatures would have to embrace the proposal in the upcoming legislature session.
The superintendent said that previously those in Frankfort had asked that the 174 school districts in the state give a proposal on what a four percent cut would do to the districts.
“When the results went to Frankfort, it was devastating,” said Eaton of those findings.
Eaton said that 51 districts reported they would not be able to meet the two percent contingency that is required by the state, while 30 to 32 districts reported they would be in the red with the cuts.
“No one really knows what will happen (for the coming year),” said Eaton.
“I applaud the governor for looking at education as a priority,” he added.
Eaton said that if the SEEK formula is left the same and there isn’t a four percent cut, that would leave $1.5 million in the Pulaski County district, which would prove very valuable.
He added though that he believes there is a realization with the legislature that they’ve got to look at other ways of raising revenue to help the state’s budget shortfall.
“I encourage you (as board members) to voice your opinion,” said Eaton, “and I call on staff to also do that.
“We need to voice our support for (Beshear’s proposal),” added Eaton.
In other business:
• PRISM award recipients were Jeff Nash, administrator; Karen Cook, counselor at Southwestern High School; Jaclyn Richardson, teacher at Northern Middle School and Dana Etherington, teacher at Shopville Elementary.
• The board approved accepting the 2008 Financial Audit conducted by White and Associates, which a repres-entative of the company said was an “excellent” audit report.
• The court approved the working budget which would come to a total of $63817,110.36 for 2008-2009 as balanced. The budget would allow the general fund to have a 2 percent contingency.
• The board approved a custodial position for the Central Office East Annex building for four hours a day, 240 days of the year.
• There was approval by the board for the district to accept assistance in the 2009 Fiscal Year from the School Facilities Construction Commission for $80,712 to be used for technology.
• The board approved three-year contracts for non-resident students with Clinton, Lincoln, Casey, Wayne, McCreary, Rockcastle, Monticello, Russell and Laurel counties. Contracts with Somerset Independent allow 240 students and Science Hill Independent school allow for 172 students. Those contracts are for a one-year term.
• The board approved the revised BG-3 for the new Woodstock Elementary School project and the total construction cost will be $11,700,000 and the Grant Total Project Cost is $15,104,904.
• Keri Schelling from the Kentucky State School Board Association (KSBA) presented board member Betty Richards with a plaque of KSBA’s appreciation for her twenty years of school board service. Richards did not run for re-election in November’s election.
• Superintendent Eaton presented Richards and board member Allen Larkin with plaques of appreciation honoring them for their years of dedicated service to the students of Pulaski County Schools. Richards retired as a 30-year teacher then served as board member for 20 consecutive years. Larkin has served two terms on the board, one from 1997 to 2000 and then from April 2005 to the end of this year.