Board Buzz

We provide this recap of our school board meetings as part of our commitment to providing timely updates for students, families, staff, and the community.

Deputy Superintendent Houston Barber and Middle Schools Chief Leadership Officer Bill Bradford updated the board on the first year's implementation of our district's "A New Way Forward" strategic plan (2022-27). Bradford noted the overall goal is to accelerate FCPS' status from a great to a world-class school district. "We do value the history of what has taken place, but we are pushing hard on having quality execution," Barber added.

• View the Strategic Plan Presentation
• Learn More about the Five Priorities

Bradford and Barber highlighted a few short-term goals and concrete accomplishments to illustrate how the plan is progressing. While the strategic priorities lay out the five-year objectives, the plan is a living document, which allows for growth and changes along the way. Moving forward, there will be monthly updates for the board. "You'll see the outcomes for years to come," Barber said.

Board Chair Tyler Murphy thanked everyone for all the hard work, calling it "energizing."

HR directors Lori Bowen and Shamiah Ford shared the latest on the district's Grow Your Own (GYO) initiative. They spoke first of the Aspiring Leaders Program (for classified hourly employees, for certified and classified salaried staff, and for principals) and the new teacher induction program. “The supportive mentorship program allows current employees to demonstrate their leadership while supporting new teachers to our district," Ford explained.

GYO also features partnerships with six universities with various certification options. Bowen noted this piece is unique to FCPS, adding, "This makes us a really attractive place to come work, so it's a recruitment and retention tool."

In addition, the district offers paid apprenticeships for high school students interested in the teaching profession and provides the Educators Rising curriculum for our classrooms. Also, HR will provide mentors for our students while they are in college and then give them priority interviews for education jobs in FCPS. "We believe our students hold the greatest promise for the future of public education," Bowen said.

• View the GYO Presentation
• Learn More about GYO

Board Chair Tyler Murphy thanked Bowen and Ford for the GYO efforts and expansion. "This helps elevate the teaching profession and underscores its impact," he said. "We look around and see the incredible talent we have among our educators, and those are the folks inspiring many of these kids pursuing this path. We need people who are passionate and invested in this field. It's truly important and valuable work."

• Chief Student Support Services Officer Dedeeh Newbern updated the board on the district's plan for Trauma Informed and Trauma Sensitive Schools, which is required by the Kentucky School-Safety & Resiliency Act.
• Executive Director of Budget and Financial Planning Ann Sampson-Grimes presented the 2024-25 Draft Budget, which is very preliminary. One concern is that education is declining as a state budget priority. The board will hold a retreat in late February to discuss the tentative budget.
• The board also received the Biannual Construction and Bonding Report. Those details are available as attachments in the night's agenda.

The public is welcome to attend planning sessions and action meetings in person at the John D. Price Administration Building, 450 Park Place. The monthly action meetings are also livestreamed on the FCPS YouTube channel and the district's Video on Demand service.

• Review: Skim the Jan. 8 agenda or listen to the audio recording of the planning session.
• Minutes: The official minutes are posted later, within the agenda of the next board meeting.
• Board Buzz: If you do not already receive our recap emails, you can sign up now.
• Online: You can also read each Buzz in the News feed on our district's homepage (FCPS.net).
• YouTube: Videos of the action meetings are archived in a YouTube playlist.

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