Board Buzz

We provide this recap of our monthly school board action meetings as part of our commitment to providing timely, clear, and accurate information to students, staff, families, and the community.

Review the Full Agenda

Miranda Scully, director of Family & Community Engagement, and Rose Santiago, director of the Multilingual and Gifted & Talented Department, explained how their initiatives are enhancing relationships with students' families and supporting our district's multilingual families. (Did you know: We have 95 spoken languages represented in FCPS.) "There's quite a bit going on, and it's incredible," said board Chairman Tyler Murphy, noting how our district reimagines its efforts based on feedback and needs.

• See the Engagement Presentation

Community Partner: FEED

Each action meeting now spotlights a community partner. For November, it was the nonprofit Fayette Eating, Education, & Delivery (FEED), which targets food insecurity by sending home weekend bags with students. The volunteer-run FEED works closely with our Family Resource Centers and Youth Services Centers to provide about 1,000 meals per week through our schools, and hopes to increase its capacity. "We are not doing this work alone, and it takes incredible partners like FEED," said board Chairman Tyler Murphy, thanking the group for its efforts.

• View the FEED Slideshow

Operations:

Myron Thompson, the district's chief operating officer, offered updates on construction of Mary E. Britton Middle School in the Hamburg area and renovation of the former Herald-Leader building for a new Career & Technical Education (CTE) center.

• Skim the Monthly Construction Updates

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Unity, Belonging, & Student Efficacy (UBSE):

Soraya Matthews introduced the 2023 Equity Champion Award recipient, Kayla Chambers-Reed of Lafayette High School (pictured in center), who is founder and artistic director of Lexington’s African American Ballet Troupe. "It has been such a great experience. We have been able to reach almost 300 kids," Kayla said after accepting the community honor. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in our community through the arts." About 18 months ago, as a 14-year-old dancer, Kayla started this group to open the world of ballet to traditionally underserved youth and to help increase diversity within ballet circles. She specifically reaches out to Black elementary students and those whose families cannot afford dance lessons. She and her friends teach ballet at no charge in after-school programs, summer programs at churches, and community centers. Kayla also instills self-confidence as she encourages the youngsters in performances.

Matthews had opened her report with a recap of this month's "If I Can, You Can" Boys of Color Summit for grades 6-12. Her staffer Murray Garvin, who coordinated the event, said it not only benefited some 150 participants but also empowered men in our community to share their stories. "Speaking as a former coach, I'll say it was a total team effort," Garvin said, citing the importance of students meeting roles models who look like them. "It's a great start, but there's more work to be done," he added.

• Watch the Summit Video

Among the consent items on the agenda, the board approved:

• A tool to help complete the superintendent's annual evaluation,
• Guidelines for school board committees,
• The fiscal year audit plan, and
• Year 2 of the Comprehensive District Improvement Plan. (See the CDIP Presentation)

  
  

Under action items, board members approved the monthly financial report.

The official minutes from the Nov. 27 action meeting will be posted within the agenda of the next meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education.

The school board's action meetings are livestreamed on the FCPS YouTube channel and the district's Video on Demand service. Meetings are then archived in our YouTube playlist.

• Watch the Nov. 27 Video

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