RICHARDS SUSPENDED W/O PAY AT LCHS

14 staff members resign county-wide

300 Participating in Summer Feeding Program; District Commits to Process Improvement Planning Areas of Focus

LOUISA – At the June meeting of the Lawrence County Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Robbie Fletcher updated the members on several items of interest during the communication segment of the agenda, including a wide ranging summer feeding program and areas of focus for improvement in the future.

“The summer feeding program is going full swing at various locations,” Fletcher said, “We are serving over 300 kids and we have automated phone calls going out to households to let them know about lunches being served to kids 18 and under in their areas.” 

Locations being served by the summer lunch program include: Louisa East Elementary, Blaine School and Fallsburg School on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Louisa Public Library on Monday through Friday, the Bookmobile, Cherryville Church on Mondays and Wednesdays, Webbville Fire Department on Tuesdays, Blaine Fire Department on Thursdays, Unity Baptist Church on Mondays, the Community Center at Blaine on Wednesdays, Webb Chapel and Bradley Gap Church on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Fletcher also updated the Board on the selection of focus areas for the Process Improvement and Performance Excellence (PIPE). The areas chosen were: Transportation, Energy Efficiency, Strategic Planning and On-Boarding of new hires.

Fletcher told the members that transportation had already been focusing on redesigning bus routes for maximum efficiency through studies done by Transportation Director Rick Blackburn and that the process would look at reducing energy expenditures even though plans implemented previously had already addressed conservation measures and drastically cut energy costs.

Areas such as strategic planning and the process of getting employment candidates would be streamlined to get as much of the system online and off of paper.

“This really will help us get up to date on hiring processes and remove a lot of the time consuming factors to get us where we need to be,” Board Chairman Heath Preston said. 

Dr. Fletcher also recognized the hiring of Stuart Cook as assistant principal at Lawrence County High School and noted that his assuming of those duties leaves a vacancy in the principal position at Fallsburg. 

“We do have to start the principal search process again at Fallsburg.,” Fletcher said. “We will have our first meeting to set timelines, etc. shortly after the 4th of July holiday.  I am happy for Mr. Cook, but we will need to find another good leader for the students of Fallsburg.”  Cook took over at Fallsburg at the beginning of the 2015-16 school year.

Fletcher was able to name Cook as assistant LCHS principal because of the absence of a Site Based Decision Making Committee at LCHS which is a result of the SIG grant six years ago. That grant ordered the dismantling of the SDDM committee and gave the siperintendent all the power to hire and fire at the high school. State officials have not said when the SBDM committee will have to be resumed at the county’s only high school

The Board also honored former Lawrence County Schools’ employee Agnes Lee Conley Lyon, who passed away recently. Mrs. Lyon taught special education in Lawrence County for many years 

Superintendent’s Personnel Action/Update

June 20, 2016

Hiring

Rebecca Green- Teacher at Lawrence County High School

Recalled

Jennifer Smith- Teacher at Louisa Middle School

Amanda Elliott- Teacher at Louisa West Elementary School

Change of Position

Stuart Cook- From Principal at Fallsburg Elementary School to Assistant Principal at Lawrence County High School (effective July 1, 2016)

Pamela Howell- From School Secretary at Fallsburg Elementary School to Payroll Clerk I – District Office (effective July 1, 2016)

Suspension without Pay 

William Richards – Teacher at Lawrence County High School. Dr. Fletcher has no comment on the situation at this time.   

Resignations

Jessica DeLong- Teacher at Lawrence County High School (effective June 30, 2016)

Meagan Horney- Teacher at Lawrence County High School (effective June 30, 2016)

Nikki Nelson- Teacher at Louisa Middle School

Donna J. West- Teacher at Louisa Middle School (effective July 1, 2016)

Emma Jean Maynard- Teacher at Louisa East Elementary School

Loretta McKenzie- Teacher at Louisa West Elementary School (effective June 24, 2016)

Laura Compton- Teacher at Louisa West Elementary School

Erin Evans- LBD Teacher at Louisa East Elementary School

Sarah Perotti- LBD Teacher at Louisa West Elementary School

Caroline Heston- Preschool Teacher at Blaine Elementary School

Shawna Jenks- Payroll Clerk I – District Office

Alicia Conley- Instructional Assistant at Blaine Elementary School (effective June 30, 2016)

Sarah Roe- Instructional Assistant at Fallsburg Elementary School

Jonathan Hall- Bus Driver

Re: Request to the Lawrence County Board of Education for Abolishment and Creation regarding Positions

Request the following position be abolished:

• (1) LBD/FMD Teacher at Lawrence County High School (1-Year)

Request the following positions be created:

• (1) LBD Teacher at Lawrence County High School
• (1) FMD Teacher at Lawrence County High School
• (1) Teacher at Louisa East Elementary School (1-Year; if necessary due to approval of agreement with Morehead State University for current teacher to serve as National Board Certified Teacher-in-Residence from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017)