School enrollment up in Laurel District

Aug. 30—The 2023-2024 academic year has gotten off to a great start for the Laurel County School District, with enrollment exceeding last year's numbers.

Interim Superintendent Denise Griebel said that enrollment is 8,788 students, including preschool children who began their new year on August 23.

"We have 23 Pre-K classes among our 11 elementary schools and enrollment for preschoolers is around 400," she added. "I also want to note that our percent of attendance is higher to date than last year. We've been monitoring our attendance closely."

Also recognized were four principals who attended the Truist Leadership Institute training. Those were Dr. Jeremy Kidd from South Laurel High School, Center for Innovation Director Kate Ray, Wyan Pine Grove Elementary Principal Brent Collins and former Sublimity Elementary Principal Kristina Thomas. Thomas has now taken the position as Director of Accountability and Elementary Education.

Kidd said the training had helped him evaluate his own leadership skills and share ideas with other educators participating in the training.

"My personal experience with this is to reflect on my role as a leader," he said. "It helped me find my leadership purpose. And that is still on my desk to this day."

Ray said she was still involved in the training. She said she is the "lead learner" in her facility. Her purpose in leadership is defined as Emphathy, Humility and Vulnerability and to serve as an example to staff and students. Collins said his gains from the program was efficacy, which is the belief in oneself. He said his focus is for teachers to realize how they impact the students.

"My biggest take away from this was the always empower the people you work with," he said. "Teach them to be lifelong learners and they will impact the students."

Thomas said she's been in education "all my life" and the training was the best she had ever attended.

"Leaders and CEOs from all kinds of businesses attend this," she said. "It taught me how to an effective leader of all personality types and how to blend those into a team."

The search for a superintendent for the school district was also a topic on Monday's agenda. Board Vice Chair Ed Jones sat in for Board Chair Joe Karr, who was not present for the meeting, and asked for approval to hire the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) as a facilitator for the Superintendent search. That was approved.

Board members also addressed the issue of appointing a board member to the Superintendent Screening Committee. Jones said Karr had nominated himself for that role, with other board members approving that action.

In other actions, board members approved:

—Creating a Title I teacher for Hazel Green Elementary

—Re-creating a School Resource Officer (SRO) for the District

—Contract between Musical Theatre International (MTI) and North Laurel High School

—Participation of South Laurel High School in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 11's "Paint the Plow"

—Service agreement with Tim Nelson for Orientation and Mobility Services for students who are visually impaired

—Agreement with Appalachian Educational Service Agency and Gear UP for 2023-2024 school year

—Teaching Strategies LLC Creative Curriculum renewal for preschool with one year Cloud access

—AOPA Foundation Inc. High School Aviation STEM Curriculum agreement with CFI

—Part-time contract for School-Wide Counselor with Individual Intellectual Assessment Endorsement.