By Gage Wilson
For Glasgow News 1
The Barren County Board of Education reviewed improvements in student performance during Thursday’s meeting. They also approved four new school buses and an agreement for legal services related to social media litigation.
Barren County Schools Assistant Superintendent Michael Davis touted improvements in elementary reading and strong performance across the district while presenting results from Kentucky’s latest school accountability assessment.
“Our schools are celebrating, they’re celebrating but also looking for those areas of continuous improvement. The Kentucky accountability system looks at six state indicators that measure a school’s performance,” Davis said.
Kentucky uses a five-color rating system to evaluate school performance, ranging from red, the lowest, through orange, yellow and green, to blue, the highest. The ratings consider several measures of academic achievement and school quality, including test performance, school climate and safety, and, at the high school level, graduation rates and postsecondary readiness.
Superintendent Amy Irwin recognized Hiseville Elementary School for earning an overall blue rating, while also highlighting improvements at Park City Elementary and Barren County High School’s performance in postsecondary readiness.
“I don’t want to steal any thunder from Mr. Davis, but I did want to publicly give a shout out to Hiseville Elementary as a blue graded school, after all blue is the top percentile in the state,” Irwin said. “Park City had great growth and our high school is blue graded for post secondary readiness and I think that score and the graduation rate, it just really is a team effort from preschool to high school.”
Davis also reported that the district’s elementary reading indicator improved by 6.3 points, reflecting an increase in the state’s accountability measure rather than a direct percentage increase in students reading at grade level.
“We’re so excited to be able to report that tonight,” he said.
District officials also reported that student attendance has remained around 94-percent for the past two months, meeting the district’s attendance goal.
In other business, the board approved the purchase of four new school buses, including three 66-passenger buses and one 52-passenger bus.
The larger buses carry a quoted price of $180,214 each, while the smaller bus is priced at $189,895, bringing the combined quoted cost to $730,537.
The buses will be purchased under Kentucky’s state master contract, which allows school districts to purchase vehicles at prices established through a statewide competitive bidding process rather than negotiating individual contracts with manufacturers.
One of the four buses will be financed through the Kentucky Interlocal School Transportation Association, which allows districts to spread the cost of bus purchases over multiple years rather than paying the full amount upfront.
The board also approved an agreement for legal services related to potential litigation involving social media companies, an effort Irwin said other Kentucky school districts are considering joining.
“It would not only be on behalf of Barren County Schools, several Kentucky school districts in the GRREC region whose board meetings will happen this week and next are also likely choosing to join this effort,” Irwin explained. “This is to hold major social media companies accountable for a child’s mental health, the disruption to learning, the challenges created for schools, families and students.”
The decision comes amid legal challenges against social media companies over allegations that their platforms contribute to youth mental health problems and create additional burdens for schools. In eastern Kentucky earlier this year, Breathitt County Schools reached settlements totaling approximately $27 million with social media companies in federal litigation involving similar allegations.
“It’s really about stronger protections for students,” Irwin said. “We all know this is an issue that takes lots of collaboration and improvement…so, it is my recommendation that we join this effort, there is no cost to the Barren County Board of Education, so there is not a legal fee that we will have to pay or use any district funding for that.”
The board also approved several change orders related to the Barren County Area Technology Center addition, primarily involving adjustments to purchase orders between contractors and suppliers.
Key Facts:
• Barren County Board of Education met Thursday evening at the central office in Glasgow.
• Officials reported academic gains, including a blue rating for Hiseville Elementary.
• Elementary reading scores improved on Kentucky’s accountability measures.
• District attendance has stayed around 94% for the past two months.
• Board approved purchase of four new school buses totaling about $730,537.
• One bus will be financed through the Kentucky Interlocal School Transportation Association.
• Board approved an agreement for legal services tied to potential social media litigation.
• Superintendent Amy Irwin said the legal effort is aimed at stronger protections for students.
• Change orders for the Barren County Area Technology Center addition were also approved.
• North Jackson Elementary Principal Leah Pnewski led the meeting with recognitions of staff and students.
