MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 10/24/11
The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:
· Webcast Links for the Oct. 19 Superintendents’ and Advisory Council Webcasts on the ESEA Waiver Request and the Resulting Q & A Document (Attachments)
· Audited Annual Financial Reports (AFR’s) Submission
· USED Notification of Revised Title I, Part A Allocation (Attachments)
· Improving Schools and Districts Productivity Conference – November 10, 2011 (Attachment)
· Monthly TweetFEST for Teachers and Administrators
· Next-Generation Student Council
· Nomination period open for Grissom, Kelly awards
- Step Up for Kids in Western Kentucky
- Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention PSA Contest
- “Letters About Literature” call for student entries (Attachment)
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (Attachments)
If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.
Items from KDE
Webcast Links for the Oct. 19 Superintendents’ and Advisory Council Webcasts on the ESEA Waiver Request and the Resulting Q & A Document (Attachments)
If you were unable to tune in to either the Oct. 19 superintendents’ webcast or the advisory council webcast that focused on the ESEA wavier request, the links to the recording of both broadcasts are found below and the PowerPoint that was used is attached.
Superintendents’ webcast: Video link: mms://video1.education.ky.gov/On-Demand2011/Super_10-19-2011.wmv
Advisory Council webcast: Video link: mms://video1.education.ky.gov/On-Demand2011/NCLB_10-19-2011.wmv
Also, a Question and Answer Document has been prepared from both webcasts and is attached for your review. We hope this is helpful.
Audited Annual Financial Reports (AFR’s) Submission
The audited Annual Financial Reports (AFR’s) are due at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) by November 15, 2011. The audited AFR will be submitted via the web, the same as last year. This application will only be open for a limited time starting on November 1, 2011 through November 15, 2011 and will only allow one submission from each district. The link for submitting the AFRs is http://odss.education.ky.gov/webforms.
The Annual Financial Report (STW-GL-2) MUNIS guide contains instructions on how to generate the AFR and Balance Sheet files for the 2011 fiscal year. The Audited AFR and Balance Sheet Guide consists of the lists of possible errors and notes that are included in our application’s submission process. All errors need to be corrected by the district in order for the AFR and Balance Sheet files to successfully upload to KDE. Any errors that occur will be identified and noted for the districts during the web submission process. These guides are located at the link below:
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Finance+and+Funding/School+Finance/MUNIS/User+Guides/Budget+General+Ledger/AFR+Statewide+Budget+General+Ledger+Reports.htm
Also, districts must submit the original signed Statement of Certification by November 15, 2011 to KDE. This statement certifies that all audit adjustments have been entered into MUNIS and the Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet submitted to KDE are in agreement with the audit report.
If you have any questions related to the audited AFR, please send an e-mail to: finance.reports@education.ky.gov. The subject line should read Audited AFR and we will ensure that you get a response within 24 hours.
For more information, please contact Kay Kennedy at kay.kennedy@education.ky.gov .
USED Notification of Revised Title I, Part A allocation (Attachments)
In the attached e-mail dated October 6, the United States Department of Education (USED) notified the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) that the state’s Title I, Part A allocation for school year (SY) 2011-2012 had been reduced by $2,564,274 and instructed the KDE to revise district allocations based on this reduction. In the letter, the USED gave the KDE two options for revising district allocations: 1) to immediately revise SY 2011-2012 allocations or 2) to apply the reductions to each district’s SY 2012-2013 allocation.
However, after further consideration of the attached October 17 clarifying e-mail, the USED instructed the KDE to revise each district’s Title I, Part A allocation for the current school year (SY 2011-2012). Therefore, please find attached revised award notifications for Title I, Part A based on the USED’s new calculations.
For reporting purposes, Title I, Part A district coordinators are required to revise the 2011-2012 Ranking Report to match the allocation changes and to submit these revisions for approval. Please submit revised Ranking Reports to title1reports@education.ky.gov for approval by your Title I consultant. Revised Ranking Reports should be submitted by November 15, 2011.
Improving Schools and Districts Productivity Conference – November 10, 2011 (Attachment)
Attached for your information, is the agenda for the Kentucky Improving Schools and Districts Productivity Conference on November 10 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.
For more information, please contact David Cook at david.cook@education.ky.gov .
Monthly TweetFEST for teachers and administrators
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will begin hosting a monthly TweetFEST to invite teachers and administrators to share resources they’re using to teach the new Kentucky Core Academic Standards (KCAS) in the 2011-12 school year.
The first TweetFEST will be Tuesday, Oct. 25, and each subsequent TweetFEST will be on the fourth Tuesday of each month during the 2011-12 school year (except in December).
KDE encourages teachers and administrators who use Twitter to tweet links to resources they are using to implement the KCAS in the classroom at any time on Oct. 25 and add the #teachkcas hashtag to each tweet.
Not a Twitter user? You can sign up for a free account at www.twitter.com. School districts and individual schools who have a Twitter account also are welcome to tweet resources during the TweetFEST.
KDE uses the KDE Twitter feed to share information and converse with the education community and the residents of Kentucky. If you have a question about the TweetFEST, please contact Stephanie Siria via e-mail at stephanie.siria@education.ky.gov.
Next-Generation Student Council
In order to gain valuable feedback from Kentucky students and to engage student leaders in learning by doing, Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday has created the Next-Generation Student Council. This group will meet with the commissioner and Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff, both in person and virtually, to discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Kentucky and provide feedback - from a student perspective - on critical issues impacting Kentucky students and schools.
The Next-Generation Student Council is a year-long program for Kentucky public school students in grades 10-12. The council seeks students with refreshing ideas and thoughtful insight into how we can further improve our schools and student achievement. As such, we encourage students to apply who represent the diverse academic, geographic, demographic and school-size variables particular to our state.
The application and FAQs for the council are now on the KDE website under the Commissioner of Education’s page (Advisory Groups) for students to complete and return to KDE via fax, mail or e-mail. KDE encourages you to publicize this student opportunity within your district’s high schools and alternative schools, and other appropriate channels such as school-based decision making councils, existing high school student councils, school PTAs, school and/or district newsletters and staff meetings at the district and school levels.
Any questions concerning the council or the application process can be directed to Stephanie Siria by phone at (502) 564-4201, ext. 4817 or via e-mail to stephanie.siria@education.ky.gov. We appreciate your help in spreading the word about this new initiative. Commissioner Holliday looks forward to getting to know this inaugural council and using the time together to generate results-oriented dialogue and solutions.
Nomination period open for Grissom, Kelly awards
The Kentucky Board of Education is accepting nominations for the Dr. Johnnie Grissom Award, which honors a Kentuckian or a Kentucky organization for outstanding dedication to improving student achievement and for closing the achievement gap; and for the Joseph W. Kelly Award, which honors a businessperson who has offered outstanding leadership and service toward promoting school improvement and equity of educational opportunity for all Kentucky children.
The deadline for nominations for both awards is November 14. Click on the links for details and nomination forms for both the Grissom Award and Kelly Award.
Items from Outside Agencies
Step Up for Kids in Western Kentucky
Advocates, policymakers, community leaders, and others who care about children will gather for the Western Kentucky Step Up for Kids Regional Conference on November 9, 2011, to discuss the issues currently facing Kentucky’s kids and families, to learn about the solutions presented in the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children Agenda, and find out how to raise their voices in their community and Frankfort in order to make positive changes.
The conference will include a presentation on the state of the state’s kids by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, a series of fast and fun presentations on the policy solutions listed in the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda, a legislative panel with a number of Western Kentucky’s state legislators, and an advocacy roundtable for attendees to talk about how to make a difference for kids during the 2012 General Assembly.
What: Western Kentucky Step Up for Kids Regional Conference
Hosted by West Kentucky Children’s Health Coalition and Purchase Area Health Education Center
When: November 9, 2011
9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CT
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. CT
Where: Murray, KY
Murray State University
Curris Center, Stables Meeting Room
Cost: Free
Register for the Western Kentucky Step Up for Kids Regional Conference here.
Help spread the word about the Western Kentucky Step Up for Kids Regional Conference, and the other four regional conferences happening in Louisville, Lexington, Eastern Kentucky, and Northern Kentucky by sharing the flyer (pdf). Questions? Contact Whitney Neal at wneal@kyyouth.org or 502-895-8167 x 121.
Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention PSA Contest
The second annual Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention PSA contest, sponsored by the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, is part of the Keep Kentucky Kids Safe statewide public awareness and education initiative.
High school students are invited to produce a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) about the perils of prescription drug abuse. The first-place winner will receive an Apple iPad donated by the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI), and the runner-up will receive a $100 Amazon.com gift card, courtesy of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association.
The winning PSAs also will be featured on the Office of the Attorney General’s website at http://ag.ky.gov.
The deadline for submitting a video is Dec. 2, and winners will be announced on Dec. 14. Students may submit a PSA for consideration by visiting the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention page at http://ag.ky.gov/rxabuse.
“Letters About Literature” call for student entries (Attachment)
Letters About Literature (LAL), a national reading and writing promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, invites young readers in grades 4-12 to enter this year’s LAL letter-writing competition. The contest challenges young readers to write a personal letter of reflection to an author explaining how that author’s work somehow changed the readers’ view of their world.
LAL awards prizes on both the state and national levels in three competition levels: Level 1 for children in grades 4-6; Level 2 for children in grades 7-8; and Level 3 for children in grades 9-12. Six national winners will each receive cash awards and earn the opportunity to nominate a school or community library to receive a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion grant. Twelve national honor winners will likewise receive cash awards and also nominate a school or community library to receive a $1,000 LAL Reading Promotion grant.
Teachers, librarians and parents can download free teaching materials on LAL’s reader response and reflective writing program, including lesson plans, assessment checklists and student writing samples by visiting the LAL website: www.lettersaboutliterature.org. Submissions must be postmarked by January 6, 2012. State winners will be notified in April 2012 and national winners by May 2012.
For more details, see the attachment or contact National Project Director Catherine Gourley at (570) 262-7320 or programdirector@lettersaboutliterature.org.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (Attachments)
Kentucky’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) begins November 7 and provides financial assistance toward utility bills or the purchase of bulk heating sources such as propane, kerosene, wood, coal and other fuels.
Schools can help spread the word about LIHEAP by sharing information in parent newsletters, “backpack” messages and through other means.
Please see the attachments for eligibility guidelines and locations at which to apply.
For more information, contact Kate Haydon at Community Action Kentucky, (502) 875-5863, ext. 37, or kate@capky.org.