MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/4/11
Monday E-Mail combines several items into one communication:
- Survey on New Assessment & Accountability System Name
- School District’s Fiscal Year 2011 Financial Audit Contract (Attachment)
- Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge
- Kentucky Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses RFA (Cycle 3) Posted on KDE Website
- National Middle School Association’s 38th Annual Conference and Exhibit
- “Capture the Earth” photo contest
- Kids’ Chance Scholarships available
- International Reading Marathon
If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.
Items from KDE
Survey on New Assessment & Accountability System Name
After internal review by KDE staff, potential names for the new assessment and accountability system have been proposed. I’d like your input on these names, and we’ve developed a survey instrument for that purpose. Visit the URL below to take this short survey, which will be open through mid-April. The survey asks you to pick one of three potential names for the system and provides an option for you to suggest a name of your own choosing.
http://www.education.ky.gov/FormServ/?ID=Potential_Name_for_Kentucky's_Assessment_and_Accountability_System
School District’s Fiscal Year 2011 Financial Audit Contract (Attachment)
The State Committee for School District Audits has approved the attached Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Audit Contract. As a reminder, the FY 2010-2011 audit contracts are due to KDE’s Division of District Support on May 28th and districts are to submit to the Division of District Support the initial Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet by July 25th in accordance with KRS 157.060. The final Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet should be submitted to the Division of District Support upon completion of the audit. It is important that audit work be scheduled as efficiently as possible so that reports are submitted to the KDE in a timely manner. It is also important that the Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet be in agreement with the audit report.
The layouts of the audit contract and requirement documents have changed; however, the majority of the content is still the same. There have been some changes to the contract and these changes are noted in red type within the attached Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Audit Contract, along with the following highlights:
Two (2) original signed Audit Contracts and Audit Acceptance Statements are due to KDE by close of business on May, 28, 2011.
On-behalf payments should be coded accurately in the MUNIS accounting system so they are properly displayed in the audit report and fully disclosed in the notes of the financial statements. The on-behalf payment amounts need to be included in the unaudited Annual Financial Report (AFR) that is due to KDE by July 25, 2011 and the audited AFR that is due to KDE by November 15, 2011. The following KDE web page link may be used by districts to record on behalf payments on a monthly basis.
http://www.education.ky.gov/kde/administrative+resources/finance+and+funding/school+finance/financial+information/on+behalf+payments.htm
Audit reports are due to the Division of District Support, Kentucky Department of Education, by close of business on November 15, 2011. If the audit cannot be completed by the deadline, the auditor shall submit an Audit Extension Request form, fully completed by both auditor and the district, to KDE by October 1, 2011. The form is provided in Appendix III.
4. The School District shall submit the Statement of Certification to ensure all audit adjustments have been entered into MUNIS and an Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet are in agreement with the audit report that will be transferred to KDE.
5. The following reminders are included in the contract to assist the auditor:
· In Independent Auditor’s Contract, Section V., A. SUPPLEMENT AGREEMENTS was revised to reiterate that the scope of the audit may be increased or decreased by written supplemental agreement of the BOARD and ACCOUNTANT if the reasons for the increase or decrease have first been reported in writing by the ACCOUNTANT to the COMMITTEE. The audit fee may be adjusted for the increase or decrease in the scope of the audit in accordance with Section IV.C. COMPENSATION.
· In Appendix I, General Audit Requirement, number 21 was added last year and has been added this year to remind the auditor of the fund balance reporting requirements of GASB 54.
· In Appendix III, State Audit Requirements, number 11. Z. Specific State Statute and Regulation Compliance Items has been expanded to remind the auditor of the sick leave reporting requirements.
If you have questions regarding the contract, please contact Jeff Coulter, Kem Delaney-Ellis or Ken Smith, at 502-564-3846 or via email at Jeff.Coulter@education.ky.gov, Kem.Delaney-Ellis@education.ky.gov or Ken.Smith@education.ky.gov.
Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge
Today is the deadline for submission of the Commonwealth Commitment to College and Career Readiness pledge. Many thanks to the 173 school boards and superintendents who have joined our university presidents in signing the Commonwealth Commitment to College and Career Readiness. The newest district to send in its pledge was McLean County.
Kentucky Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses RFA (Cycle 3) Posted on KDE Website
The Kentucky Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses (Cycle 3) RFA has been posted on the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) website.
KDE has received approximately $12.98 million in funding for project proposals from school districts to purchase approximately 213 diesel/electric hybrid school buses. The grant is to achieve maximum dispersal of school buses across the Commonwealth to test the practicality of hybrid technology in all geographic regions and pupil densities as this technology applies to Kentucky. Projects funded through this grant will assist in documenting the effectiveness of this technology for increasing fuel economy without increasing down time for maintenance.
To access the website, click on the link below:
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Grant+Information/Competitive+Grants+from+KDE/
The deadline to submit an application is 4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.
Questions regarding the Kentucky Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses RFA can be directed to Leah Settle in KDE’s Procurement Branch at the following email address: Leah.Settle@education.ky.gov. The deadline to submit questions is 12:00 noon (EDT) on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.
Items from Outside Agencies
National Middle School Association’s 38th Annual Conference and Exhibit
Kentucky will host the National Middle School Association’s (NMSA) 38th Annual Conference and Exhibit in Louisville, November 10-12, 2011. This is an opportunity for middle grades educators (grades 4-9) in Kentucky to obtain in-depth professional development specifically related to the academic and developmental needs of young adolescent learners.
The 2011 NMSA conference will be held at the Kentucky Convention Center and will feature 400 sessions in more than 59 topics ranging from achievement to urban issues. Keynote speakers include Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Actor/Child Advocate Henry Winkler.
Please share this announcement with those administrators and teachers for whom this conference would be appropriate.
For more information on this conference, go to www.nmsa.org/annual or call 1-800-528-NMSA.
“Capture the Earth” photo contest
To celebrate Earth Day, April 22, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet invites student photographers in middle school (grades 6-8) to submit an original photograph for the first “Capture the Earth” environmental photo contest.
The winner will receive two nights’ lodging at any Kentucky State Resort Park with his or her family.
Judges will look for originality and creativity, photo composition, and how well your photo represents the Earth Day theme: Playground Earth: Get Outside, Kentucky!
To enter, send photos by e-mail to Kidsphotocontest@ky.gov. Photos must be in jpeg format, and file size may not exceed 5 MB. The subject line of the e-mail should read “Student Earth Day Photo Contest.”
Students should include the following information in the body of the e-mail:
name, age and grade
parent or guardian’s e-mail address and phone number
name of school and the county where it is located
where and when the photo was taken
a paragraph explaining the photo and why it represents Kentucky’s Earth Day theme of Playground Earth: Get Outside, Kentucky!
The deadline for submission is 4:30 p.m. ET May 9. All entries will be judged by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet communications staff, based on the following criteria:
Creativity & Originality (50 percent)
Photo Composition (25 percent)
Appropriateness to Contest Theme (25 percent)
For more information, contact Ricki Gardenhire at Ricki.Gardenhire@ky.gov or (502) 564-5525.
Kids’ Chance Scholarships available
Kids’ Chance of Kentucky, a tax exempt charitable organization, is devoted to providing scholarships to children of Kentucky workers who have been killed or suffered catastrophic injuries in work-related accidents.
Scholarship awards vary, but many are for $1,500 per semester and are renewable for as long as a student makes progress toward his or her degree. Scholarships may be used to cover tuition and books as well as housing and meals. The scholarships are awarded at the Governor’s Kentucky Safety & Health Network Annual Convention in May.
Eligible recipients are those students whose parent was seriously, catastrophically or fatally injured in an employment-related accident and who are Kentucky residents between the ages of 16 and 25. The parent's death or injury must have resulted in a substantial decline in the family income.
The application deadline for the fall semester is April 15. Visit http://www.kidschanceky.org/ for an application and more information, or contact Gary Davis, Kids’ Chance of Kentucky, (859) 219-0194 or gdavis5@windstream.net.
International Reading Marathon
Mexico’s Board of Education, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico invite elementary and middle schools to participate in an International Reading Marathon. The event is being done to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day and will be held on April 13.
The goal is to raise public awareness of the importance of reading and to create the proper environment to enjoy reading.
Registration is open until April 11. Interested schools should send the following information to readingmarathoncsp@gmail.com:
name of the school
grade level (elementary or middle school)
name of the principal
country, state and city
number of groups and students participating
Names of all participating schools will appear on the online UNESCO news. Information for all schools participating will be posted at http://readingmarathon.blogspot.com.
For more information, visit http://readingmarathon.blogspot.com/ or contact Ruth Nora Rodriguez at rutgaytan@gmail.com or Mariana García at missmarianagarcia@gmail.com.