Knox, Corbin school boards have meetings this week over reciprocal agreement

This from the Times-Tribune:

The Knox County and Corbin school boards will meet this week to decide whether to appeal Education Commissioner Terry Holliday’s decision on the districts’ reciprocal agreements.

The Knox County Board of Education has called a special meeting for 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss in closed, executive session the possibility of litigation over the decision. District spokesperson David Cole said any decision to appeal or file suit would be made in open, public session.

The Corbin Board of Education’s regular Thursday meeting includes discussion of the nonresident decision which, according to the agenda, “may require an executive session in that litigation may be threatening and/or pending.”

Corbin had appealed to Holliday over Knox County’s January decision to end the reciprocal agreement, which allowed students to attend either district.

In his decision released Wednesday, Holliday determined that only students in Knox County currently attending Corbin schools will be allowed to continue their schooling at Corbin for the 2010-11 year. The decision only affects the upcoming school year, and requires the districts enter into mediation before Sept. 1, 2010 over the 2011-2012 non-resident agreement.

Either Corbin or Knox County can further appeal the decision to the Kentucky Board of Education.

“While it is true that the Commissioner’s decision requires a little longer timetable than we envisioned, we think the measures being required are actually very doable and will allow us, in the end, to obtain what is beneficial to our school district,” wrote Knox Superintendent Walter T. Hulett in a letter to district staff. The letter concludes, “The Commissioner recognized our district’s clearly articulated vision and effective practices that will move us forward with the newly passed Senate Bill 1.” ...