Districts officially may delay this month’s testing into late May

This from KSBA:

State board of ed acts

after plan given green light by feds

With an official OK from the U.S. Department of Education, the Kentucky Board of Education Tuesday formally expanded this year’s state assessment testing window to allow districts to get in more instructional days and make up for time lost due to weather and flu-related closings.

The state board unanimously approved giving all school districts a choice of four testing windows: April 19-30, April 26-May 7, May 3-14 or May 10-21. According to
Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Larry Stinson, all districts may choose to delay testing from the original testing start next week, regardless of
whether they have lost days this year...

State says No Mid-Year Budget Cuts

If the state wanted to allay fears of a rumored mid-year budget cut taking the words "for now" out of the message would help. Leaving the possibility open does little to build confidence. But given the larger fiscal picture in Amereica right now...who can say anything with certainty?

But it's only a rumor - right up to the point where it isn't a rumor any more.

Between now and March when the final SEEK calculations are determined there is certain to be uncertainty.

This from Brad Hughes at KSBA:

Rumors about mid-year SEEK cut just that for now - rumors

Press reports that some school officials are worried about a possible mid-year reduction in SEEK funding are puzzling the Kentucky Department of Education’s top budget manager.

“We don’t know any basis for that rumor that’s there. I’ve asked our folks and no one has communicated that to anyone,” said Dr. Larry Stinson, associate commissioner of the department’s Office of District Support Services.

“Often, people go to a meeting and someone offers, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a shortfall. The economy’s down, state revenues are going to be down, and they are probably going to cut it.’ Folks take that to be reality or an informed opinion, and they’re going with it,” he said.

At least for the time being, the official word from Frankfort runs to the contrary. State Budget Director Mary Lassiter last week told legislators that state revenues were up in August. And in a meeting with Gov. Beshear’s budget staff that same week, “nothing was mentioned at all about there being any concerns (about SEEK),” Stinson said....

Johnson to stay on with Mercer

This from the Advocate-Messenger, photo by Charlie Cox:

Tentative budget approved

HARRODSBURG - Bruce Johnson has decided to stay on board as the head of Mercer County schools. He made his plans clear at the end of Thursday night’s special meeting of the Mercer County Board of Education, during which the long-awaited approval of the 2008-09 tentative budget also took place.

The two events would seem to provide temporary bookends for what has been a seemingly endless saga of Mercer’s fiscal problems.

Thursday’s meeting was in sharp contrast to the one on Tuesday that offered a two-and-half hour executive session and no comment or resolution of Johnson’s status or the budget...

...All eyes were on Johnson as he entered the room at Thursday’s meeting, and Chairperson Glynda Short called the meeting to order, acknowledging the sizable crowd in attendance.

She introduced two guests, Larry G. Stinson, associate commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education and Brad Hughes of the Kentucky School Boards Association. Both men addressed the crowd and stayed after the meeting to speak with those who had questions.

Since the board has asked the Department of Education to conduct a full review of the system, Stinson said he was on-hand to explain what exactly will be looked at. According to Stinson, agents will inspect all of the financial records, attendance records, personnel records, audit reports, and examine operations not only of the current Mercer County system but of the two former school districts as well from two years before the merger...