Welcome and Thanks

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Welcome and Thanks

• Thanks to Prichard Committee, Commerce Lexington,
  Legislators, Community Members
• Thanks to FCPS Board Members and Staff

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Purpose for Tonight

• Share our progress
• Outline Successes, Accomplishments, Challenges,
  and Needs

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Our District

• 33,000 students (second largest in Kentucky)
• 54 schools
• Approximately 40 of students live in poverty
• 33.6 minority children
• 37 different languages spoken with 1663 ESL
  students (growing at about 200 per year)
• 270 Million dollar budget
• More than 70 of our teachers hold advance degrees

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Academics

• Academically, the district has its success
  stories and its challenges
• As you know, we have been in a period of
  leadership transition for sometime, and
  leadership is key in ensuring academic success
  district wide
• However, our board, teachers, staff, and
  principals have continued to work hard through
  these changes

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Markers of Success From This Years Testing
Results

• 9 point gain in math scores at the elementary
  level
• 4 elementary schools ranked among the top 30 in
  the state, 6 in the top 100 (out of nearly 800
  schools) Veterans Park is number 4, Maxwell is
  number 12, SCAPA 24, and Rosa Parks is number 26.
• 7 point gain in science scores at the middle
  school level.
• 6 middle schools ranked in the top 100 across the
  state, out of nearly 350, Morton and Beaumont
  Middle schools are in the top 20 in the state
  with SCAPA in the top 25
• 10 point gain in social studies scores at the
  high school level
• 4 high schools ranked among the top 50 in the
  state (out of 240 schools), and ranked 5th in the
  state among county school districts. Dunbar,
  Henry Clay and Lafayette High Schools are in the
  top 21 in the state

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Other Highlights

• Elementary writing scores have increased 12
  points between 1999 and 2004
• Middle School writing scores have climbed more
  than 10 points between 1999 and 2004 and High
  School writing scores increased 9 points during
  this same period
• Arts and Humanities scores have risen 13 points
  since 1999

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Outscoring State and National On College Entrance
Tests

• FCPS students consistently score higher on
  college entrance tests than both the state and
  national averages
• SAT scores rose from 1,120 in 1999 to 1,142 in
  2004 as you will see on the next chart

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ACT Scores Above State and National Averages

• The same holds true for ACT scores. FCPS
  students are scoring higher than the state and
  national averages
• This year our students scored an average of 21.8
  on the ACT college entrance exam

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Academic Challenges

• While our CATS and CTBS indices were at an
  all-time high and our college entrance scores are
  above state and national averages, we have a lot
  of work to do
• We continue to have achievement gaps and we are
  still struggling in certain content areas

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Academic Challenges Contd.

• One of our biggest challenges is in the area of
  writing and this has become an area of focus for
  teacher training and efforts to improve our
  curriculum and instructional practices
• We have content academies scheduled this winter
  to help our teachers learn strategies to help our
  kids in specific content areas and we are
  visiting other schools across the state to learn
  from them
• One of those schools is our own Picadome
  Elementary school where writing scores have risen
  40 points over the last 4-5 years

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Analysis of Gaps

• Our school district is quite fortunate to have an
  involved community that holds high expectations
  for its schools. Its a rare community that
  holds dear the idea that EVERY student will reach
  the highest standard, not making excuses for why
  some students drop out of school or dont learn
  to read with their peers. This expectation sets
  our district apart from many others and it is in
  that spirit that our focus on a variety of
  ethnic, economic, and special needs achievement
  gaps are critical.

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District CATS Summary

• The state goal is to reach 100 by 2014 and our
  district has set 2008 for our target as a higher
  standard. We are not yet where we need to be at
  this time to accomplish this goal but we are
  moving in the right direction
• Elementary scores have risen from 70.2 in 1999 to
  80.8 in 2004
• Middle School scores rose from 68.7 to 77.1 in
  this same period
• High School scores rose from 72.8 to 77.3

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No Child Left Behind

• Although NCLB is well intentioned and no one
  wants to leave any child behind, the law carries
  what many now say are unintended problems
• For example, more than 1 million dollars once
  spent on other programs for our kids have been
  diverted to implement this program.
  Additionally, it created chaos with transfers of
  students at the beginning of the school year.

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NCLB Results

• In order to be considered successful, a school
  must reach 100 of its targets. A school making
  99 of its targets is considered to be not making
  adequate yearly progress (AYP)
• 25 of 34 elementary schools made AYP
• 8 of 11 middle schools made AYP
• 3 of 5 high schools made AYP
• Our district made 23 out of 25 targets only
  missing the targets for reading for students with
  limited English proficiency and students with
  disabilities. Strategies are in place to
  address both of these areas of need.

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Other Indicators

• Other areas we are monitoring are
• Dropout rates
• Truancy
• Suspension and discipline data
• Transition to adult life
• Business partnerships
• Time does not permit us to go into detail on
  these tonight but we did want you to know that we
  are monitoring other areas. This information is
  available for anyone who would like to have it.

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Some Of The Things We Are Doing To Improve

• The One Community/One Voice action plan
• Federal Reading First grants
• Leadership development

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OCOV

• The One Community/One Voice committees
  recommendations have been incorporated into an
  action plan aimed at aligning classroom
  practices, budgeting, leadership, and community
  involvement issues into a single focused goal.
  With this plan our district has joined hands in a
  partnership with the community that most
  districts would envy.
• Our goal is to have ALL students proficient in
  reading by the end of the primary grades. This
  has been totally a local and grant funded effort.
• Each month our Board receives an update on our
  progress on this plan

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Federal Reading First Grants

• 11 of our elementary schools more than any
  other district in Kentucky were awarded
  Reading First grants, providing funds to help
  ensure reading proficiency by establishing
  high-quality, comprehensive reading instruction
  in grades K-3

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Leadership Development

• Everything rises and falls on Leadership John
  Maxwell
• We are in the process of intense leadership
  development with our staff. As they continue to
  grow, our student achievement levels will follow.

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UK and LCC Partnerships

• We recently announced a major partnership with
  the University of Kentucky where they will be
  working intensely with two of our elementary
  schools -Booker T. Washington and The Academy.
• We just formed a dual credit partnership with LCC
  where our high school seniors can earn both high
  school and college credit at the same time.
• It is partnerships like these that will allow us
  to show the rest of Kentucky and our nation that
  ALL kids can achieve at high levels.

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Community Summit

• In mid-January or early February we will be
  hosting a community-wide summit on education
• The purpose will be to look at the next 13 years
  and what our kids will need to enhance or
  overcome barriers to their education. Music,
  the arts, foreign language, chess, literacy,
  family involvement, community involvement, etc.
  are some of the things we will be asking our
  community to help us with. These will all tie
  into the OCOV action plan.

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Facilities Accomplishments

• Our Board and District are committed to providing
  adequate and quality facilities for our kids
• Over the last 8 years we have made 126 million
  dollars in construction improvements, including a
  13.2 million dollar middle school (E.J. Hayes)
  and an 8.7 million dollar renovation at LTMS

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Facilities Contd.

• A new high school to replace BSHS is in the works
  along with a new elementary school in the growing
  Todds Road area
• We are moving in the right direction in trying to
  provide quality facilities for our students but
  we have a long way to go and face many challenges

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Facilities Challenges

• Our local planning committee, made up of
  community volunteers and staff has determined
  that we have 162 million dollars in unmet
  construction and renovation needs
• Yet, we only have 78.8 million in bonding
  potential that will become available between now
  and 2012

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Facilities Needs Contd.

• We will be discussing the state funding mechanism
  later, but basically, aside from minimal SFCC
  funding, we do not receive any new state funding
  for facilities as other districts do in the state
  
• We are challenged to raise new funding locally

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Funding

• FCPS is one of three districts in Kentucky (out
  of 176) considered to be a Hold Harmless
  district. Basically, this means that Fayette
  County is considered a rich district and is
  frozen at state funding levels set back in the
  early 1990s.
• For example, when the General Assembly mandates
  and funds a state raise for teachers, FCPS does
  not receive any of the funding allocated to cover
  these costs. We must fund these mandates locally
  with no support from the state level.
• Yet, we only rank 46th in the state with a total
  revenue of 8,009 per student, and 34th in total
  expenditures at 8,121 per child.

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Funding Contd.

• This is creating a serious situation for the kids
  in our schools. Any new revenue we raise
  locally is having to go to fund these state
  mandated raises with no money left to expand for
  programs for our kids.
• For example If the General Assembly mandates a
  3 raise and provides funding to districts that
  FCPS does not receive, it will cost us 7.4
  million dollars that will all have to be raised
  locally.

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Impact of State Mandated Raises

• In seven years Fayette County has lost 40
  million dollars due to mandated raises where FCPS
  did not receive its share of the state funding
  provided by the General Assembly
• It is important to know that we are not asking to
  change the SEEK formula, because we recognize it
  does help many kids who live in poor counties.
  We are just asking for some help in funding these
  mandated raises.

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Summary of Lost Funding
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Other Funding Needs

• The state only recognizes ½ day kindergarten and
  only funds ¼ of our costs in this area. We need
  help in this funding area.
• Thanks to past state funding we now rely heavily
  on technology in our schools. However, over the
  last few years these funds have shrunk to the
  point that we can no longer keep pace with the
  need to replace obsolete computers and other
  technology.
• Our Limited English Proficient students are
  growing by about 200 per year and there is no
  funding from the state to help these students.

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Examples Of What We Are Doing To Insure Efficiency

• Board commissioned full district audit of all
  operations, including finance
• Board commissioned full audit of district
  personnel numbers
• Working towards zero-based budgeting
• Board approved the hiring of a CFO to oversee the
  budget
• Developing an energy management plan to reduce
  utility costs
• Piloted needs-based funding allocations this year

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Goals and Priorities

• The Board has set the following goals for the
  superintendent
• in his first year in Fayette County. I am happy
  to say that we
• are making significant progress on these.
• Raise student achievement
• Establish a culture that focuses full attention
  on kids
• Develop an organizational structure that focuses
  full attention on kids
• Improve the districts financial structure
• Improve communications

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Some More Positives

• We have a very dedicated and committed Board of
  Education. Our Board is in process of meeting
  with all 51 different Site Based Councils. Each
  of these meetings lasts between 1 and 1 ½ hours.
  Our Board is out there listening to the needs of
  our schools.
• We have one of the strongest music programs in
  the state. Just this year, four of our high
  schools finished in the top five in their classes
  at the state championships. Dunbar was the state
  champion of the largest class in the state.
• We have a multitude of extra and co-curricular
  activities for our kids and we watch them excel
  in their endeavors.

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Some More Positives Contd.

• A success story with ESL students is Russell Cave
  Elementary. That school has one of the highest
  percentages of Limited English speaking students
  in the district at 42 percent. Yet, the school
  still met all of its NCLB targets. We will study
  and share the schools ESL sheltered instruction
  strategies and apply them in similar areas across
  the district.
• We have one of the top PTA organizations in the
  country.
• We have outstanding teachers, staff, and
  principals with a community that supports our
  efforts. The quality of people in Lexington is
  one of our major strengths.
• And we live by one philosophy ---------

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