Building community trust and involvement in the Fayette County Public Schools plays a crucial role in becoming a world-class district that educates all children at the highest levels. 

In an effort to inform our community and employees about the issues facing FCPS and keep constituents up to date on actions taken by the Board of Education, we are pleased to provide a summary of our school board meetings.

Board meeting agendas and minutes are also available on the school district Web site. Board meetings are televised live on Channel 13 and replayed the same week at 2 p.m. Tuesday, 8 p.m. Wednesday and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Here is a summary of the Feb. 23, 2009, meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education:

1.   The board welcomed the evening’s student representative, Mya Price and teacher representative, David Morris, both of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Mya is a senior whose interests include band and track. Morris teaches computer applications and Web design.

2.   As part of the district’s 2020 Vision Initiative, each board meeting begins with a student performance to showcase the high quality art and music instruction in Fayette County and spotlight talented young people in the district. Monday night, the board welcomed the Bryan Station Middle School Step Team and SCAPA voice major Gabrielle Barker, a junior at Lafayette High School.

Hear a snippet of the step team in action.

Listen to Gabrielle sing "O Mio Babbino Caro" by Puccini.

3.   The board recognized students and employees for recent state and national achievements, including:

a.    Trina Thomas, Beaumont Middle School, who earned second place in the 400-meter run, and Ben Mason, Lafayette High School, who earned first place in the 200- and 400-meter races at the Wildcat Classic

b.    Grant Roberts, Tates Creek High School, who was named Most Improved Tennis Player in Kentucky by the United States Tennis Association

c.    Gabrielle Barker, a junior at Lafayette High School, who won second place and the audience favorite award in the William E. Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition

d.    Lexington Traditional Magnet School for their kids’ top performances in the AMC 8 math competition

e.    Lexington Traditional Magnet School’s academic team for a first-place win in the Kentucky Colonels Sixth-Grade Showcase

f.    Winburn Middle School’s academic team for taking second place in the Kentucky Colonels Sixth-Grade Showcase

g.    Elaine Lin, Beaumont Middle School, for her first-place finish in math at the Kentucky Colonels Sixth-Grade Showcase

h.    Edythe J. Hayes Middle School cheerleaders for their first-place win in the Middle School State Cheer and Dance Classic

i.    Henry Clay High School’s academic team for earning first in the state in the Knowledge Master Open

j.    Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Marching Band for a second-place state finish

k.    Debbie Stegner from Glendover Elementary, who was named the Kentucky Music Educators Association’s State Music Teacher of the Year

l.    Mary Ann Chamberlain from Tates Creek Elementary, who was awarded the Michael Caudill Educator Award from the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education

4.   Mike McKenzie, the district’s director of high schools, gave an overview of the Middle College program, which will begin in the fall. In this new partnership with Bluegrass Community and Technical College, high school juniors and seniors from Fayette County’s five high schools will go to school on campus at the community college.  Students will complete their high school diplomas and have the opportunity to take college classes as well. “They will graduate with a high school diploma and have college courses under their belt,” McKenzie explained. The Middle College will be aimed at teens who have college potential but might not be considering college or might know little about what college is really like. Applications are available from high school guidance counselors.

5.   The board approved its consent items, including the development and installation of a PTA-sponsored campus-wide outdoor classroom for Athens-Chilesburg Elementary that will include a walking path, picnic structure and amphitheater.

6.   The board also took the following action, including:

a.   Adopting the instructional calendar for the 2010-2011 school year, with the first day of school on Aug. 11 and the last day on May 26. It also includes three Fridays off on the days the 2010 World Equestrian Games anticipate the heaviest traffic and 12 possible weather make-up days through June 10. Board Chair Becky Sagan expressed concern that Aug. 11 seemed like an early start. Superintendent Stu Silberman said the district normally starts on the second Wednesday in August in order to avoid going too far into June if winter weather make-up days are necessary.

b.   Giving the go-ahead to begin taking bids on the Leestown Middle School renovation project. The estimated budget for the project is $18.2 million.

c.   Granting the construction bid for the renovation of Cassidy Elementary School to D.W. Wilburn Inc., the low bidder at slightly more than $9 million. With multiple bidders and competitive pricing, the project actually came in well under the estimated construction cost of $11.5 million. The total project budget was revised to $11.1 million from the anticipated budget of $13.8 million.

d.   Approving the construction bid for the renovation of Russell Cave Elementary School from low bidder Congleton & Hacker Co. Again there were multiple bidders on the job, and the competition allowed the district to approve linoleum instead of carpet and an upgraded roofing material and still keep the project under budget. The anticipated original budget was $6.9 million, and the revised project budget is $6.1 million.

7.   Before the meeting adjourned, John Price mentioned that he and several board members had traveled to the American Association of School Administrators national conference in San Francisco last week. “We’re very honored that Stu was among the Final Four, and we know in our hearts he is the No. 1 superintendent in the nation,” Price said. Addressing Silberman, he added, “We appreciate all you do for our community and our students.”