A scholarship program targeting the medical field will soon be formed at Fulton Independent School, as discussed during the Board of Education’s regular meeting Nov. 10.
The goals of the West Kentucky Vocational/Occupational Career Exploration Program include developing a trained workforce in West Kentucky for economic growth and development, identifying and training students and adults for jobs in the health care sciences and other vocational areas and increasing enrollment in regional post secondary educational institutions by 20 percent over a five-year period.
Also, partnerships between regional school districts and West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) and Murray State University (MSU) will enable students to enroll, attend, and complete the necessary training needed for economic development in the four river counties and the West Kentucky region.
The program is set to begin in January 2010, and will involve four districts, Fulton City, Fulton County, Hickman County, and Carlisle County. Students will visit area technology centers, as well as WKCTC and MSU, and speakers will visit each district regularly.
In other business, the board:
• appointed Bill Robertson as vice chair.
• recognized Carr Elementary students who recently formed a Student Council. Members are Autumn Tucker, president; Erica Kerney, vice president; Dynia Vinson, Ann Marie Caldwell, Jaciah Hamrick, Jamila Hagler, Jenise Ware, Christian Taylor, Susannah Whitesell, Jocelyn Sadafino, Cissy Jones and Hallie Carter.
• agreed to purchase a new school bus and adopt a Participation Resolution to participate in the Kentucky Interlocal School Transportation Association (KISTA) finance bond.
Currently, the district owns two buses, a 1988 model and 1999 model, both with well over 100,000 miles on them.
KISTA is a not-for-profit association of up to 15 school districts in Kentucky established pursuant to KRS sections of the Interlocal Cooperation Act. KISTA acts as an issuing agency of tax-exempt bonds or notes in order to provide the needed fund for participating school districts to acquire new school buses.
The buses purchased through KISTA have diesel-equipped engines and meet all safety requirements of the Department of Education. The buses are purchased from a state-approved vendor’s listing, which has been bid by the Department of Education.
Buses cost about $80,000 each.
• approved applying for a $22,500 Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant that is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act state funds, and is designed to implement technology in the classroom.
• reviewed the nutrition and physical activity reports, accepted the assessment tools and set a date for the public forum to be before Jan. 31, 2010.
• reviewed a resolution promoting student achievement and certified the board has completed activities outlined in the Advancing Student Achievement to Proficiency (ASAP) project.
Each month, the board openly evaluates data on student achievement and discusses in-depth the measures being taken for student progress.
• declared an emergency in order to employ a candidate with emergency certification. Dr. Philip Wrinkler was hired as a high school Social Studies teacher for the district on a letter of eligibility from the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). He must complete the KDE KTIP (Kentucky Teacher Internship Program) in order to get a standard certificate from the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board. Dr. Wrinkler will not be admitted until January 2010, therefore the board must declare an emergency for him to continue teaching through this semester.
• approved participation in state competitions, including the State Poetry Out Loud Competition, Kentucky United Nations Assembly Competition for Y- Club members, 2010 Kentucky High School Mock Trial Program for Gifted and Talented students, and the Beta Club Convention for Junior High Beta Club members.
• approved fundraising activities, including STARS to sell spirit T-shirts; PTO to sell spirit socks and candy bars, as well as conduct a bake sale, the senior class to sell home interior candles, and the Junior High Beta Club to have a spaghetti supper and sell eco-friendly items from a catalog.
• noted 415 students are enrolled in the district.
• heard an enrollment report which includes the appointments of Misty Phipps as substitute teacher, Aston Fleming as instructional assistant for the remainder of fiscal year 2010, and Ricky Parnell as a bus driver; the resignations of Kelley Harris as instructional assistant and Gina Wall as substitute teacher; and the retirement of Sharon Pirtle as substitute teacher, effective Dec. 1.
