[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6228251,"mediaKeyId","3476736-eb545b2d366c7570330b3ac04b0609d1","parentId",3476736,"title","Board approves tentative FY2026 budget, accepts grants and hires auditors; raises for staff remain central","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",3580000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3476736-eb545b2d366c7570330b3ac04b0609d1&start=3580&end=3580","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3476736-eb545b2d366c7570330b3ac04b0609d1/thumbnail_3580000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6228251/Kentucky/Board-approves-tentative-FY2026-budget-accepts-grants-and-hires-auditors-raises-for-staff-remain-central","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6228251-5fdee2e264f924e149a5f9c8f5e110d6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770916215&Signature=B-Oq3wbmBPObvuMQWq4ubUZNBQrJqB6coBIo3ewvJa6L~S84rj8deJ0Rcwr1F2j9FVZ1lb9W1DIsYssCr3veKkepDnrm2nKxZyWIKiLa1lOo0EeD4YZBlM~djNQ3n8DDdWE8Izhav1IZJ9N-xv5OCzG1cBjERpLiJdp3cxEA5hbumpsa0mzEHdKLP72EzKiZjv2tfhzUa8PvY9QM8uo3~eNSPYSDET9xOI~kx63W3QLT1Lvo0ZT6egz4bT3eFBNv4sTVvJdDY5kc8E8oQW6eB4oizhO0JF2D4PkHY04Po-Qn6hgSXuuEnPg4LECwGs6TY1aRL7p0mv~uIJPXkPQQ7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nelson County Schools District","date","2025-05-24T00:08:00.36Z","article","The Nelson County Board of Education on May 20 approved a tentative fiscal‑year 2026 budget that builds in staff pay increases and maintains priorities for personnel, operational efficiencies and competitive grant funding.

Alex Martin and district finance staff outlined the budget’s major assumptions: a $1,000 salary‑schedule increase at every step for certified staff, a $0.50 hourly increase for hourly employees, and an extension of the top experience step to step 30 so long‑tenured employees continue to advance. Martin said the district has invested in salaries over the past seven years and acknowledged the budget still contains unknowns — chiefly final property assessments, the tax rate and the district’s ending balance after June 30 — that will be resolved before the working budget is adopted in September.

Martin and finance staff noted the district’s general fund balance had grown in recent years to about $8.08 million but is expected to dip once ESSER federal funds are exhausted and one‑time items are absorbed. The board voted to permit schools to carry forward Section 6 allocations, a practice the district has allowed in recent years to help schools plan for larger purchases.

The board also accepted three recently awarded grants that will be added to the budget: a summer boost reading and math award that will provide physical books and parent engagement resources distributed through summer feeding programs; an AED (automated external defibrillator) award allowing purchase of at least 19 AED units (the district reported negotiating additional donated equipment); and a Kentucky Numeracy Counts grant for $70,000 to support K–3 math curriculum and professional development.

Finance staff emphasized the tentative budget includes projections for parental‑leave and other benefits that remain under refinement. The board discussed an Amazon account program that provides $500 per teacher for classroom purchases; staff confirmed the program remains in the budget.

The board also approved the annual audit engagement with Patrick and Associates. Board members praised the firm’s work and the motion to renew the contract passed without opposition.

Motions to accept the grants, approve the tentative budget and authorize the audit engagement all passed during the meeting. District staff will return to the board with the working budget after final revenue figures and staffing allocations are confirmed.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Nelson County Board of Education Meeting May 20th, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Nelson County’s board approved a tentative 2026 budget that incorporates recent salary-schedule increases and potential benefit changes; members also accepted three grants including a $70,000 Kentucky numeracy award and approved an audit engagement with Patrick and Associates.","taxTitle","Nelson County, School Boards, Kentucky","taxId",57885,"location","Kentucky","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6228256,"Nelson County Board approves local planning committee’s facility plan, schedules public hearing",3063,6277000,9340000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3476736-eb545b2d366c7570330b3ac04b0609d1&start=6277&end=9340","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3476736-eb545b2d366c7570330b3ac04b0609d1/thumbnail_6277000.jpg","/articles/6228256/Kentucky/Nelson-County-Board-approves-local-planning-committees-facility-plan-schedules-public-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6228256-7970f8ffc4b7a20c2d808c6cbaab6632/orig.mp4?Expires=1770916215&Signature=ZtLjgqALxfiltGAPqoCt2oofCZkHPrTyGlP23~m9l0Fb3DNBRlsZIsPuTgTylsg6asTiVMf9lnc5jbiYcMYEGaGzeGpQ6GW86MJtu8BbMDprE1IyvnEJC8tpi~46VTFDfbll-ODdfQREoiNHHgd6bpVvsnpkCj35uE~WXeqFRx3k7CEb1FzgpXG~2OT48mMsMJF1i8oLG1jBvWaPKBQa-bbtkRJT1NS3kZrQBtdtHtQXFTObaw92MazmyvDVTc1mJdJRYSiOSoA02tdUrZ~tBfuVI77pu22dme9fvYC9cBbsR8YVg16BMB50WBzHh3RDEJqqVl09nFgrsK69i2sSFg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Nelson County Board of Education voted 3–2 on May 20 to approve the draft District Facility Plan recommended by the Local Planning Committee (LPC), setting a public hearing for June 9 and appointing LPC facilitator James Nijhoff to conduct the hearing.

Adam Gosselin, chair of the LPC, described the committee’s months-long process and its data-driven recommendation. “There was 19 of parents, administrators, and teachers and stuff across the district,” Gosselin said, summarizing the committee’s membership and work. The LPC evaluated four organizational models and recommended a 6–12 East/West campus model that, the committee concluded, would expand access to career and technical education (CTE) at OKH and Bloomfield Middle School and reduce student transitions.

The LPC’s plan calls for constructing or reconfiguring high-school and middle-school wings on the two campuses, expanding CTE opportunities at OKH and Bloomfield, and renovating New Haven Elementary and Cox’s Creek Elementary. The draft plan also lists discretionary long‑term projects and leaves timing and sequencing decisions to the board.

Supporters of the plan — including multiple public commenters who addressed the board during the meeting — said the LPC process was thorough and emphasized student access, continuity and staff collaboration. Tiffany Clark, who spoke during public comment, urged the board to act: “This moment brings us closer to equitable programs and access for all students in our community,” she said.

Opponents and some board members expressed concerns about feeder patterns, long‑term enrollment projections and the potential cost of major construction. Board member David Norman said he remained concerned about placing sixth graders and twelfth graders on a shared campus, recalling that “each grade level learns differently.” Board members Amanda Deaton and David Norman spoke at length about tradeoffs between efficiency and the community value of existing high‑school identities.

The board also discussed procedural compliance during the meeting. Board attorney reviewed Open Meetings and Open Records Act requirements and confirmed the LPC’s process and public notices had been filed for KDE review. The board’s vote to approve the draft plan was followed by a motion to schedule a public hearing; district staff recommended Monday, June 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the central office to meet KDE notice requirements.

Following the approval, the board appointed James Nijhoff to conduct the public hearing and asked district staff to publish the required notices. The DFP now proceeds to the public‑hearing stage required by KDE before final adoption of any projects or applications for state facility funding. The approved draft does not itself authorize construction or specific spending; those decisions will come later and will require further board action.","After months of meetings, the board approved a District Facility Plan (DFP) recommending 6–12 East/West campuses, expanded CTE at OKH and Bloomfield, and renovations at New Haven and Cox’s Creek; the vote was 3–2 and a public hearing is set for June 9.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6228261,"Nelson County school board adopts youth-athletics policy aimed at preventing recruitment, boosting participation",1540,4380000,5920000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3476736-eb545b2d366c7570330b3ac04b0609d1&start=4380&end=5920","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3476736-eb545b2d366c7570330b3ac04b0609d1/thumbnail_4380000.jpg","/articles/6228261/Kentucky/Nelson-County-school-board-adopts-youth-athletics-policy-aimed-at-preventing-recruitment-boosting-participation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6228261-acebb40f90f36b8d0e6ab07eab66d695/orig.mp4?Expires=1770916215&Signature=K~q427G4xCtNTBpTHyIGKyc6HhrrjoEr2p3266REq3VzGNVdaxBOkUmy5Jh6af6FOTCnVgAURp1cUOc5LTtaY3xQj0d~vuGTe4gW9rxS0OIhHmQOi5sRbBKpnSCZvCik3T4HnV0VB1RV7XNHq~axC4RfGMTTzYlZYt0OTR3MyXLvWPqw5dgfUM-JG8D4UnQXb7~FGg5B5hNziH3e7aW7M0s3Xr-UCAZFr~9pcKfIERUQvzQsOauaUuRbcIlXZtx3tFFC6NuUiTQTttfYT99SgCpxXn7jdJQ74QYvAPaRZC-phQG-4d6MtU0ZxbJbTdPU8FyHZHafzgRt~~tfz2y46Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Nelson County Board of Education voted 4–1 on May 20 to adopt a districtwide youth-athletics policy intended to prevent recruitment tied to future school enrollment and to create a governance structure for elementary and middle‑school sports.

The policy, presented on its second reading, establishes roles for district leaders, creates participation standards, and calls for an advisory panel to oversee youth athletics. Michael Lafavers, district program consultant, summarized the policy’s intent during the board meeting: “Youth athletics shall not be used as a vehicle for recruitment or promotion, a future school enrollment decisions, etcetera.”

Board members and staff said the measure responds to community concerns that youth sports have been used to funnel students toward particular high schools. Lafavers told the board the policy also seeks to increase participation: “Winning at age 10 isn’t the priority. Participation is.” He said the policy permits combining teams when individual schools cannot field a sufficient roster so more children can play.

Several speakers at the meeting urged care in appointing neutral members to the advisory group and warned of potential unintended consequences. Audrey Downs, a preschool teacher and parent who spoke during public comment, said she wants the panel to be “neutral” and to unite stakeholders: “I want everybody to feel confident that, I wanna be somebody who wants to unite everything.”

Board member David Norman expressed continuing concern about grouping younger and older students on a shared campus, saying, “Each grade level learns differently.” The board and presenters repeatedly stressed that the policy does not change daily supervision or classroom assignments; rather, it creates district rules for how youth sports programs will be organized and governed.

During debate the board heard outside recommendations from former coaches and consultants that emphasized participation, neutral drafting of teams, and skill development rather than early competition. The policy’s language, supporters said, aims to move the district away from recruitment-driven team building while preserving local opportunities for children.

The policy passed on a 4–1 vote. The board did not identify individual roll-call votes in the public transcript; the motion outcome was stated by the chair as “4 to 1.” No alterations to the policy were made at the meeting; board members said changes could be proposed later if implementation raises issues.

Board members said the policy is a starting point for a longer community conversation about how youth athletics should operate in Nelson County. Several board members urged residents to participate in advisory-panel appointments and follow implementation closely.","The Nelson County Board of Education approved a district policy to govern youth athletics, prohibit recruitment tied to school enrollment and create oversight structures to increase participation; the measure passed 4–1 on its second reading.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves tentative FY2026 budget, accepts grants and hires auditors; raises for staff remain central

Nelson County Board approves local planning committee’s facility plan, schedules public hearing

Nelson County school board adopts youth-athletics policy aimed at preventing recruitment, boosting participation