NOTICE OF HEARING
OLDHAM COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Oldham County Board of Education will hold a public hearing at the Arvin Education Center located at 1650 Colonels Drive, Lagrange, Kentucky 40031 on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. to hear public comments regarding a proposed general fund tax levy of 80.0 cents on real property and 80.0 cents on personal property.
The General Fund tax levied in fiscal year 2021 was 80.0 cents on real property and 80.0 cents on personal property and produced revenue of $54,405,937. The proposed General Fund tax rate of 80.0 cents on real property and 80.0 cents on personal property is expected to produce $58,332,863.50. Of this amount $3,218,820.10 is from new and personal property. The compensating tax for 2022 is 78.1 cents on real property and 78.1 cents on personal property and is expected to produce $56,947,458.
The general areas to which revenue of $3,926,926.50 above 2021 revenue is to be allocated are as follows: cost of collections, $58,904; Building Fund, $655,670; salary increases and related fringe benefit costs including increases in required retirement contributions, $2,200,000; and increased costs to instructional programs which directly impact student learning, $1,012,353.
OCS COVID Plan
September 10, 2021 Update:
The Oldham County Board of Education approved a policy requiring masks in school buildings on August 9, 2021. This policy still stands, even with the approval of Senate Bill 1. Masks will continue to be required by all students, staff and visitors inside Oldham County Schools.
Here is the policy passed by the OCBE on August 9, 2021:
- All employees, contractors, visitors, guests, and students in grades P through 12 must wear a face covering while in school buildings and on school buses whenever social distancing of 6’ cannot be maintained.
- All employees, contractors, visitors, guests, and students in grades P through 12 must wear a face covering in school buildings when traveling throughout the common areas of the building, regardless of social distancing.
- Masks may be removed or lowered during classroom time if all students and staff are seated 6’ apart and no person is walking around in the classroom.
- Masks may be removed or lowered during lunch period.
- Students, staff, visitors, and guests having a documented pre-existing medical condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a face covering may request an exemption from the policy.
- Acceptable face coverings must have multiple layers, cover the nose and below the chin, and fit snugly. Face coverings may include cloth masks, surgical masks, respirator masks, bandanas, gaiters, and any similar item meeting the requirements above. Face coverings must meet the same dress code standards as other items of apparel bearing messages (e.g. no lewd or obscene messages, no advertisements for drugs, alcohol or weapons, no messages that are threatening or likely to cause a disruption to the educational process, etc. Please refer to your school dress code.)
- This policy will remain in effect until the further action of the Board, which will review the conditions of the COVID pandemic at least once every three (3) weeks. If, in consultation with its advisors, the Board determines that conditions so warrant, the Board will terminate this policy.
- The Board’s obligation to review COVID pandemic conditions for purposes of this temporary policy will be suspended during any period in which the school district is subject to a state or federal mask mandate.
- August 9, 2021 update:
Our current plan is based on the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Guidance for K-12 School Operations for In-Person Learning.
Please know that at any time, additional preventative measures may be implemented if school or community spread necessitates or if mandates are issued.
Mask policy update - August 9, 2021
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We ask that you please notify the school as soon as possible if your child tests positive for COVID-19. The District will examine student absence policies to ensure that students are not penalized for COVID-19 related absences, including student illness and quarantine orders.
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A close contact is someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes while the person was considered contagious.
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Exception: In the K-12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were at least >3 feet away from an infected student if both students were engaged in consistent and correct use of masks and other K-12 prevention strategies were in place. This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.
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Unvaccinated students, teachers, or staff who are identified as close contacts should be instructed to self-quarantine regardless of whether the exposure occurred within or outside of the school setting. Quarantine may be discontinued when the local public health department determines the individual is safe to be around others or:
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Fully-vaccinated persons do not need to quarantine following an exposure to a person diagnosed with COVID-19 if he/she is not experiencing symptoms.
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After day 10 without testing if the individual is symptom-free.
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After day 7 if the individual is symptom-free and receives a negative COVID-19 test 5 days or later after the last date of exposure to the case.
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Efforts will be focused to ensure as much social distancing as possible when appropriate and feasible, including at lunch, seat time, and other stationary times throughout the day.
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OCS is fortunate to have heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that have been designed by some of the leading professional engineering firms in the country and are built to exceed ASHRAE standards for energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
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OCS implemented additional measures prior to returning to in-person instruction during the 20-21 school year to maximize indoor air quality even further through mechanical dilution and filtration processes. These practices will continue to be utilized for the foreseeable future.
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Based on our student population there is not a significant need for virtual-only instruction. The OCS Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) was a necessity during the height of the pandemic, but it was not designed to be an on-going educational entity. There are options for students who are medically fragile. Please contact student services at our district office for more information.
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It is important to note that NTI for COVID-19 has not been approved by the State of Kentucky for this school year at this time.
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As we start the school year, we will not be allowing visitors for lunch. This will be reevaluated after the first semester.
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Volunteers must be approved by the school principal or other school administrator prior to visit and must wear a mask.
We encourage all eligible students and staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine and ask that you please keep your student at home if they are showing any symptoms of illness during the school year.
We will continue close communications with the Oldham County Health Department and revise our plan as necessary. If there’s one thing we learned from the last school year, it’s that flexibility and adaptability is key, and we appreciate the cooperation we continue to receive from our families to ensure our students have a successful school year.