JACKSON, Ky. (LEX 18) — At its last meeting, the Kentucky Board of Education approved the exit of Breathitt County Schools for getting state assistance. It was the last district getting assistance in the Bluegrass. The district had been under state management since December 2012 and state assistance since December 2019.
Breathitt County Schools Superintendent Phillip Watts says, "It's been a wonderful journey, we are excited. We are very thankful for all the growth, of our local board. We're very thankful for all of our students and staff."
The district is focusing on improving its financial position, its facilities, and the access to learning that its students have. One key decision the district has made is transitioning its middle school into the high school – which the superintendent explains improved student retention, access, and spacing.
"It's something that has really helped the district financially. It's going to help us move forward with more enrollment loss,” says Watts.
The Kentucky Department of Education sent a team to perform an audit last September.
KDE's associate commissioner for the office of continued improvement and support, Dr. Kelly Foster, says, "Based on the findings of that audit, we felt like that it was time for them to exit state assistance, and that they would be able to continue to grow and improve on their own."
KDE says it’s an agency that aims to be a resource for districts in need. The school district's board chair, who has a daughter now in high school that has gone through this process, says she's confident in the high standards the school district is holding itself to.
Board chair, Ruschelle Hamilton, says, "We care as a district and we are looking out for their best interest, and that we wholeheartedly want them to succeed in life. So, we're doing everything we can to make sure they have everything in place that they need to succeed."
Having faced a number of challenges over the past few years — including the pandemic, and two floods, including this summer’s floods — Superintendent Watts says the critical decisions the district has made and the support of the community have helped get them to this point.
"We're not going to stop what we're doing. We have high expectations and everything we've learned — we just hope to grow from that and continue to improve. We owe that to our students and our community,” says Watts.
Now, this district says it will continue to maintain its high standards.
