The Board Brief | October 27, 2025
 |
|
Helpful Highlights
- Prior to the start of the board meeting, students from WCMS participated in exhibitions of learning. Students presented on various class projects and lessons, extracurricular activities, short stories they have written, wooden structures they have built, and so much more. Students put the Portrait of a Learner into practice by showcasing their resilient learning, empathetic communication, reflective collaboration, responsible contribution, and creative problem solving.
 
-
During the regular meeting, the board had two recognitions. The board first recognized Sandra Adams and Erica Snow, WCPS Digital Learning Coaches, for becoming ISTE Certified Educators. ISTE stands for the International Society for Technology in Education, a non-profit organization that promotes the use of technology to improve teaching and learning. The board also recognized the Woodford County High School Boys Golf Team for their impressive season, their academics (WCHS Boys Golf Team has held the highest GPA of athletic teams for the past three years), and for being acknowledged by other organizations for their character and kindness.
 
- Woodford County Middle School orchestra performed for the board as part of the middle school presentation. The orchestra consisted of 7th Grade members that performed "Bats and Bones" by Susan Day.
-
Mrs. Rebecca Preston, Woodford County Middle School, shared highlights from the 2024-2025 school year and outlined the"Big Rocks" (areas of focus) for the 2025-2026 school year. In the the WCMS Board Presentation, key achievements for 2024-2025 included a 0.5% increase in attendance and a substantial 40% reduction in office discipline referrals. The school also advanced its goals for Professional Learning Communities (PLC) by having departments complete the REAL criteria for standards and develop pacing guides. Furthermore, the focus on the Portrait of a Learner led to all grade levels attempting an exhibition of learning, completing student-led conferences, and having 60 students participate in "The Gauntlet." For 2025-2026, the Big Rocks are centered on #1 Unity (introducing the evidence-based BARR model), #2 All Kids Thrive (through continued PLC focus and leadership development), and #3 Future Ready. The combination of these three Big Rocks at WCMS means that students will know they are loved, students will be both supported academically and challenged academically, and students will be prepared for their next steps.
The presentation also includes a detailed look at the Family and Consumer Science (FCS) program and the FCCLA student organization, which together teach crucial life skills across family, consumer, and science components. A major feature of the presentation is "The Amazing Shake," an event where students navigate a gauntlet of 10 different one-minute scenarios designed to test their professionalism, speaking skills, and critical thinking. A student presenter connected the skills required for the event to the Woodford County Public Schools Portrait of a Learner (POL) competencies, demonstrating how the shake tests students' ability to be a Resilient Learner (making things up on the fly), an Empathetic Communicator (listening and speaking well), a Creative Problem-Solver, a Responsible Contributor, and a Reflective Collaborator.
|
|
|
|
|
Superintendent's Report
During the superintendent’s report, Dr. Jones shared some of the things that are going great in our district. Dr. Jones recognized members of the Steering Committee for the district’s new strategic plan. Dr. Jones shared that the High School had a great homecoming week as well.
Dr. Jones shared that through her HIVE groups, cyberbullying became an issue that students were worried about. Since this week is the WCPS Kindness week, Dr. Jones shared a resource for parents and caregivers to combat cyberbullying. Also, Dr. Jones shared that Woodford County has a list of resources available to families who are in need and the school’s Family Resource Center director is available to find resources as well. Please reach out if you are in need.
Through Dr. Jones’ rounding, common themes are emerging. Dr. Jones and the Central Office HIVE are working to create systems to make these themes better. This includes: Cyberbullying, School Safety, Onboarding, and Budgets. For budget committee updates, you can visit the district’s website under Budget Transparency.
Board Presentations
- International Book Exchange Program: We are excited to partner with this program to connect our students with students, classes, and schools across the world! More information to come when the program launches in January.
- New High School Project Update: The High School project currently has a contingency budget of approximately $802,000. There was not a plan presented for the additional parking lot. Information will be presented at the November board meeting. The change order presented to the board related to the mitigation of the spring that has sprung again at the high school to the right of the bus loop. The architect, engineering firm, and construction team answered questions related to the mitigation plan.
- School Safety Presentation: There is a new communications channel between the WCPS Police Department, Versailles Police Department, and the Woodford County Sheriff’s Office which allows for increased awareness, communication, cohesion, and support amongst the groups. We are thankful for the strong partnerships with the first responders and law enforcement in our community.
-
Curriculum & Instruction Technology Update: Woodford County Public Schools has successfully rolled out a series of major technology updates to enhance both operational efficiency and student learning for the 2025-2026 school year. The district's technology team has completed significant infrastructure improvements, including relocating the Data Center, refreshing over 900 new Chromebooks, and managing the distribution of over 5,000 devices to students and staff. Operational changes include a successful transition of phone service to ClearlyIP and an update to key content filtering systems, moving from Lightspeed to GoGuardian Admin. Furthermore, the district has efficiently addressed a large volume of technical support requests, closing over 2,300 tickets since the start of August, demonstrating a strong commitment to maintaining a robust and reliable technology environment for the entire community.
In the classroom, the district is prioritizing advanced digital learning and teacher development. The first full year of using Canvas as the primary learning management system is underway, complemented by the adoption of GoGuardian Teacher to enhance classroom management. Teachers and students are actively engaging with the Pear Deck Learning Suite, logging tens of thousands of minutes in interactive sessions and assessments. Additionally, Digital Learning Coaches are supporting educators with extensive professional development and co-teaching sessions focused on emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, 3D Printing, and integrating programs like CAD Class into engineering courses across all schools.
|
|
|
The Consent Agenda was approved, which included: travel requests for students to travel overnight out of state. The staff travel included in the requests were for required in-state training. Donations included reimbursement for software, travel offsets for FFA, special chairs for students with needs. The district Kentucky Education Technology (KETS) 1st offer match grant was also approved.
Regular Agenda Items:
The board approved the monthly financial report. The board did not approve a stipend to cover the cost to run a district tournament held in the district to cover the administrative duties that are outside of the responsibilities. The board approved the creation of a position for a special education teacher. The district made this recommendation due to the number of students and case loads. The position was created following the district’s staffing protocol for special education. The board went into executive session. During this meeting, the board does not take minutes on discussion. Any action during this time would occur in the open meeting outside of the executive session.
|
 |
|
|
|
Need More Details:
The Board Briefs are posted in the News section on our district's homepage. For more information about the latest meeting:
Next Regular Board Meeting:
Monday, November 17, 2025
6:00 P.M.
180 Frankfort St., Versailles, KY 40383
Board meetings are subject to change. Please check the district calendar on the website for up-to-date information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
