|
Paducah Sun
February 18, 2004
Area educators take some credit for budget boost
Area superintendents would like to think $27 million in additional state education
funding announced Monday is connected to their presentation on the effects of
proposed budget cuts last week.
"But I don't know how much one had to do with the other," said Caldwell
County Superintendent Bob Rogers, who compiled budget estimates presented at
a superintendents' press conference Thursday in Frankfort. Rogers showed that
western Kentucky schools would lose more than $14.4 million in funding mandated
salary increases and in cuts to professional development training, safe schools
programs, extended school services, preschools and family resource centers in
the proposed state budget.
He will return to Frankfort on Thursday to present legislators with similar
estimates for all Kentucky schools.
Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced Monday that he would use $27 million earmarked
for school employees' health insurance to restore funding for professional development
and gifted and talented programs. More employees declined to take the state
health coverage than was expected, he said.
The additional funding will include $14 million for professional development,
$1.4 million for gifted and talented programs and $1.3 million for new buildings
at Kentucky Community and Technical College System schools through 2005-06.
"Maybe we brought attention to it," said Rogers, whose district stood
to lose $38,316 in professional development funds. "For whatever reason,
I'm glad they found the money. Professional development is one of the keys to
success for schools."
It appears that professional development and gifted programs will get the same
amount of funding they received under the current budget, minus the 2.5 percent
cut announced in December, Ballard County Superintendent Steve Hoskins said.
"It makes a statement of the governor's priorities. We'd like to think
we had something to do with that," Hoskins said, noting that the superintendents
don't know how the money will be doled out to the districts. "We're counting
every dollar now, so every dollar we get back counts."
Paducah finance officer Julie Huff said it is doubtful the district's annual
professional development and gifted budgets, totaling around $100,000, will
be fully restored.
"But we'll take it," she said. "We'll take whatever he's willing
to give us. Getting money back is always better than having it taken away."
McCracken County Superintendent Tim Heller said the superintendents are grateful
but it's too early to guess whether to the new money will benefit students.
"We just hope he finds more," said Heller, whose schools would lose
$126,000 in cuts from professional development during the next two years. "We
hope he finds enough to fund the 1.5 percent mandate," Heller said of the
salary increase districts are expected to fund next year. The raise will cost
west Kentucky schools more than $2.7 million, including $450,000 from McCracken
County. "We're watching this very closely. We just have to be frugal and
conservative in our spending."
West Kentucky Community and Technical College public relations director Janett
Blythe said the $1.3 million provided to the state's community and technical
college system will not benefit Paducah's campus. The money will be spent on
maintenance and operation costs for new buildings opening statewide this year,
Blythe said.
"It's excellent news," she said, "but it doesn't affect us because
we have no new buildings."
Herald-Leader
February 18, 2004
Haz-mat training offered to public
Knowing how to identify and work around hazardous materials is important in
many areas of life: the home, the workplace and the classroom.
The Kentucky Fire Commission is offering training and certification in both
operations and awareness of hazardous materials.
"Our training classes are open to all interested persons," said Steve
Calhoun, division director of state fire-rescue training. "Certification
in all areas of safe practices would be particularly useful in industry."
The commission frequently receives requests from small business and industry
to conduct training sessions for employees.
"We build our classes around their work needs," Calhoun said. "Students
who are pursuing a career in industry might consider certification in this area."
In addition to the hazard materials operations and awareness training, Kentucky
firefighters have six new levels of training that will assist them in serving
their communities.
The International Fire Service Accreditation Congress recently accredited the
certification process for these eight groups: firefighter 1, firefighter 2,
hazardous materials operations, hazardous materials awareness, fire instructor
1, driver operator pumper, driver operator mobile water supply, and airport
firefighter.
The state Fire Commission-Fire Rescue Training, a division of the Kentucky
Community and Technical College System, offers fire-rescue training classes
throughout the state.
The classes are designed to meet the training needs of fire-rescue and other
emergency service personnel and to provide health and safety training programs
for industries, institutions and government agencies.
For more fire and rescue training opportunities, visit www.kctcs.edu/kyfirecommission
or call (859) 246-3475.
The Kentucky Post
February 13, 2004
Gateway gets nursing course OK
Associate program to start in the fall
Gateway Community and Technical College has received final approval to begin
offering an associate degree of nursing. Approval of the two-year program was
granted earlier this month by the Kentucky Board of Nursing, the final step
in the authorization process.
The new program will begin this fall at Gateway's Edgewood campus, adjacent
to St. Elizabeth Medical Center South. The hospital will team up with the college
to provide on-the-job training to nursing students.
"There is a critical shortage of nurses in our area," said Gateway
President Edward Hughes.
"Gateway is now positioned to expand our allied health care offerings
and provide education to our community members."
Over the past eight months, about 400 people have notified Gateway that they
are "interested" in the new nursing program.
As the program gets underway this fall, the first group of students will be
limited to about 35 or 40 people. A special admission process has been set up
to select candidates.
People interested in applying can pick up applications between 8 a.m. and 4
p.m. weekdays at Gateway's Edgewood campus at 790 Thomas More Parkway.
The new nursing program is part of cooperative effort among Gateway, Northern
Kentucky University and Thomas More College.
NKU ended its associate degree nursing program last year to concentrate on
its bachelor's and master's degree in nursing programs, with the expectation
that Gateway would start its program.
Thomas More offers a four-year nursing program and Gateway presently offers
licensed practical nursing and nurse aide programs.
Gateway officials said that planned transfer agreements with NKU and Thomas
More should make it easy for Gateway graduates to continue their nursing studies.
Registered nurses must graduate from either a two-year associate degree program
or a four-year bachelor degree program and pass a license examination.
Associate degrees focus more on technical skills than theory and often are
stepping stones to bachelor's degrees, which an increasing number of nursing
jobs require.
Ledger Independent
February 16, 2004
Brooksville student chosen for first MCC internship in Frankfort
A new program introduced at Maysville's Community College is giving a Bracken
County High School graduate an opportunity to learn the inner workings of state
government while receiving credit toward his degree.
According to history instructor John Klee, the college worked with State Rep.
Mike Denham to develop an intern program, giving one student the opportunity
to work in Denham's Frankfort office once a week during this year's General
Assembly session.
Interested students were required to file out an application and write an essay
about why they wanted to participate in the program.
Klee said in addition to the application and essay, each student's grades and
course of study were also considered in the selection process.
'For students interested in government or law, this is a good experience for
them,' Klee said.
'I believe we are the first community college in Kentucky to have an intern
program. This is the first year for the program and we will build for the future,'
said Klee.
Lewis Heiert, 18, of Brooksville, was selected as the first MCC student to
serve as an intern in Denham's office.
Heiert graduated from Bracken County High School last year and is pursuing
a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing. After graduating
from MCC, Heiert plans to finish his education at the University of Kentucky.
Heiert said he had originally planned to attend a technical school after graduating
from high school but changed his mind last year after becoming involved with
the Future Business Leaders of America club at school.
'I literally change my mind my senior year. It threw my mom for a loop, but
she's always been behind me in whatever I do,' Heiert said.
Heiert said he applied and received some scholarship money and enrolled at
MCC to pursue his degree.
Heiert said Klee mentioned the intern program in class one day and he decided
to get more information about it since 'it seemed like something interesting.'
Heiert is required to work in Denham's office 15 times while the General Assembly
meets. So far he has traveled to Frankfort five times, spending Wednesdays among
state senators and representatives.
His duties include everything from typing letters, to running errands, to sitting
in on committee meetings and taking notes for Denham.
'He's (Denham) great. He takes me around and introduces me to everyone. The
first day was overwhelming. I've met a lot of people,' Heiert said.
Heiert will receive 12 credit hours for his internship and is required to visit
several museums in Frankfort and keep a journal of his time spent at the capital.
According to Heiert, learning more about Kentucky's history, as well as how
the branches of government work, is an integral part of the program and he will
be tested when he gets back to class with Klee.
To compensate interns for their travel expenses, the Maysville Community College
foundation voted to supply a stipend of $1,000 for the program.
Heiert said he isn't sure if he will ever move into the political arena after
college, but agrees the experience gained from his time in Frankfort has given
him the knowledge he needs to become a more informed voter and citizen.
'It's interesting how things work ... it's (Frankfort) a different environment,'
Heiert said.
The Paducah Sun
February 14, 2004
Advocate tells students to create new possibilities
Even Hasan Davis didn't know what he was going to talk about as a featured
Black History Month speaker Friday at West Kentucky Community and Technical
College.
"What do you think I should talk about?" he asked the gathered group
of students and educators. "What's going to help you the most? I want to
make sure I'm not the only person who walks out feeling good."
Davis serves as chairman for the Kentucky Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee
and serves on the National Coalition for Juvenile Justice. He is a youth advocate,
poet and actor who has spent the past year performing a touring one-man show
based on the life of York, the slave who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their
discovery trip through the Louisiana Purchase.
Although he enjoys discussing history, Davis said he'd rather show students
how to change their present.
"This is life," he said. "If we want to talk about what was,
we have to talk about how to create new possibilities, how to define new stories
and our own limitations."
Davis grew up in a single-parent, low-income home in Atlanta. Diagnosed with
several learning liabilities, he was expelled from high school at 18 and earned
a General Educational Development certificate. He was expelled five times while
pursuing an undergraduate degree at Berea College and a law degree at the University
of Kentucky.
Part of finding success is failing, he said, and no matter how many times
he fell on his face, his mother, a teacher or an adviser helped him get up again.
"They would say, ‘Hasan, what you did was wrong, and we don't condone
it, but we're going to give you another chance,’ ” he said, noting
that all of his teachers liked him or supported him. But students cannot use
that as an excuse not to do their classwork, he said.
"Be brave enough to own up to your own needs," he said. "The
difference between those who succeed and those who don't is that those who succeed
ask the questions. The way you order your life, the way you work, has to be
structured to get the answer that helps you move toward your objective."
Elida Phifer said she brought a vanload of students through First Missionary
Baptist Church in Mound City, Ill., because several of them encounter the same
problems Davis had.
"We wanted them to have an opportunity to see someone speak positively,"
she said. "Several of them have learning disabilities, and we wanted them
to see someone who had overcome them, rather than just telling them they can.
It's better for them to see an example of someone who has been successful."
| 
