Oldham County Schools is a public school district located in Oldham County, Kentucky, USA. It serves over 12,000 students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade across 18 schools, including 10 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 3 high schools, and 1 alternative school.
The district’s mission is to provide rigorous and relevant learning experiences that inspire and prepare all students to achieve their full potential. To achieve this mission, Oldham County Schools offers a range of academic programs and extracurricular activities to meet the needs and interests of its diverse student population.
Oldham County Schools is known for its strong academic performance, with high graduation rates and impressive student achievement scores. Additionally, the district has received numerous awards and recognitions, including being named a Kentucky District of Distinction and a National Blue Ribbon School District.
Overall, Oldham County Schools is committed to providing its students with a high-quality education that prepares them for success in college, career, and life.
Oldham County Schools authorises teacher increases while making other concessions to spending
Next academic year, teachers in Oldham County Schools will get salary raises, but the district had to reduce expenditures in other areas to approve them.
Last Monday, the board of education authorised an additional 2% compensation rise for all teachers on top of the roughly 1% step increase. In essence, a step increase on a teacher’s contract is a raise that is already included.
OCS Superintendent Jason Radford said, “We are extremely thrilled and enthusiastic about the work we’ve done, to really re-recruit our own personnel, to show them how much we love and appreciate them, and that word of mouth can really spread because we’re really trying to take a multi-pronged approach.
According to Radford, the district reduced the number of administrative district staff jobs to pay for the hikes, saving roughly $600,000.
Just demonstrating to our staff that we are strongly committed to supporting children and their academic growth in the classroom, according to Radford.
Also, the district’s student-to-teacher ratio went boosted by one. According to Radford, some schools may be forced to shorten teachers’ preparation periods in order to make room for fewer class numbers throughout each session.
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‘Master schedules for the school, that’s all from the principal level and SBDM (school board decision making) Council, and their schedule for how they support their students,’ said Radford. ‘Our board provides the allocations, and SBDM then decides usually how to use those allocations that are given to them by the Board of Education.
In an attempt to make up for lost daily planning time, Radford said the district would submit its proposed calendar to the board in March. This calendar will include more early release days.
There is still time left on the contract to assist them, one another, and professional learning communities, help them advance their careers, and promote staff development, Radford added.
Tina Beck, a teacher at North Oldham High School, expressed her gratitude for the 2% rise but wished it had maintained pace with inflation.
As for myself, Beck added, “I simply don’t feel like the pay is very competitive.
A bachelor’s degree-holding first-year teacher at OCS pays little over $38,000.
The board also agreed to stop charging tuition to teachers whose children attend Oldham County Schools despite living outside the district.
This is an extra advantage, according to Beck, who sends her kid to OCS but resides in Jefferson County.
To aid in hiring and retaining workers, the board also authorised more vacation days for full-time, classified support staff. Moreover, educators will be allowed to convert personal days into sick days.
In addition to the step rise, the district granted its teachers a 3% pay hike last year. According to Radford, the state must reconsider the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) financing programme, which is a formula-driven distribution of state funds to school districts, in order to continue compensation increases at OCS.
Although Radford acknowledged the budget cycle increase we received last year—a $100 increase this year and a $200 increase the next year—”that’s not enough for our school system to continue maintaining the level of support pay and remain competitive,” he said.
