Boone County School Board January 11

Based on a seniority rotation basis and subsequent Board vote, Jesse Parks is the Board chair for calendar year 2024. Maria Brown is co-chair. Terms of Parks, Brown, and Wolfe expire at the end of calendar year 2024, and if any of the three seek re-election, campaign time demands may force backing away from some of his/her Board duties.

Given the present superintendent, Matt Turner, has submitted his resignation effective the end of the 2023/2024 school year, the Board has chosen McPhersons and Jacobson LLC to do the superintendent search. Contract says they will not spend more than $37,900, which might be extrapolated, but not verified, to suggest a $252+K total compensation package. Search criteria were not discussed.

A large group of liberal people spoke about Endlessly Ever After, a book that a conservative parent wanted to bring to other parents’ attention as not appropriate for elementary-aged kids due to references of kissing and caressing between a child and an adult. The parent requested it be removed and or added to the need-parental-approval list. The board voted no, citing that it doesn’t fall under the “harmless to minors” State statute. Though the book is suggestive, there are additional books that are more graphic to be considered later.

The previous Board chair, Karen Byrd, made an unexpected set of statements related to the idea that changing demographics will result in fewer enrolled students and the Board needs to be considering this change. The present enrollment and the direction it is moving are unclear, given that Boone County had one of the highest parental removal rates for large school districts in the state in the early 2020s. It seemed odd she raised the topic given a conservative push for school choice while progressives are pushing pre-K and all-day kindergarten.