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Southeast/South-CentralEducational Cooperative

ANNUALREPORT

FY 2014

SESC provides life changing opportunities for OUR children and OUR communities with our partners to promote educational excellence in OUR region.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Executive Summary______________________________________________________________________________1

Strategic Report___________________________________________________________________________________3

Financial Report__________________________________________________________________________________5

Operational Report_______________________________________________________________________________7

Future Goals_____________________________________________________________________________________12

Contact Information____________________________________________________________________________14

FINANCIAL REPORTFINANCIAL REPORT

Executive Summary

If one word was used to describe 2014 for SESC, it would be GROWTH. We have grown in numbers, in partnerships, in finances, in vision, and in experience and expertise as we have worked to support the efforts of our region’s schools and children. The following report is designed to inform SESC members and other interested readers of the activities and accomplishments of the year and the vision for the future of SESC.

STRATEGIC HIGHLIGHTS2014 has been an exciting year for Southeast/South-Central with significant growth in many areas. Most notably, SESC added four new school districts to its membership with the addition of Clay County, Knox County, Middlesboro, and Williamsburg, bringing the total number of board members to 23. Training opportunities and support activities have expanded throughout the year by the addition of KDE staff for the implementation of PGES and the use of regional and sub-regional trainings throughout the service area. New partnerships have expanded and been strengthened with regional colleges and universities as well as with neighboring educational cooperatives. SESC is quickly establishing a strong presence in our region.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTSOne of the central concerns with the establishment of SESC as an independent entity was the financial stability of the organization in its initial stages. Despite receiving less revenue than projected in several areas, SESC is on solid financial ground. Through conservative budgeting and spending, Southeast/South-Central has managed to provide more support services to more districts while spending less than expected as of date. The same is true for all divisions within the SESC budget as the coop is projected to begin FY 2015 in a stronger financial position than the current year.

OPERATING HIGHLIGHTSSESC currently employs 14 staff members, 10 of whom are full-time, and operates offices in three locations across the region (Corbin, London, and Richmond). Of these employees, only seven were employed by SESC last year, including those who served in the special education division under the supervision of KEDC. In the course of this year, seven new

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employees were hired, including the Executive Director and the Regional Director of Special Education Services, and a team focused on a common mission and vision has developed. The special education division has been smoothly integrated into the general coop with few problems. All new systems, such as procedures for purchasing and staff evaluations, have been implemented along with the introduction of a new website and email and scheduling system.

LOOKING AHEADWith much groundwork laid in 2014, SESC is looking forward to 2015 and beyond as it begins work to become the best at what it does by providing services designed to support school districts in their efforts to successfully educate all of their children. While much work remains, we are excited for the opportunity!

David R. JohnsonExecutive Director

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Strategic Report

MEMBERSHIPOne of the goals of the executive director for 2014 was to strengthen the presence of SESC in its region and to strengthen relationships within the coop and with external partners. With four new district members added to the team, SESC now includes 22 public school districts and Eastern Kentucky University (EKU). Member districts include the following: Bell County, Berea, Casey County, Clay County, Corbin, East Bernstadt, Estill County, Harlan Independent, Jackson County, Knox County, Laurel County, Lincoln County, Madison County, McCreary County, Middlesboro, Pineville, Rockcastle County, Science Hill, Somerset, Wayne County, Whitley County, and Williamsburg. The strength of this group is its diversity in demographics and experiences within its common commitment to educational excellence for its students which unites and directs the efforts of Southeast/South-Central Educational Cooperative toward that goal.

PARTNERSHIPSDuring the course of the year, SESC has sought out multiple partnerships aimed at increasing and coordinating support services for its member schools. Through its growing partnership with EKU, SESC has become a valued member of the Vanguard East team working with multiple universities and colleges and a neighboring coop (Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative) to revamp teacher preparation programs in the eastern section of the Commonwealth. SESC has also initiated relationships with Berea College, Union College, and University of the Cumberlands, all of which send representatives to monthly coop meetings to participate in relevant discussions with superintendents and districts. Relationships have also been strengthened with KDE as the executive director and other SESC staff serve on multiple committees.

TRAININGTraining opportunities have grown throughout the year with additional staff and expertise. A review of SESC’s records shows that the coop has offered 81 training opportunities (general education, special education, and KDE-sponsored such as PGES and CEP) with more than 3,000 attendees since July 2013. These figures do not include on-site and Lync services that were provided to individual districts. With funding

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provided by KDE, the coop has offered specific training in Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES) for teachers and principals through regional and sectional offerings as well as trainings for individual districts as needed. KDE-funded consultants have also established content networks in science and social studies to assist districts in the implementation of the new Common Core Standards. Using coop staff, SESC has sponsored trainings in CIITS, Program Reviews, and SBDM training throughout the year.

MEETINGS/CADRESMonthly meetings have been held for superintendents to focus on school improvement issues as well as internal coop affairs. Regional cadres have also been established for , Directors of Special Education, instructional supervisors and finance officers to provide training, up-to-date information, and networking opportunities.

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Financial Report

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONDuring this initial year of operational and financial autonomy, SESC has operated in a fiscally conservative manner in many respects. When planning for 2013-14, the Board of Directors drafted a conservative budget that included realistic revenue projections along with limited expenditures based on estimates for the year. The Board also applied this same philosophy to personnel costs as limited positions were created and a conservative salary schedule and contract structure was adopted. For example, the Board-approved salary schedule for SESC employees was based on an average of district member salary schedules as opposed to adopting the salary schedule used by agencies that paid coop employees prior to 2013-14. The contract days assigned to a position were based on a statewide average of similar positions found in other educational cooperatives in Kentucky rather than simply carrying forward the number of days previously assigned to positions. Also, expenditures have been managed closely during this first year in an effort to limit costs and to best estimate future needs. Expenditures have been based on need rather than on those of prior years.

As a result of these actions, SESC will conclude the year in a strong financial position. While the coop does not yet boast as large an annual budget as most of its fellow cooperatives, it is stable and growing its annual fiscal balance. Overall, SESC is currently projecting income in line with that budgeted despite less than projected revenue from administrative fees from purchasing agreements. (This lower revenue is primarily the result of lower fees from KPC due to lost income from purchasing for School Food Service programs.) Most of this has been offset by a larger beginning balance (made available from coop funds previously managed by EKU) than projected and an increase in membership dues as a result of new districts joining SESC throughout the year. At the same time, expenditures have been controlled by limiting staff to only those positions most needed this first year and closely monitoring other operational expenditures. The same has been true of expenditures in the special education division where available funds have been used to provide staff and training for both districts and SESC staff.

As a result of these actions, the Executive Director should have a better estimate of actual income and expenditures for 2014-15 which may allow consideration of means to address

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needs of the coop. However, these estimates will be based on one year’s experience in this new market and a conservative approach is probably still warranted until multiple years of data can be used to develop a budget. It is believed that other sources of income will be made available to SESC as grant opportunities become more likely after 501(c)(3) status is obtained.

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Operational Report

STAFFINGLast fall, the SESC superintendents made the decision to operate separately from Eastern Kentucky University and to begin the process of planning for its new autonomy. In the spring, the Board of Directors made several decisions that impacted the staff then employed or to be employed by SESC. Under the direction of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), members of the Southeast Educational Cooperative (SEC) special education cooperative were under the authority of Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC) as they served the districts of SESC in 2012-13. However, the special education cooperative was to be placed under the authority of the SESC Board of Directors effective July 1, 2013. As the result of varying factors, some of which have been outlined in this report, several members of that staff chose to leave the special education group. As a result, SESC has hired seven new employees including a new Executive Director and Regional Director of Special Education Services.

The SESC staff of 14 employees, of which 10 are employed full-time, provide a wide range of services to member districts. The special education division includes the regional director, nine consultants, and one part-time staff support secretary. This staff includes specialists in College and Career Readiness (CCR) and Transition, Low Incidence Population (including Autism), IEP Development and Due Process, Behavior Intervention, and Math and Literacy. Training and support services are provided by the staff in specific specialties as well. The general education staff includes the Executive Director, a consultant, and an accounting manager. The general education consultant provides training specifically in CIITS, Program Reviews, SBDM Training and Principal Selection as well as other specialty areas. As directed by KDE, the special education division has been integrated with the SESC general education division to provide integrated services to members. Along with SESC member, the special education division is responsible for providing services to four other districts (Barbourville Independent, Garrard County, Harlan County, and Pulaski County) assigned to the special education division by KDE.

Other KDE staff assigned to SESC include two part-time PGES/CEP consultants and one consultant each for the content networks for Science and Social Studies. These consultants

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have closely communicated and planned with SESC staff to provide services to member districts.

OFFICESSESC operates three offices across the service region. The coop’s business office is located in the Special Education office building of Madison County School District, stationed on the campus of Madison Central High School in Richmond. All financial operations are handled in this office where the Accounting Manager is housed. The Executive Director’s office is located in the Corbin Technology Center operated by Corbin Independent School District. The special education division is housed in the London Training Center which includes the office of the Regional Director of Special Education Services, a large training room, a small conference room, and an instructional/training materials resource room. Regular monthly meetings of the Board of Directors are held in the Garland Building located directly behind London Elementary School in Laurel County.

By having offices in these three locations, SESC has a presence in different regions of its service area. In order to provide high quality services throughout the region while maximizing time and cost-efficiency for districts, training services have been held at regional locations (Corbin, Richmond, and Somerset) and at sectional sites (Corbin, London, Middlesboro, Richmond, and Somerset) throughout the year. It is believed that this strategy has increased participation and improved district capacity while limiting the cost for member districts.

MANAGEMENT/GOVERNANCEEffective July 1, 2013, Interim Executive Director Sarah Evans assumed the reigns of SESC with the support and assistance of Accounting Manager Johnda Bales. Ms. Evans and Mrs. Bales did an outstanding job of transitioning SESC to its autonomous state and initiating the workings of the coop. On September 16, David Johnson assumed the position of Executive Director and SESC began to establish its new culture and position in service to member districts. The organizational chart for SESC follows:

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Like other similar agencies, SESC operates under the direction of governing documents such as an Interlocal Cooperation Agreement, Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, and Board policies. After much discussion and tedious work, new management and operational policies were adopted last spring in preparation for the July 1 start date. Throughout the course of the year, policies were revised as actual operations dictated adjustments. Included in the new operating procedures is a procurement system which includes the use of purchase orders and a MUNIS-like coding system, a travel request and documentation process, and a personnel evaluation system. It is expected that revisions will continue as needed.

COMMUNICATIONSDuring the course of the year, SESC and other Kentucky education cooperatives have been added to the KDE global address book and given access to school districts through the Microsoft 365 suite. As a result, communication has improved drastically with members. The software also gave SESC access to Lync for video conferencing. As a result, SESC is now using this program to hold video conferences with individual and groups of districts with greater effectiveness and efficiency due to reduced travel time and costs. Again, this is of great benefit to districts and to SESC.

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SESC Board of Directors

Regional DoSE

Special Education Staff

General Education

Consultants

Accounting Manager

Executive Director


MISSION/VISIONMonthly staff meetings were established upon the arrival of Executive Director Johnson for the purpose of creating a common culture and to develop a SESC team. A culture of collaboration and continuous improvement was quickly adopted by the staff as they worked together to grow as professionals. During the process, the team drafted the following mission statement which was later adopted by the SESC Board of Directors.

SESC provides life changing opportunities for OUR children and OUR communities with OUR partners to promote educational excellence in OUR region.

We believe education can change the lives of children and, as a result, the future of communities. This is a particularly great need in the many challenged communities of SESC. We also believe that this long-term goal can only be achieved through the focused and combined work of educators at all levels. As such, we are committed to form partnerships with higher education, educational agencies, and other willing partners for the purpose of supporting and promoting educational excellence in our region. We emphasize “OUR” in our mission not as a term of possession of children or geography but to clearly state that we are located in and a part of the SESC region and, as a result, are deeply committed to this work.

The staff also developed a vision statement, entitled Vision 2020, for the future of SESC that states our commitment to providing services of high quality designed to promote the success of member districts and their students and staff. Simply put, we want to be the best at what we do! A copy of the SESC vision statement follows.

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Vision 2020By 2020, SESC will be recognized as Kentucky’s leading educational cooperative in

effective and efficient support services that allow its member districts to successfully educate all of their students. SESC will deliver services that are data-driven, evidence/research-based, and customer-focused throughout the region through a variety of delivery methods including face-to-face and technology-based. Our coop will be known for its innovation, expertise, and outstanding customer service. We will be proactive in projecting potential barriers and solutions on behalf of our districts. SESC will be the “first call” by its customers when there is a need for assistance. Simply put, we will be the best at what we do.

SESC staff will be highly competent and professional in manner and communication. Our consultants will be well-trained in their field of services, experts in best practices in adult education, and problem solvers focused on the individual needs of our districts. We will seek out and respond to feedback appropriately and accurately in order to continuously improve the services we provide.

SESC will advocate and promote educational excellence in our region in order to support economic growth, improved quality of life, and an educated citizenry through the use of media and direct communications. Our coop will develop strong partnerships and collaborate with other educational institutions and agencies and other relevant groups within the region and state focused on helping our districts succeed. SESC will be a strong and positive presence recognized across the Commonwealth.

SESC will promote and recognize excellence in its members and in its own staff. The coop will support superintendents, administrators, and teachers in their efforts to grow professionally through individualized and shared growth opportunities such as cadres, book studies, etc.

Starting now, SESC will operate in a manner that is ethical and legal. It will be known for its high expectations of self and accountability to others. Each staff member will be valued and respected. In summary, SESC will be a coop of which we can all be proud as a member or an employee.

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Future Goals

While SESC has accomplished much in one year and has reason to celebrate, there is a great deal of work to be done. Following is a list of matters to be considered and issues to be addressed in future months:

STRATEGIC• Maintain and strengthen relationships with current member districts through

improved communications and services

• Expand partnerships to business and political leaders in the SESC region

• Expand partnerships with higher education to include services mutually beneficial to member districts the universities/colleges

• Expand training to address needs specified by SESC districts

• Strengthen existing cadres and expand to new groups

FINANCIAL• Achieve 501(c)(3) status

• Seek out new revenue sources such as grants and training/conference fees

• Improved finance management software for easy communication of data between remote offices

STAFFING• Expand staff as needed to provide additional services to SESC districts

• Provide training opportunities to support professional growth of SESC staff

MANAGEMENT/GOVERNANCE• Develop a new staff evaluation system aligned with PGES

• Continue to develop appropriate policies for SESC as needed

• Develop a metric to measure effectiveness/efficiency of services and delivery

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COMMUNICATIONS/TECHNOLOGY• Improved website for SESC that allows easier access to services and registration as

well as more complete information about the work of the coop and its members

• Increase utilization of technology to improve time efficiency and cost effectiveness for districts/SESC

• Explore opportunities to utilize technology to expand training opportunities for districts

OFFICES• Consolidate London/Corbin offices for improved efficiency in cost effective manner

while maintaining SESC presence in this region of the service area

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Contact Information

Southeast/South-Central Educational CooperativeAdministrative OfficeDavid R. Johnson, Executive DirectorAdministrative Office222 Corbin Center Corbin, KY 40701606-273-0883 (Cell)606-261-7739 (Office)606-261-7807 (Fax)[email protected]

Business OfficeJohnda Bales, Accounting ManagerPO Box 1777707 N. 2nd StreetRichmond, KY 40476859-625-6048 (Office)859-624-4529 (Fax)[email protected]

London Training CenterMelissa Reynolds, Regional Director of Special Education Services1106 South Main StreetLondon, KY [email protected]

www.sesccoop.org

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mailto:[email protected]



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