Management Review Of Nelson County Schools Concluded

A management review conducted by the Kentucky Department of Education into the Nelson County Schools district has concluded.

In a letter sent to board chair Amanda Deaton and Superintendent Wes Bradley, Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher said he “determined that there is not a pattern of a significant lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the governance and administration of Nelson County Schools. Further, a management audit is not being ordered at this time.”

The management review was issued after the state rejected the firing of Superintendent Bradley. Kentucky Department of Education determined that the board’s reasonings for his firing were not supported with “competent and relevant evidence.”

KDE made three recommendations to Bradley and the Board of Education at the conclusion of the management review:

Develop a process to review, amend, and adopt all Board policies on a rotational calendar basis.
Develop a timeline to review, update, and submit a new District Facilities Plan (DFP) to KDE.
Develop a comprehensive communication plan to ensure all stakeholders are informed about district initiatives.

Overall, Kentucky Department of Education found few or no issues under: instructional programming and organization, fiscal management and accountability procedures, the maintenance and condition of the physical plant, and student transportation.

Kentucky Department of Education noted in governance policy and procedures that board members felt “they could benefit from additional training to conduct effective and efficient board meetings.”

The state also noted there is no system in place to adequately review policies and “neither the Board of Education nor the Superintendent can clearly communicate how policies directly impact student achievement.”

There is also not a clear understanding of the district’s organizational structure, and no comprehensive communication plan.

Kentucky Department of Education concluded the governance policy and procedures section with “there is a strained/intense relationship between some Board Members and the Superintendent.”

Under facility construction, Kentucky Department of Education said, “the District Facility Plan is a major point of conflict between some board members and the Superintendent. The current District Facility Plan was approved by the Kentucky Board of Education in 2019 and revised with an amendment in February 2022, and a finding in December 2022. A new District Facility Plan was due in 2023; the district has not initiated a request for a waiver nor established a new facility planning process.”

At the end of the report, Kentucky Department of Education said after reviewing board meetings, interviews, and correspondence from the community sent to the Kentucky Department of Education showed there is “unrest in Nelson County due to the current local facilities plan and the tension between the Board of Education and the Superintendent.”

The board and superintendent briefly discussed the results of the management review and KDE recommendations at its meeting on July 16.

There, Bradley suggested the district create a plan to review policies quarterly, potentially seat its local planning committee in early 2025 and revisit its communication plan to find ways to improve.
Source: WDRB