At the Aug. 19 meeting the Round County Board of Education approved the regular consent agenda and several business items, including contracts and personnel actions intended to address staffing and program needs for the 2025–26 school year.

Superintendent Mr. Rowe explained the consent items. The board approved a contract with Happy Heights, which Mr. Rowe said is “an agency that we're contracting with that provides services for speech and also for occupational therapy,” explaining the district has difficulty hiring certified speech providers and must contract to serve students when the district’s caseload limits are reached.

The board also approved surplusing two supplementary literacy programs — LLI and Running Records — because, Mr. Rowe said, “They do not meet the current green status that is required by the Kentucky Department of Education. They’re not based upon the science of reading. So these are something that we no longer use, so we'd like to be able to surplus those.”

Mr. Rowe explained that three teachers received emergency certification while enrolled in training programs, a common practice amid staffing shortages. The board approved those personnel actions as part of the consent agenda.

The consent agenda included approval to allow Mountain Comp personnel and nursing students to use district facilities when needed to provide services and get hands‑on hours, which Mr. Rowe described as a partnership supporting school health services.

Separately, the board approved a shortened day for four elementary students; the board recorded the voice vote approving the change.

Why this matters: The decisions reflect operational steps the district is taking to meet student therapy needs, adapt instructional resources to current state guidance, and manage staffing shortages through temporary certification and community partnerships.

All consent and business agenda items were approved by motion and voice vote at the meeting; no dissenting votes were recorded in the public transcript.

The board’s approvals allow staff to finalize contracts, remove surplus materials from inventory, and implement the shortened‑day plans for the individual students.