Bath County Board approves budget draft, capital request and several appointments; begins superintendent search

The Bath County Board of Education on a special-called January 2025 meeting approved a set of routine and consequential measures, including adoption of the fiscal-year 2025 draft budget, a capital funds request for bond payments, a $500.25 construction change order on a BG22-520 project and motions to reconvene the local planning committee and form a superintendent search screening committee.

The board voted unanimously on the package of consent and action items. The board also approved personnel- and governance-related motions coming out of an executive session, including establishment of a screening committee to guide a superintendent search and appointments to oversee the application process.

Board members said the actions were procedural steps to keep facilities and district planning on schedule and to begin a formal search for a superintendent. A facilities-related staff member described a small, surface-mounted metal cap being proposed for the Chanel (entry) building to limit water intrusion after removal of an older canopy, saying “it was a result of the old canopy going away and exposing that that condition behind the brick.”

Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve tonight’s agenda — mover: Eric (last name on file: Concrete); second: Carla Bowling; outcome: approved unanimously. - Appointment of Barbara Raiser as board chair for 2025 — mover: Carla Bowling; second: Eric Concrete; outcome: approved unanimously. - Appointment of Carla Bowling as co-chair for 2025 — mover: Barbara Raiser; second: Eric Concrete; outcome: approved unanimously. - Appointment of Mr. Evans as board secretary through 06/30/2025 — mover: Barbara Raiser; second: (recorded) Carla Bowling/Eric Concrete; outcome: approved unanimously. - Appointment of Britney Combs as board treasurer for 2025 — mover: Barbara Raiser; second: Carla Bowling; outcome: approved unanimously. - Approval of consent items 11a–11m (routine minutes, claims, travel requests, grants, audit contract renewal, MOA with Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services for Summer EBT, surplus of four bus camera systems for $100 each, etc.) — mover: (not specified in public record); outcome: approved unanimously. - PR24 masonry metal-cap change order (BG-22-520 Lavec project) — motion to approve $500.25 change order: mover: Eric Concrete; second: Carla Bowling; outcome: approved unanimously. - Motion to reconvene the local planning committee (to change middle school project from new construction to renovation to preserve $7,000,000 from the School Construction Commission) — mover: (not specified in public record); outcome: approved unanimously. - Approval of fiscal year 2025 draft budget (estimated SEEK/C-County revenue and beginning balances discussed in presentation) — mover: Eric Concrete; second: Carla Bowling; outcome: approved unanimously. - Approval of capital funds request (to cover bond principal and interest payments related to two buses) — mover: Eric Concrete; second: Carla Bowling; outcome: approved unanimously. - Second reading and approval of the 2025–26 school calendar (choice B) — mover: Eric Concrete; second: Barbara Raiser; outcome: approved unanimously. - Approval of 2025 board meeting schedule and set meeting times/locations (working sessions 6:00 p.m., regular sessions 7:00 p.m., Bath County High School auditorium; Feb. 17, May 19 and Dec. 15 noted exceptions) — mover: Carla Bowling; second: Eric Concrete; outcome: approved unanimously. - Motion to go into executive session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(f) (personnel) — mover: Eric Concrete; second: Carla Bowling; outcome: approved unanimously. - Post–executive-session motions establishing a superintendent search screening committee, appointing Eric Concrete as the board representative on that committee, assigning board secretaries (Karen Ratliff and Britney Combs) to oversee search procedures, approving a timeline and criteria and authorizing the vacancy advertisement and application routing — motions made and carried (movers and seconders recorded in the minutes; outcomes: approved unanimously).

Why it matters: The budget and capital funds approvals keep district operations and scheduled capital work moving; reconvening the local planning committee preserves eligibility to use roughly $7 million from the School Construction Commission by the December 2026 deadline; and forming a superintendent search screening committee begins a formal process to fill the district’s top administrative post.

Discussion and context: During budget and capital-funds discussion, Superintendent Dr. Bailey presented draft numbers and program priorities the district built from KDE-provided estimates and local projections: an estimated SEEK/C-County allocation of about $9.4 million, an estimated beginning general-fund balance of about $6.7 million, and a contingency set at about $850,000 in the draft budget. Dr. Bailey told the board the draft budget adds two teaching positions “in case one of our grade levels is higher” and continues funding four school resource officer (SRO) positions and the planned purchase of two buses.

On the metal-cap change order (PR24), a staff member explained the proposed cap is a surface-mounted metal piece intended to “act as a lid” over an exposed cavity left when an older canopy was removed; the contractor’s final quote for a surface-mounted cap was $500.25. Board members voted to approve that change order.

From executive session, the board emerged with a slate of motions to run a superintendent search: establishing a screening committee, designating board representatives to the process, approving search criteria and a timeline, and authorizing publication of the vacancy and a mailing address for application correspondence (PO Box 21, Salt Lick, Kentucky 40371, care of Eric Concrete). The formal motions and votes were recorded as unanimous.

Next steps: Staff will proceed with the actions approved: implement the capital funds payment plan for bus bonds, finish the Lavec project change order work, reconvene the local planning committee to update the middle-school plan, and begin the public superintendent search according to the approved timeline.