The Danville Board of Education meeting on Monday included a visit from Owens Saylor, who is leading the district’s superintendent search firm process through the Kentucky Association of School Administrators. He presented a finalized detailed timeline for the search, including: 

• Jan. 24: Closed-session board of education meeting to report screening committee results, finalize survey questions, discuss preferred criteria in a candidate and screening committee charges.

• Jan. 28-Feb. 11: An online survey will be conducted to collect feedback from various stakeholders about what they’d like to see in a candidate. 

• Feb. 8: There will be an online screening committee organization meeting to elect a chair and review legal responsibilities, process and the board of education’s preferred criteria. 

• Feb. 14: There will be a closed session via Zoom to go through survey results and begin developing interview questions.

• Feb. 28: The deadline to accept applications is this date at 12 p.m. The position is currently posted. 

• March 3: This will be the first screening committee work session, during which applications will be reviewed, round two candidates will be determined and the vetting process will begin. 

• March 10: Calls to references will be reviewed, and Zoom interviews between round two candidates and the screening committee will take place. The committee will develop a final recommendation for the board. 

• March 14: There will be a closed-session board meeting to review screening committee recommendations, determine a finalist and finalize an interview schedule.

• The week of April 11: Interviews will take place in closed sessions, not open to the public because they involve personnel matters. 

• April 18: A formal vote to appoint a superintendent is scheduled to take place at the regular board meeting on this date, which will be made public. 

• July 1: This is the scheduled start date for the new superintendent. 

The timeline is subject to change. 

The screening committee will consist of two teachers elected by the district’s teachers, one board of education member, one principal elected by the district’s principals, one parent elected by the parent-teacher organizations and one classified employee elected by the district’s classified employees. At least one member of the committee must be a minority member. If a minority member is not selected, the membership will increase to include a minority parent. 

For the board of education member, Board Chair Steve Becker appointed himself. 

Faculty and staff rewards

The board also approved giving a reward of $75 for a job well done to each faculty and staff member. Interim Superintendent Elmer Thomas emphasized this will be a one-time reward, and it’s expected to come as an individual deposit into bank accounts around Jan. 5.

“We just found ourselves in a position this year to be able to do that,” he said. “While it’s just a little bit, we’re hopeful that after taxes, everybody will have about $50. It will be after the holidays, and starting the second semester. It’s been a tough year on everybody — COVID, getting started back, finding employees — and we do good work in Danville.” 

Anchor Plaza

Some exciting news is that the process to get the approximately 14,000-pound anchor donated to Danville Schools installed outside Danville High School is underway. It’s being sandblasted, will have primer applied to it, and “Ultimately, we’re going to have students do the painting on that,” Thomas said. 

The anchor will be Admiral blue, and the links in its chain will be painted the school colors of the individual schools in the district. There will be concrete work, and the anchor will be installed upright in the center of the front lawn of DHS between the parent drop-off and Lexington Avenue. It will be a rounded outdoor classroom space with benches and other features. 

Danville Schools will be working with alumnus John Carman of CARMAN Landscape Architecture. The cost will be a $8,100 lump sum fee, which can be paid through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund because it’s an outdoor learning space. 

Other news from the meeting: 

• Esther Rugerio was the board member appointed to the calendar committee. “I’m just excited to participate and be part of it and volunteer my time because that’s the whole reason I joined the board, is to help out," she said.

• The financial audit report was given. There were no material weaknesses in any category. 

• There will be no board of education meeting Dec. 20, as voted by the board.