CEHD News

by Kevin Hyde
Superintendent Institutes Tackle Tough Issues

When Blake Haselton joined the faculty at the College of Education and Human Development in 2005, the University of Louisville not only gained one of the most successful former school superintendents in Kentucky but the president of Kentucky Association of School Superintendents (KASS).

During his 13-and-a-half-year tenure as superintendent in Oldham County, Ky., Haselton guided the public school system through a period of unprecedented growth–a population explosion–as sprawling residential development in eastern Jefferson County continued to creep over the border.

Oldham County was the highest performing county school district (out of 120) on the state assessment during Haselton’s tenure there.

As KASS president, Haselton, who is an instructor in CEHD’s leadership, foundations and human resource education department, uses that experience to help superintendents statewide.

At the behest of CEHD Dean Robert Felner and with enthusiastic encouragement from UofL President James Ramsey and Provost Shirley Willenghanz, Haselton facilitated a partnership between UofL and KASS whereby the university hosts several superintendent institutes. These are aimed at superintendents and other administrators to address issues that often are not covered at other state education conferences.

“The concept for the institutes was discussed during evaluations of other conference programs,” Haselton says. “There was a real desire on the part of the attendees to gain more specific, detailed information on certain topics–topics that didn’t necessarily fit into other annual conference agendas.”

Approximately 50 superintendents attended to first institute in spring 2006. The two-day “School Finance Institute” at Lexington’s Hyatt Regency was hosted by Hilliard Lyons with KASS and the Kentucky Association of School Administrators co-hosting.

In July, UofL hosted its second two-day institute–”Risk Management Institute”–which was attended by 51 superintendents, attorneys, school administrators and school board members. Co-sponsored by KASS, the Kentucky School Boards Association and the Kentucky School Boards Insurance Trust, the institute delved into all the thorny details of dealing with risk management, insurance and legal issues in a public school system.

The keynote speaker for the conference was Jon Akers, executive director of the Kentucky Center for Schools Safety. The program, which was held at the University Club and Alumni Center, began with a presentation on establishing a formal risk management program in a school district. Attorney Mike Owsley spoke on personnel issues, practices and procedures. Other attorneys discussed student issues (”Surviving the Culture Wars”), challenging risk management issues in special education and negligence, liability and immunities in public school.

Joe Isaacs and Jeremy Baird concluded the institute with a lengthy discussion on “School Safety and Loss Prevention.”

Other recent institutes covered school finance and construction.

“I think the institutes have been very successful based on the evaluations and comments from those who attended,” Haselton says.

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by Dorothy J. Vittitow