Ashland Schools planning committee meeting contentious

Apr. 19—ASHLAND — An Ashland Independent Schools Local Planning Committee meeting contained fireworks Tuesday night at Charles Russell Elementary concerning the usage of funds.

The meeting lacked flow in progression due to consistent interruptions or "inquiries" by committee member David Williams.

Williams previously reached out to The Daily Independent regarding postsecondary readiness performance of students from Ashland Blazer High School.

Williams provided several statistics showing Blazer having a large-percentage discrepancy of students receiving trade certifications as opposed to surrounding school districts.

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, Blazer's postsecondary rate — meaning students either met or exceeded a college readiness benchmark score, completed a required number of hours within an apprenticeship or achieved an industry-recognized certification — was 77% in 2022 while Boyd, Rowan, Russell and Carter County see postsecondary scores in the 90th percentile.

Williams believes the reasoning of the discrepancy is due to the lack of an independent Career and Technical School with its own outside campus compared to neighboring districts that have a specific location off or near campus for career and technical programs.

While Blazer offers more than 20 career and technical programs, the courses are taught on campus.

As the committee began to discuss Ashland Independent's District Facility Plan, Williams interjected that $10 million — that has previously been discussed as being utilized for an indoor sports complex — should be utilized in renovating a structure on Roberts Drive for a career and technical school.

Various committee members, including Superintendent Sean Howard, Ashland Blazer Principal Jamie Campbell and Board of Education member Ashley Layman individually expressed to Williams the board and committee had looked into that suggested property to house the renovation project, but the cost couldn't be justified when the school already had fine and functioning career and technical programs — even if they are physically on the campus of Paul G. Blazer.

Howard said the property is currently owned by Ashland Community and Technical College, which quoted a $15 million renovation just to get the lot up to code for students to enter the building. That's not including the cost of actually adding the necessary equipment or layout for the programs the high school currently offers.

Earlier in the meeting, Howard made a motion to move one of Williams's funding matters to a Priority 1 in order to have a better chance of Dept. of Ed. approval — but Williams continued on, implying that Blazer still had work to do regarding career and technical education (CTE).

"I'm sick of it," Principal Campbell said, pounding his fist on the table.

"I am too," Howard added. "We have provided more CTE opportunities than everyone else.

"Since that we've added an agricultural program and FFA," Howard continued. "We are offering welding on campus and working with Russell (Russell Area Technology Center) and the Kentucky Department of Education to send students for what we don't offer."

"We've recently added HVAC electricity — a pathway requirement in which we already have 49 students enrolled in and ready to go," Campbell said.

Unsatisfied, Williams began questioning the committee on their plans if slots were unavailable at the Russell facility.

"Business, health science, agricultural, family and consumer science; our kids are in very good shape. An indoor sports facility is desperately needed. We're offering opportunities never had before in the Ashland school district," Howard said.

Williams began another line of questioning regarding his dream of a career and technical center on Roberts Drive, mixing in a jab at the superintendent.

"Sean Howard wants an indoor sports complex so I guess that's what we'll have," Williams began.

A fed-up Howard interjected quickly. "You, David Williams, have been nothing but a hindrance; a hindrance to me; a hindrance to this board; and a hindrance to Ashland Independent Schools," Howard said, pointing his finger across the table at Williams.

Sen. Robin Webb entered the meeting briefly before the back-and-forth exchanges, invited by Williams for "legal input," he said.

Howard apologized to Sen. Webb for Williams's use of her name to gain some sort of leverage in getting what he wanted.

"I'm just here to listen. I was invited to come and caught a break in my schedule. I want whatever you all want," Webb said, adding that her 25 years in politics had her accustomed to having her name utilized in different ways.

"You'll have to explain that," Williams repeated to Howard continuously. "If you're going to use personal jabs, you need to explain it."

Howard didn't explain it and the meeting lurched forward.

During the exchange, a man in attendance politely raised his hand but was briefly ignored over the firecrackers between Howard, Campbell and Williams.

At the end of the meeting, the chairman finally called on the man, explaining it was too chaotic at the time to do it earlier. "Did you have a question?" the chairman asked.

"No, I don't have a question. Just some information for you," the man responded.

The man told the committee it was the "craziest" public forum he had ever witnessed and while he appreciated the programs currently available, he questioned if anyone on the committee could even name all of the CTE programs at Blazer.

At the end of his "we should all get along" speech, Campbell rattled off several programs including phlebotomy, early childhood education, HVAC, welding, carpentry, engineering and several more. "Those are just the ones I wrote down off the top of my head," making the man's statement of "information" null.

The man said the board should thank Williams for his research and dedication to identifying funds entitled to the district. He said, if not for Williams, Ashland Schools would have never received them.

No "thank you" was clearly extended to Williams on record.

Layman addressed the tension over the meeting, saying that because of the committee's "children-first priority" despite pushback (from Williams), passion of administrators was obvious and personal jabs had reached a boiling point by Tuesday's meeting.

The board closed by taking a vote to submit the District Facility Plan to the Dept. of Ed. which reached a unanimous vote, even with Williams's reluctant "yes."

Construction priorities contained in the plan include security entrances for Crabbe, Hager, Oakview, Poage and Charles Russell Elementary Schools, renovations to Paul G. Blazer's HVAC, technology infrastructure and parking lot paving, an auditorium and additional CTE programs like aviation, metal fabrication and construction technologies.

Ashland Elementary schools also list major renovations, including heat and plumbing.

The Facility Plan also lists classroom renovations to include space for art and music and special education resources, sidewalk work, electrical systems, renovations to the Central Bus Garage and a relocation of Central Office and Ashland Exceptional Early Childhood Center (to accommodate additional children).

The District Facility Plan requests a district need of $67,829,435 to be utilized by 2027.

The next Planning Committee meeting will take place on May 2 at Hager Elementary if needed.