Flexibility, is that you?

Schools now have extra flexibility to manage COVID-19 — and it could not have gotten here fast enough.

Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 25 into law late last week, giving districts 10 remote learning days to use for each school.

Again, remote learning is used to close individual grades or schools. It is not nontraditional instruction, which can be used only for full district closures.

Jefferson County Superintendent Marty Pollio has expressed concern about the remote learning days, but they’re now a tool in a sparsely filled toolbox he’s rifling through as COVID-19 cases continue to wreak havoc on his staffing numbers.

ICYMI: JCPS used four of its 10 NTI days last week, hoping to reopen today. But those case numbers did not improve, so um, JCPS will be on NTI for the rest of this week. Better luck next week.

In another flexibility graciously extended by state leaders, quarantine guidance for K-12 schools changed last week. Schools with universal masking no longer need to contact trace in schools, nor do they need to quarantine due to in-school exposure (not that they would know).

The JCPS board is scheduled to meet tonight at 5 p.m. to discuss and potentially implement the guidance.

Pro: Could help keep schools open because of fewer staff quarantines.

Con: Staff quarantines haven't been the issue — staff cases have been the larger pest.

Also, parents will have no clue if their kid has been directly exposed and is now potentially infecting other people. Schools would continue to tell families if someone in the school tested positive, but the form letter JCPS has used does not say whether the individual was a student or staff member, let alone which classes they could have exposed.

Back again!

Thought education opportunity account legislation was over? Think again.

Sen. Ralph Alvarado, R-Winchester, and Rep. Josh Calloway, R-Irvington, filed similar bills designed to build on last year’s EOA law.

Both bills:

• Allow families in all counties to use EOAs for private school tuition;

• Remove a sunset provision, allowing the program to continue indefinitely;

• Expand the income eligibility threshold to include more middle-class families;

• Allow the total tax credit doled out by the state to increase if enough donations are received.

Calloway's version is a bit more extreme than Alvarado's, calling for a higher income cutoff for families (a family of four making $121,00 a year would qualify) and a higher maximum tax credit limit (it could balloon to $100 million in credits each year).

Neither bill requires private schools to at least attempt to be certified by state education officials in order to receive funds. So, tiny private schools flying under the radar and using extremist curriculum could get would-be tax dollars.

Here’s the thing: These provisions aren’t new. They appeared in previous versions of school choice legislation but were cut last year to pick up votes. Considering the provisions already weren’t popular, lawmakers don’t have something like full-day kindergarten they can use to sweeten the deal and the EOA program has no success to tout because a judge said it is illegal, it will be an uphill climb.

More on the #KYGA22 front

Two weeks into the session, neither anti-”critical race theory” bill has moved. But that didn’t stop dozens of students and educators from protesting the bills. Here’s what students think about the measures.

House Education Chairwoman Regina Huff, R-Williamsburg, filed a bill that would require districts to offer universal preschool and fund full-day kindergarten. A double-whammy.

Districts impacted by December's deadly tornadoes will split $30 million in state dollars to help recovery efforts.

Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, got lightly roasted on social media after declaring on Kentucky Tonight he is "not a fan of pre-K." In a Twitter rebuke, Rep. Josie Raymond, D-Louisville, said "I'm pre-K's biggest fan."

As a reminder, I'm tracking marquee education bills in this file. Bookmark it and check frequently as the session progresses.

And more on the JCPS front

In a marathon meeting stretching nearly four hours last week, the JCPS school board got mildly feisty as it looked at multiple incoming proposals.

To set the vibe for the evening, we had a side-eye worthy moment when board member James Craig challenged board chairwoman Diane Porter for the top seat on the board. He lost, but he got two votes — himself and Chris Kolb. (The chair's election is typically unanimous.)

That school security proposal I mentioned previously was discussed. Craig questioned why the district's in-house security plan from two years ago never got a vote. Kolb accused lawmakers and the media (*cough*) of being "deliberately misleading" by saying the district's proposal wouldn't meet state law. (That's looking increasingly like a judge will need to figure that out.)

Board members continued the odd tension in a discussion of a potential new school funding formula. JCPS wants to fund schools based on student need, so schools with more students in low-income households or with special needs would see more money.

District leaders also said they want to change teacher staffing ratios, so the highest needs schools got more teachers, meaning, ideally, smaller class sizes. (A big issue here: Where are they going to find more teachers in a teacher shortage, and how will they convince those teachers to go to high need schools?)

The plan was met with board concerns of some schools losing funding and at least one board member who didn't appear to understand how to read a basic math formula.

And, to close out the evening, Craig made a number of pointed remarks about the board's planning calendar. Riveting stuff.

Your homework

No homework this week. Class dismissed. OK, bye.

Reach Olivia Krauth at okrauth@courierjournal.com and on Twitter at @oliviakrauth.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Flexibility, is that you?