The Union County Board of Education met in regular session this Monday, August 28. The meeting began with several student recognitions including the following:
- Wrestling Achievements
- Lucas Ricketts - Fargo 16U Greco-Roman Wrestling 4th Place & All American
- Jayden Raney - Fargo 16U Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion
- Jordyn Raney - Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion
- FFA Achievements
- Jacob Gough - Ky State Fair Champion in 2023 White Corn Division
- Ella Gough - Ky State Fair Champion in 2022 White Corn Division
- Luke Adams - Ky State Fair Champion in 2022 Yellow Corn Division
- Jaci Curry - Auburn Vet School Internship Program
- Libby Clifton - State FFA Horse Speech Winner
- Coy Divine - State Winner in FFA Wildlife Proficiency
- University of Chicago Emerging Rural Leaders Program
- Magnolia Hina
- Governor's School for Entrepreneurs
- Lilly Hibbs
- Governor's Scholars Program
- Drew Sprague, Jaci Curry, Libby Clifton, and Eli Neitz
In the Superintendent’s Report, Mrs. Patricia Sheffer asked Evan Jackson, Director of Public Relations, to share about community sponsorships of the Opening Day Staff Luncheon. There were 46 community table sponsors for the event, and the Board offered thanks for their support.
Mrs. Sheffer also asked Abby Wheaton, Gifted and Talented Teacher at UCHS and UCMS, to share about her involvement in the Rutgers University Externship Project and its benefits to Union County students. Mrs. Wheaton shared that the project was very successful and opened the door to continued partnerships with the university in the future.
In other business, the Board approved the school tax levy for 2023-2024 at the compensating rate of 69.0 cents per $100 property assessment. This rate is a decrease from the 2022-2023 rate of 71.5 cents per $100 property assessment. The ability to lower the tax rate was made possible by the overall increase in local property values in the latest PVA assessment. Superintendent Sheffer, finance officer Amy Morris, and Board members all expressed their gratefulness to be able to lower the tax rate and still generate additional revenue for the school district. Mrs. Sheffer commented, "We've always said we would want to lower the tax rate if we had the opportunity, and we're glad that the Board has the opportunity to do that now."
Finally, the Board approved a number of consent items. One item of note was the approval of an update to the 2023-2024 School Calendar with a slight adjustment. The PD and G Days that were originally scheduled for Feb. 23 and 26 will now move to Feb. 16 and 20. This change was made to allow those days to coincide with the updated dates of the State Wrestling Tournament and therefore make it easier for students to support the wrestling team at the event.
The Board of Education’s next meetings will be a working session on September 21 and a regular session on September 25.
