Knox, Corbin Schools end five-year battle over reciprocal agreement

After five years of disagreement, the Corbin and Knox County school boards have agreed to put a new student student plan in place for the 2014-15 school year.

At a special called meeting Tuesday, the Knox County Board of Education voted 3-2 to approve a similar agreement to the one the Corbin Board of Education approved last Thursday.

 “It is nice they approved it,” said Corbin Schools Superintendent Ed McNeel upon hearing the news.

Though McNeel said the details of the agreement will have to be worked out, it will permit up to 405 Knox County schools students to attend Corbin schools. The duration of the agreement, how any vacant slots will be filled – whether by lottery, on a first-come basis or other means – are among the details. McNeel said siblings of current students will likely not count against the cap.

“That is about the number of students from Knox County we have in Corbin schools right now,” McNeel said when asked how the board arrived at that number as the cap.

The cap is in line with action taken by the Corbin Board of Education in December. Citing a lack of building space, the board voted to accept students under the multiple reciprocal agreements only so long as enrollment does not exceed capacity. Officials noted Corbin’s enrollment now exceeds 2,900. Building capacity is 3,050.

These conditions will be included in the new reciprocal agreements for the 2014-15 school year

There is no limit on the number of Corbin students that may attend Knox County Schools.

At its last meeting in January, the Knox County School Board voted down a new reciprocal agreement with Corbin. Unlike previous votes, it was not unanimous as board members Merrill Smith and Dexter Smith voted to accept the agreement with Corbin.

At Tuesday’s meeting Chair Charles Merida joined the Smiths in voting to approve the agreement

"I am a proponent of parent choice. All Knox County taxpayers, I feel, should have the right to do what they feel is best for their child. That was the leading cause for me feeling this way," Merrill Smith said, adding that more students are now coming from Corbin to Knox.

Smith said the vote by Corbin to approve an agreement with Knox played a role in his decision. "We had factions that wanted any and all, and other factions that said zero. This number of 405 was recommended by the Commissioner of Education. He was also quoted as saying it would be best for both districts to come to a number, and we can work on it from there," he said.

McNeel said Thursday that with two Knox County Board members voting in favor of an agreement and a new superintendent in Knox County, he felt there was an opportunity to resolve the issue that has led to fights in front of the state school board and in court.

The issue began in January 2010 when the Knox County Board of Education voted to end the non-student reciprocal agreement with Corbin Independent Schools.

At the time, then Knox County Superintendent Walter T. Hulett cited the loss of $1.3 million in state funding that followed the 405 Knox County students to Corbin, which put Knox County Schools in a financial bind and resulted in the layoffs of 15 classified and 30 certified staff members.

When asked about the board’s decision to keep in place similar agreements with Barbourville, Clay County, Middlesboro, Pineville, Williamsburg and Whitley County school districts, Hulett noted the number of students from each of those districts attending Knox County schools is about the same as the Knox County students attending school in those districts.

"Those agreements are revenue neutral," Hulett said previously.

The Corbin Board of Education voted to appeal the Knox County decision to the Kentucky Board of Education. That case has since moved on to Franklin Circuit Court when the Corbin board elected to add the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years to the case

Knox County Schools Superintendent Kelly Sprinkles said, "My thing is I really wanted to see this get out of litigation and get back in the hands of the schools. Knox County schools have a lot to offer. We’re building our programs and building opportunities for kids. We want that to be the draw. If we do things right and do them well, reciprocal agreements will be a non-factor for us in a very short amount of time."

Sprinkles said he feels Corbin’s approval of a reciprocal agreement was a move in the right direction.

"I think that was a positive step on their part," he said, adding that he also feels the agreements open up new possibilities. "We have the ag program and the robotics program. We have Corbin students that want to participate in those things," he said.