Even with SEEK, school funding has clear winners, losers
By Rebecca Hanchett
Kentucky budgets more than a third of state funds for K-12 education, with both state government and local school districts – including all public school districts in Northern Kentucky – helping to fund public schools.
How much each pays is tied to something called SEEK.
SEEK, for Support Education Excellence in Kentucky, has been Kentucky’s main source of public school funding for over 30 years. Some call it a funding formula, others call it a distribution model. It works by guaranteeing enough money to pay a minimum, or base, amount to educate every public school student in the state, based on average daily student attendance, with more on the side.
Kentucky increased the guaranteed base per pupil amount in 2022 after no base increase for four budget years. It will increase the guaranteed base again in July, from a current amount of $4,200 per stu-
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Wilder planning board OKs Overlook zoning
By Haley Parnell
The Overlook at Sunrock development squeaked by the Wilder Planning and Zoning Commission June 10, winning stage one plan approval and recommendation for a zoning change.
Fischer Homes has already begun developing 238 condominium units (approved in 2021) near Bentwood Hills Drive in Wilder but has reapproached the city for a total of 611 units, including single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, condos and gallery homes. The commission heard the updated development proposal at its meeting June 10. The proposal passed, 4-3, and will now go to city council for a vote.
The development would continue the 575 units approved for the Sunrock development in Southgate earlier this year.
The 611 homes in Fischer’s latest plans are revised down from 733 in the original plans. The planning commission denied that configuration in 2022.
Many residents attended the June meeting to express concerns about the development, mainly regarding drainage, hillside slippage and traffic.
“My big concern is we’ve heard a lot about the geotechnical testing and stuff that’s been done to ensure that everything’s going to be stable and safe,” Wilder resident Rodney Bowcock said. “And I assume that similar testing was also done at Ludlow, and I’ve seen all these articles and read about what happened in Ludlow.”
Bowcock was referring to land slippage after heavy rain at a Fischer development in Ludlow earlier this year.
Greg Fischer, chairman of Fischer Homes, said the Ludlow project was more complex than what they are doing in Wilder. He said they are working on a ridge between train tracks with existing houses that have been there for 85 to 100 years.
“What happened was we had a big rain at the peak point of exposure, and we didn’t have any storm sewer in,” Fischer said. “We had the site opened up. The way we graded that site was to divert water away from houses. What you didn’t see in the news was a bunch of houses that got flooded. What you saw on the news was the route we diverted water that ran toward Route 8. Route 8 took it down to the underpass and took it to the river. We didn’t hit any houses; the houses were safe.”
Fischer said they plan to reduce stormwa-
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Students get off buses at Ockerman Elementary School in Florence for the first day of the 2023-24 school year in August. Ockerman
in Boone County Schools.
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dent to $4,326 per student in fiscal year 2025, and again, to $4,586, in fiscal year 2026. On top of the guaranteed amount are the “add-ons” – extra state and some federal funds for specific student needs (at-risk students, students with disabilities, transportation, etc.).
Kenton County Schools Superintendent Henry Webb told LINK nky that the state education budget passed by the Kentucky General Assembly this year is the best he’s seen in his 17 years as superintendent.
That doesn’t mean he thinks public schools in Kentucky are necessarily well funded, though.
Instead of keeping pace with the increasing cost of education, SEEK has actually fallen behind.
“It works as long as the state funding from state legislators is high enough to make that distribution model work. Unfortunately that’s not been the case over time,” Webb told LINK. “The reason I say that is in 2008 our district was about 52% state funded. Last year we were 38% state funded.
“So, yes, we’re getting more SEEK dollars, but the majority of that’s coming locally. And that is easily readily observed in all of Northern Kentucky,” Webb told LINK.
Some school districts in NKY, and across the commonwealth, get less state SEEK funding while others get more. What the state doesn’t pay toward the base amount, the local tax base does.
Districts with a larger tax base – a county district with a lot of taxable property versus a small independent district with less, for example – typically pay a larger share of per pupil base SEEK while districts with a smaller tax base get a larger share from the state. To illustrate, the chart below shows local and state portions of base SEEK per pupil funding for Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties versus three river cities
districts for the 2023-24 school year:
For several years, however, the state guaranteed base has not been keeping pace with inflation, according to a 2023 report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. As of 2023, the state share of the SEEK base adjusted for inflation was 27% below what it was in 2008 per the center’s report. That lag in the state base SEEK limits how much revenue public schools in NKY and statewide generate over time, according to the center.
“When the state underfunds its portion of the formula, the burden shifts to local districts and, because of their varying ability to generate revenues, this increases the inequities among districts,” the center said in an earlier report from 2021.
Neither is the state providing enough support for SEEK above the baseline to equalize funding between wealthier and poorer districts. Districts with less taxable property, like river cities districts, typically have to set higher school tax rates in an effort to close what KCEP said in the report is a widening funding gap.
Ludlow Independent retiring Superintendent Mike Borchers told LINK that, while the tax rate may be higher than in the county districts, his community in particular seems to understand the need. “They understand they are going to pay a little higher tax to get some of the things that go with an independent district, like small class sizes, community identity. It’s that community school a lot of us were used to growing up.”
Borchers also told LINK there are challenges for the district.
“We have to adjust yearly with the funding we do have. You have to adapt staffing to your population and your needs. We’ve done a really good job of that,” he said. Grant funding, federal or otherwise, helps to fill in the gaps and fund wraparound, or individualized, services that students
need, said Borchers.
County districts on the other hand often struggle to pay costs unique to their operations including student transportation, historically underfunded by state lawmakers. That appears to be changing, at least in the state budget that takes effect July 1. The new budget will fund pupil transportation at 90% next year with 100% funding in fiscal year 2026 – the first time in nearly 20 years that lawmakers have fully funded those costs as required by law.
Not all NKY districts have the same reliance on transportation funding, but they all need state funding to educate their students. So what is the state’s share and what is the local share of basic SEEK?
How does basic SEEK work?
All public school districts in Kentucky are required under SEEK to contribute what is called “30 cent local effort” to the guaranteed base. That requires districts to contribute 30 cents per $100 of taxable property of the base through local taxes. Districts can raise that money – or local base – by taxing real property, motor vehicles or through so-called “permissive taxes” like utility or occupational tax.
What the local taxes don’t cover toward the guaranteed base, the state does.
The base – as the word implies – is just a minimum. So it really isn’t enough to pay for all the services districts must provide. So there are “add-ons” – additional nonlocal funds to serve specific student populations including at-risk, free and reduced-cost lunch students, students with disabilities and limited English speaking students – that bump up the SEEK amount (Add-ons are mentioned in the district SEEK table on Page 4.)
After the add-ons, districts can raise revenue up to 15% more than the total of its SEEK base plus the add-ons with something called Tier 1 SEEK. State funds partially match those funds.
If more funding is required, districts can raise revenue (called Tier 2) up to 30% more than the total of their SEEK base, add-ons and Tier 1 revenue with voter approval. But there’s no state match for that extra tier of funding.
At the same time, every public school district in the state – including every district in NKY – has had to raise taxes above the Tier 1 maximum at least once in recent years to make up for what the state hasn’t provided. In 2021 for example, all 171 school districts statewide raised local-only funds in Tier 2 territory, according to the Prichard Committee, a Kentucky education advocacy organization. That move generated an average of $805 in local funds per pupil for districts overall but helped poorer districts the least.
“In Tier 2, districts with lower wealth bring in less revenue to use in serving their students, even when they set tax rates just like those in districts with more taxable property,” according to the Prichard Committee.
Ironically, SEEK was designed by state lawmakers to equalize funding – or close funding gaps – between wealthier and poorer districts after the Kentucky Supreme Court in 1989 declared the state’s education system unconstitutional. So it’s notable that, in 2023, KCEP reported that the per-pupil funding gap between the state’s wealthiest and poorest districts was larger than it was in 1990.
Webb noted the extra effort from poorer districts in his interview with LINK.
“Poorer districts get more state funding. But even in the poorest districts, that level of local effort has increased,” he said. “If you go back to 2008 and you look at the money the state was putting into SEEK, at that time, districts in Kentucky were funded. I’m going to say about 50% local and 50% state. I’m going to tell you that today, even with the [2024 state budget] increase, it’s going to be more local than state.
“So that happens when property assessments go up and the distribution model has not increased to keep pace,” Webb told LINK.
Where does SEEK funding go?
Funding for teachers and other personnel is at the top of the list for SEEK spending in NKY. Kenton County Schools spends about 83% of its district budget on salaries and
other personnel costs, Webb told LINK. Other districts in the region are on par with that percentage.
After state lawmakers approved a bump in the SEEK base this year, NKY school districts began approving pay raises for teachers and other staff. The Kenton County Board of Education approved a 5% pay raise, as reported by LINK in May. In April, Covington Independent’s board of education approved a 4% salary raise for fulltime personnel.
Other NKY public school districts have already, or are expected to, approve pay raises for staff this year.
Staying competitive with other districts in the region is one reason why.
Right now the median pay for a public school teacher across the river in Cincinnati is around $87,000 while the median pay for districts in Kenton County is approximately $60,000, LINK reported in April. To support and retain teachers, Webb said that NKY districts have to pay well.
Pay raises approved by the Kenton County school board will move starting teacher salaries closer to $50,000 “which, I can tell you, is first or second in Kentucky,” Webb told LINK. For comparison, the starting salary for first-year teachers in Cincinnati Public Schools was $50,277 for the 2023-24 school year according to CPS.
“So our new teachers coming in will be paid well,” said Webb.
“All the services for kids and families are delivered by people, so that’s where our expenses are. About 83% of our budget is people, and we try to pay our people well because of where we live, the competitiveness. A challenge is being able to have a budget that’s strong enough in our competitive environment for personnel, both certified and classified, to pay them what they need to be paid to be valued. That will remain a challenge in our profession for many years to come.”
Ludlow – also trying to stay competitive –spends 80%-85% of its district budget on salaries and personnel, Borchers said. The increase in base state SEEK in the next budget should make a difference there, he told LINK in May.
“It’s been a big help,” he said. “Northern Kentucky is always going to have the challenge of competing with Ohio. It’s just a higher start for their teachers,” said Borchers. “So we really work hard on the culture, on trying to keep red tape to a minimum, and allow them to teach and work with our kids.”
Does SEEK need to be changed?
Concerns about equity in SEEK have some stakeholders talking about whether the formula needs to be changed.
During the 2024 legislative session in Frankfort, a group of Kentucky House lawmakers including Rep. Kim Banta (R-Ft. Mitchell) proposed a task force to discuss whether changes to the SEEK guaranteed base, tiers or add-ons are needed “to maintain the original goal of SEEK,” according to the proposal. The proposal passed the House Education committee but stalled late in the session.
That doesn’t mean the discussion is over. For Webb, the answer is more state support. Any kind of SEEK reform, he told LINK, is going to be “really complicated.”
“The problem you have with changing SEEK, and I’ve talked to legislators about this – no matter what you do, there are going to be winners and losers. Let’s say for example they change that 30 cent deduct [local effort] to 20 cent deduct. That would help our district and region immensely, but it would hurt the poorer districts. If you raise that to 40 cents, it would have a profound impact on our region and help the [poverty] districts,” he told LINK. “So what they did last session, they put more money in and they also raised Tier 1, which kind of helped everybody but really helped poorer districts.”
“It’s my belief that the answer will always be more money has to be put into education,” said Webb. “Because it doesn’t matter what you do with that formula. It’s going to take more state funding.”
“Is it possible to make my knee feel be er without surgery?”
- Jason, Ft. Thomas, KY
“Of course. We’ll find the option that best fits your needs.”
Dr. Kevin Bonfield Sports Medicine
Snapshot of SEEK calculations for the 2023-24 school year in two area districts, Ludlow Independent, left, and Kenton County. Photos provided | Kentucky Department of Education
“They actually – and I know this is going to come as a surprise and shock to most people – are going to make the drainage there on that site better than what’s there now,” Wilder City Administrator Terry Vance said. “They have a series of detention ponds all over the site that is supposed to collect the water from the streets and the roofs, and it will detain the water in these detention ponds until such time that the flow of water from the storm is over and then it will let the water out slowly after the storm event.”
Wilder resident Lisa Young asked what would happen if the detention ponds failed.
“Who’s going to be responsible for that?” Young said. “We’ve already seen what happened in other areas, and I guess I’m asking if we are asking the current residents at the bottom of the hill, Woodland Hills, Bentwood Hills, to pay the price if the detention ponds fail or if there are landslides and what does our quality of life look like?”
Joe Kramer with Cardinal Engineering, which is doing the civil engineering work for the site, said the development will be built on top of the hill, taking the load off the top so there’s less driving force for slippage. He said when Bentwood Hills and Woodland Hills were built, they were cut
into the hill, causing the earth to slip down over time.
“We’re reducing that risk,” Kramer said. “The long-term issue that we have seen in Woodland Hills and Bentwood Hills is the hillside moving down. Some of the things we’re doing to improve that situation is to take the load off the top so there’s less driving force. The second is taking the water
away. The soil sits on rock. When you introduce water to it, it gets wet, it slips, and the hillsides like to move.”
Though traffic was also addressed as a concern, Fischer Homes did not have an approved traffic study from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to share. Three entrance and exit points are proposed for the development: at Bentwood Hills Drive, Three Mile Road and Moock Road/Fox Chase.
Fischer’s traffic models estimated that 10% of development traffic would leave at the Bentwood Hills entrance to Moock Road, 50% would exit Alexandria Pike, and 40% would go through Three Mile Road.
Many residents expressed concern about Three Mile Road’s narrowness. Vance said that the transportation cabinet owns and operates all of those roads.
“That area from the bridge is very narrow,” Wilder resident Tom Everson said. “Shame on the department of transportation for putting that bridge in. I’m sure at the time they didn’t realize we were going to build this, you know, 1,500- or 1,600-home facility (as of now, 1,186 homes are proposed across Southgate and Wilder) across the road. About a half mile or so down is the
the
Fischer envisioned the Overlook at Sunrock as a community similar to Asheville, North Carolina. It would have amenities like hiking paths, pocket parks, clubhouses and pools, and an HOA would maintain the grounds.
The development is projected to generate $31 million in tax revenue for Wilder over 40 years.
Vance said Fischer would be required to come back in multiple stages for any stage two plans (should stage one be approved by the city council). Any significant changes to the stage one plan would also require reapproval by the planning commission.
Vance said he estimated that city council will have heard a first reading at its June 17 meeting, with a final reading and vote at its July 1 meeting.
Greg Fischer sits on the managing board of LINK nky, which oversees the business operations of LINK but has no say in editorial matters.
Family Worship Center Church. That whole area in front of that church there is all falling over into
creek.”
The geotechnical study.
The proposed site plan for Overlook at Sunrock. Photos by Haley Parnell | LINK nky
Places/Activities to Stay Cool in NKY this Summer
Frosthaus in Covington boasts an extensive menu of frozen cocktails, mocktails, and food such as wings, flatbreads and mac and cheese. Photos by Hailey Roden | LINK nky
Newport Aquarium has something for everyone with its new Ring of Fire Octopus exhibit, its Breakfast with Mermaids event, air-conditioning and more.
A fun spot for those looking for something different is Purrfect Day Cat Cafe in Covington. Adoptable kittens are there to play with by reservation, along with a cafe and bar with many menu items.
Located right off of Interstate 75 is the Florence Aquatic Center. The facility contains a lazy river, competition pool, an accessible zero depth pool, two spray grounds and spiral and speed slides.
If you are craving a fresh baked waffle cone for your ice cream, Dreamy Whip in Burlington is the place to go. Along with this, they offer dairy, gluten free and vegan options.
In the Crestview Hills Town Center sits Color Me Mine, a paint-your-own pottery studio. Walk-ins are welcome, along with private parties and kids night out events for those looking to release a bit of creative energy.
Rainy day? Temps in the high 90s? Silverlake has the best of both worlds with a multitude of indoor and outdoor activities such as pickleball, an indoor aquatic center, fitness programs and so much more.
Want to take your pup with you? Florence’s Bark Park and Patio is the perfect place to relax and let your pooch have a fun time as well. It has over an acre of fenced in space, a courtyard and local craft beer on tap.
The Boone County Public Library offers more than meets the eye with its summer reading programs, the Boone Innovation Lab, and events for families and children of all ages.
With more than 1,000 acres to explore, A.J. Jolly Park in Alexandria has no lack of fun to be discovered.
By Nathan Granger
IKnow the warning signs when scammers call
t seems like every few weeks local police departments and other institutions put out alerts about scammers trying to make off with people’s money or information, often using manipulative tactics to convince them to give it up willingly.
Many of these alerts warn against scammers contacting people over the phone or through the internet. Although anyone can fall victim to a scam, online and phone scams often deliberately target seniors.
“Scams targeting individuals age 60 and older caused over $3.4 billion in losses in 2023,” according to the FBI’s 2023 Elder Fraud Report, released in April. That’s about an 11% increase compared to the previous year. Over 101,000 victims in this age group reported scams to the FBI in 2023, according to the report, with the average loss per victim of about $34,000.
“People over the age of 60 are vulnerable to scams,” said Melissa Dixon of Legal Aid of the Bluegrass. “So educating yourself on what scams are out there and how to avoid them is very important.”
Dixon and representatives from other local organizations spoke earlier this month as part of a panel at a special event at the Erlanger branch of the Kenton County Library. Called the Northern Kentucky Senior Scam event, it focused on the ways that modern scams disproportionately affect seniors. It
was well attended – a huge crowd of onlookers sat in one of the library’s meeting rooms to hear the panelists speak. The key lesson from the event was this: Scams can be avoided if you know how to spot them.
“If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam,” Gary Adkins, AARP’s Kentucky president, said at the event.
Scams targeting the elderly take various forms, but they tend to rely on a handful of common tactics and presumptions to get people to part with their information and money.
Technological ignorance. Tech support scams, wherein a scammer will call pretending to be a support agent from Microsoft or some other well-known tech company, were the No. 1 kind of complaint the FBI received in 2023.
Emotional manipulation. These include appeals to fear, loneliness, joy and love, all of which are designed to short-circuit someone’s critical thinking skills and get them to act impulsively. Scammers call this putting someone under the ether, according to the AARP’s “Con Artist’s Playbook,” which catalogs many of the common tactics scammers use. The book even quotes con artists directly.
“Ether is a condition that a master closer puts a prospect in by hitting their fear, greed and urgency buttons,” said one scammer, who simply called himself “Rocky,” in “The Con Artist’s Playbook.” “I wanted to keep the victim in the altitude of the ether because, once they drop into the valley of logic, I’ve lost them.”
Tech support scammers, for instance, may lie and say that someone’s computer has a virus as a way of scaring a person into letting them into their computers.
Scammers may also masquerade as a loved one, promise cash prizes or convince someone they’ll get quick, high returns on an in-
vestment opportunity. Finally, some scammers will even try to romance their victims over the internet, only to hit them up for money down the line.
One may notice that many of these tactics resemble the sorts of high-pressure sales tactics that can sometimes show up in normal retail interactions: Create urgency, and people will be more willing to drop their guard. In a way, that’s actually good news, because it means people can train themselves to become sensitive to online scam tactics even if they aren’t overly tech-savvy.
If you suspect you’ve come across a scam online or over the phone, keep these tips in mind:
Legitimate organizations won’t contact you and ask for your information. This includes businesses, government agencies, tech companies and nonprofits. It’s different if you call Microsoft’s helpline and the agent asks for information, but if someone calls you, emails you, or reaches out on social media and starts hitting you up for information (or money), that’s a signal something is amiss.
Think, don’t feel. Manipulating emotions is the primary way scammers get people to make bad decisions. If you find yourself getting swept away by fear of arrest, the prospect of wealth or something else
emotionally overwhelming, stop and think: Does it make sense the police would call me before they came to arrest me? Did I actually order a package recently? Why is my family member suddenly texting me from an unfamiliar phone number?
Slim down your social media usage. Social media is a useful tool, but it can become risky if you aren’t careful. Set your privacy settings so that only friends and family can contact you. Be careful about interacting with people you haven’t met in real life. Don’t click on ads. Likewise, avoid opening emails from people and organizations you don’t recognize.
Don’t be too polite. Scammers will sometimes rely on people’s sense of decorum and politeness to keep them talking. Don’t worry about being rude. They’re trying to steal from you. If you think you’re talking with a scammer, cease communication. Hang up, block their emails, unfriend them on Facebook. If they’re pretending to be someone you know, contact the real person through your normal channels afterward to verify.
Continue educating yourself. There are lots of free, legitimate resources out there to help improve your knowledge not only of scams but also technology more generally.
The most common forms of elder scams reported to the FBI in 2023. Graphic and data provided | Federal Bureau of Investigation
A woman types on a keyboard. Photo provided | Associated Press
Housing needs revealed in Northern Kentucky data walks
By Haley Parnell
Northern Kentucky organizations are holding data walks across the region to help form a community-driven housing strategy.
The data walk consists of poster stations with information from the Northern Kentucky Area Development District’s housing study released last year. The study was conducted on housing needs and workforce across Campbell, Kenton, Boone, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Owen and Pendleton counties. The data walks aim to share information from the study with the communities where they're are hosted in.
Thus far, public input sessions have been held in Hebron and two in Newport, with one tentatively scheduled for Erlanger/Elsmere in July.
The data walks are an effort between the Brighton Center, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Greater Cincinnati and the Northern Kentucky Area Development District.
“As we work with leaders across the region to find strategies to bolster income-aligned housing, it’s important for Brighton Center and our partners to hear how our current housing landscape is impacting residents,” said Wonda Winkler, president and CEO of Brighton Center. “Specifically, these open house sessions give us direct feedback on the housing study data and potential solutions that might best align with our communities’ needs.”
When community members participate in the data walk, they are given a packet with information to fill out as they go to each station. The packet has questions like calculating your housing cost burden, household income, current housing situation, top five priorities in choosing a home, how long you’ve lived in your home, whether you would prefer to rent or own if finances weren’t a barrier, whether you commute, etc.
Participants walks through each poster with a guide so that questions can be answered as they go.
The first poster of information the community is greeted with is facts from the housing study about Northern Kentucky’s population, which is 403,792, in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, according to census data.
The next station gives more insight into what income-aligned housing is.
According to the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, income-aligned housing means that the monthly cost of housing (rent or mortgage payment and utilities) is not more than 30% of the household’s income. It is considered a burden if the household pays more than 30%.
The housing study found that one in four households in Northern Kentucky is experiencing a housing cost burden.
The third poster in the walk covered the average income levels of folks in Northern Kentucky, as found in the study.
Currently, 60% of regional employees earn an annual salary of $60,000 or less. Further, the study revealed that the number of individuals earning in that income range is expected to grow 67% over the next five years.
The next information set was about the region’s current housing supply versus the current need. The study shows that for every household earning $60,000 or less, one income-aligned housing unit is available for every two households.
“One of the big findings from the housing study is that workforce job creation in Northern Kentucky is outpacing workforce housing availability,” said Tara Johnson-Noem, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Area Development District. “Already in our region, there are 2.21 workforce jobs for each housing unit available for our workforce populations –those who generate an annual average salary below $60,000.
A diverse stock of income-aligned housing “ensures that we have homes for everyone from C-suite executives, fixed-income seniors, our teachers and nurses, and college
graduates,” said Johnson-Noem.
Based on anticipated growth, the study shows that Northern Kentucky needs 6,650 additional income-aligned housing units over the next five years to meet the demand.
The fifth poster shows that future regional housing development should focus on smaller units instead of four-plus-bedroom houses.
The poster graphic shows that the region has prioritized three- and four-bedroom developments over one- and two-bedroom developments. The chart shows a need for 42% decline in four-bedroom units, a 1% increase in three-bedrooms, a 28% increase in two-bedrooms, and a 12% increase in one-bedroom units to fill the region’s need in the next five years.
This section of the walk also shows the need for more multifamily housing options versus single-family detached units.
The next poster shows the region’s rental needs, specifically, that rental properties should account for a more significant portion of future housing development.
The graph shows the need for a 28% increase in rental units with a 28% decrease in owner-occupied housing. The study notes that rental units have been lost in Newport, Covington and Bellevue to be turned into single-family homes or shortterm rentals.
“Workforce is top of mind for all employers, including CVG,” said Seth Cutter, vice president of public affairs at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. “Having an ample supply of income-aligned housing is fundamental for our region to meet our basic economic needs and ensure sustainable regional growth so that Northern Kentucky continues to be a great place to live, work, play, learn and give back.”
The last poster in the walk covers the key takeaways from the study.
• In Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, the study shows that there are more jobs than housing units available.
• There are more single-family houses with three and four bedrooms than what are needed.
• More housing unities are needed in these counties to keep up with the demand for new jobs.
“After the NKADD housing study was released, we resolved to take action to develop creative and collaborative solutions to ensure ample availability of income-aligned housing in our region,” Cutter said. “Along with the eight fiscal courts, NKADD, CVG, Brighton Center, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, LISC, NKY Chamber and many others, we formed a coalition of local partners who are collaborating to formulate a community-driven, income-aligned housing strategy.”
Community members can share their thoughts and feedback at the end of the data walk. They are asked three questions at the end:
What stood out to you after reviewing the presented information?
Has what you have seen and learned today aligned with your housing experience? If so, how?
• What would you like to see happen as a result of this study?
The beginning of the data walk held at the NKY Scholar House in Newport on May 29. Photo by Haley Parnell | LINK nky
PUBLIC NOTICE
Silver Grove City Council adopted Ordinance No. 24-0501at their regular meeting on June 6, 2024. An Ordinance adopting the annual budget for the fiscal year July 1,2024 through June 30, 2025 for the City of Silver Grove,Campbell County, Kentucky estimating the revenues and resources, and appropriating funds for the operation of the city . The full ordinance can be viewed at www. silvergroveky.com
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• City of Ludlow
• City of Newport
NOTICE OF THE BOONE COUNTY MASTER COMMISSIONER’S SALE DIVISION I BOONE CIRCUIT COURT CASE NO.: 21-CI-00732
FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FREDDIE MAC SEASONED LOANS STRUCTURED TRANSACTION TRUST, SERIES 2019-2 VERSUS}
BOND K. DOUCETTE, ET AL
By virtue of a judgment and order of sale of the Boone Circuit Court rendered MAY 16, 2023 the above case, I shall proceed to offer for sale at the Justice Center Building in Burlington, Kentucky, to the highest bidder, at public auction on THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024 at the hour of 9:00 a.m. or thereabouts, the following described property to-wit:
ADDRESS: 5494 CARRY BACK DRIVE BURLINGTON, KY 41005
NOTICE OF THE BOONE COUNTY MASTER COMMISSIONER’S SALE DIVISION I BOONE CIRCUIT COURT CASE NO.: 23-CI-01349
HAWKS LANDING COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC. VERSUS} COREY MATTHEW RENFRO, ET AL
By virtue of a judgment and order of sale of the Boone Circuit Court rendered MAY 6, 2024 the above case, I shall proceed to offer for sale at the Justice Center Building in Burlington, Kentucky, to the highest bidder, at public auction on THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024 at the hour of 9:00 a.m. or thereabouts, the following described property to-wit:
Jason, Travis Kelce become investors in Covington-brewed beer
Travis and Jason Kelce are strengthening their ties with the Tri-State.
The two University of Cincinnati alumni are investing in Garage Beer Co., a Braxton Brewing Co. spinoff focused on its most popular brew. Garage Beer Co. announced the partnership June 12 on social media, saying “the garage just got a lot bigger.”
On that day’s episode of the brothers’ “New Heights” podcast, the two said they’re part owners of the company.
“Why did we do this?” Jason said. “Why wouldn’t we do this?”
Both brothers said they have a love of beer, so it made sense.
“If you like good beer, this is a good beer,” Travis Kelce said.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on X (formerly Twitter) that the investment marks the first time the brothers are “significant owners and operators” in business together.
Jason, the elder Kelce and former Philadelphia Eagles center, also reposted Schefter’s announcement, saying “It’s pretty good!” He also responded to multiple comments from fans about the new partnership.
Braxton spun off Garage Beer Co. in early 2023 to build the Garage Beer brand, expand its distribution and more. It’s based in Columbus, Ohio. Covington-based Braxton still brews Garage Beer.
According to Garage Beer Co.’s website, Garage Beer is “beer flavored beer” with a 4% alcohol by volume. Garage Beer also has a lime-flavored version, which is also 4% ABV.
Consortium wins OK for mixed-use project in Covington Riverfront
A mixed-use development has been approved for a section of the Covington Central Riverfront site.
At its June 11 meeting, Covington City Commission approved a development agreement with CCR-MN Developers LLC. for part of the site that formerly housed the IRS complex. The plan includes 7,700 square feet of retail space, 257 apartments and 194 parking spaces.
The rough total investment in the site will be $67.2 million, according to Tom West, Covington’s economic development director.
“Thank you for investing in our city,” Commissioner Ron Washington told Ryan Silverman and Tim Burgoyne of Silverman & Co., a development company involved with the project.
The approved areas include the M and N blocks, which run along Washington Street between Third and Fourth streets. West laid out the project plan at the previous week’s commission meeting. Commissioners offered few thoughts at the first meeting, but the few comments that were made were positive.
CCR-MN Developers was formed specifi-
A preliminary drawing of a development proposal for the M and N plots of the Covington Central Riverfront. The city approved an agreement with CCR-MN Developers for the site. Drawing provided | CCR-MN Developers, LLC.
cally for this project and consists of Silverman & Co., Messer Construction and architectural firm KZF Design. Silverman & Co. is behind several retail and office developments in Blue Ash, north of Cincinnati, and is spearheading a mixed-used development in Warren County’s Deerfield Township called the District at Deerfield.
This M and N block development agreement is the second with a private developer for the Central Riverfront. In March, Drees Homes secured a development agreement for the site’s B block. This year also saw a multimillion dollar injection of state money into the site for the establishment of the Northern Kentucky Center of Biomedical Excellence, which would see NKU’s Chase College of Law and the Highland Heights branch of the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine relocate to the riverfront. The administration of those funds falls under the Northern Kentucky Port Authority.
Plans for the development are still in very early stages, and West said many renderings the developers submitted were models to give people an idea of the overall layout of the development. They aren’t necessarily indicative of what the final product will look like.
Boost in state funds fuels 63% surge in Kenton budget
Kenton County’s annual budget is expanding by 63% year-over-year due to massive increases in funding for capital projects, contingent appropriations and general government operations.
At its meeting June 11, Kenton County Fiscal Court approved the county’s budget for the
2025 fiscal year. The fiscal year starts July 1. The county’s total projected all funds budget is around $282 million – a nearly $103 million increase from the current fiscal year.
Kenton County’s general fund is also increasing by over $100 million. A release from the county attributed a portion of the increase to approximately $46 million in state funding, some of which will be doled out through Kentucky’s biennial budget, which was signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear in April.
Kentucky allotted tens of millions to multiple projects in Kenton County, including:
• $6 million to support the construction of SparkHaus – an initiative of the fiscal court, Blue North and Northern Kentucky Port Authority that looks to transform the vacant Sims Furniture building at 727 Madison Ave. in Covington into a regional hub for entrepreneurship.
• $10 million to develop the Center for Biomedical Excellence in Covington that is to house Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s Northern Kentucky campus. The building will be on the 23-acre site of the demolished IRS processing center along the Ohio riverfront in Covington.
• $15 million in reimbursement expenses for the construction of a parking garage next to the Kenton County Government Center in Covington.
In addition to the general fund, Kenton County’s budget saw million dollar increases to the jail fund and COLT fund, which the county uses to account for the collection of occupational licenses and payroll taxes.
Kenton County’s budget also includes approximately $2.6 million in opioid settlement funds, up from $1.8 million last year. In 2017, Kenton County sued Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen – three of the United States’ largest pharmaceutical distributors. The three companies officially settled in February 2022, resolving over 4,000 claims from state and local gov-
Travis and Jason Kelce are now investors Braxton Brewing Spinoff Garage Beer Co. Photo provided | Garage Beer on Twitter
The Kenton County Fiscal Court passed its fiscal 2025 budget June 11. Pictured, from left, are Kris Knochelmann, Stacey Tapke, Jon Draud and Beth Sewell. Photo by Kenton Hornbeck | LINK nky
Continues on page 12
ernments. The net settlement payout was approximately $26 billion.
Judge-Executive Kris Knochelmann said the county plans to use a portion of the opioid settlement funds to hire police navigators/social workers. The new workers will be overseen by the Kenton County Police Department.
County police Chief Spike Jones said the department was looking to hire candidates with experience in law enforcement and social work.
“We’re looking at folks that have a good blend and a good firm understanding of law enforcement issues, but we also want them to have that background in social work,” Jones told the fiscal court. “We’re looking for the perfect blend – trying to find unicorns right now, but we’re gonna find them.”
Knochelmann compared Kenton County’s ambition to hire police navigators/ social workers to Boone County. In February, Boone County voted to allow the use of opioid abatement funds to hire up to three police navigators/social workers.
“It’s unprecedented for the region,” he said. “It’s unprecedented, quite frankly, for the state of Kentucky, and, again, I think we’re setting the standard on what can be done.”
Kelly Pompilio, the social worker embedded with Alexandria’s Police Department, was the first in Kentucky. She recently described to LINK nky her work with a local veteran suffering from PTSD who would frequently have nightmares and make calls to the police to get help. Although he wasn’t in any concrete danger, the frequency of his calls sucked up the time of normal police officers to the point it was arguably drawing them away from cases that were better suited to their training.
“In the first week that I was there, he had called six times or seven times in that week,” Pompilio said. “And [the officers] are like, ‘Kelly, do whatever you need to do. We’ve got to figure out how to help this gentleman.’”
The road fund decreased by approximately $800,000. Despite this, it remains the third largest fund in the budget behind the general and jail funds.
Hundreds of crashes reported in area around I-75 crash that killed 4-year-old
A fatal crash June 9 at the junction of I-71/I-75 and Buttermilk Pike highlighted a section of the interstate that has seen significant crash numbers dating back to 2022.
The Kenton County Police Department said a 4-year-old was killed and her father was injured after the 30-year-old hit the back of a box truck that was stationary and disabled near the end of the merge lane from the Buttermilk Pike on-ramp.
LINK nky content sharing partner WCPO reviewed Kentucky State Police crash data in the area using a crash location dashboard and found hundreds of crashes.
In 2022, the dashboard reported 145 crashes on the roadways in and around the interstate with 15 resulting in injuries and 130 resulting in property damage.
The total number of crashes in 2023 in the same area increased to 168 with 11 injuries and 157 resulting in property damage.
So far in 2024, there have been 56 crashes not including Sunday’s deadly crash.
Michael Ritchie has lived in the area for four decades and said he’s seen it all driving on I-75.
“Honestly, I try to avoid the highway as much as possible,” Ritchie said. “I’ll take detours down through Bromley, down through Crescent Springs, 42, Hopeful, any way to avoid the highways is what I’ll do.”
Ritchie called on drivers to do everything
possible to keep their attention on the roadway because, as a contractor and lawn care worker, he’s always on the road watching others drive distracted.
“He’s not paying attention,” he said, pointing at a car merging onto the interstate. “Or he has a passenger who he’s playing with, he’s talking to, they’re jamming music. They’re having a good time. They’re partying instead of paying attention to the road.”
The Kenton County Police Department is investigating the cause of the crash. Anyone who saw it is asked to contact Sergeant Charles Duncan at 859-392-1993.
An image of the aftermath of the crash. Photo provided | OHGO
Praise Fest, 2-8 p.m., St. Philip Parish, 5476 Mary Ingles Highway, Melbourne. Live Christian pop music festival. Outdoor Mass at 4:30 p.m. Food trucks available; bring your own coolers. Information: 859-4418949 or rrottgers@ stphilipky.org.
Mini-golf Tournament, 4:30-7 p.m., World of Golf, 7400 Woodspoint Drive, Florence. City of Florence’s first Minigolf Tournament. Prizes awarded to lowest scorers in each age group. Live music begins at 7 p.m.; food available. Information: 859-6475425 or victoria.riley@ florence-ky.gov.
For more events, scan the QR code or visit: https://linknky.com/events/
Crescent Springs City Council meeting, 6-7 p.m., Crescent Springs City Building, 739 Buttermilk Pike, Crescent Springs.
Newport City Commission meeting, 7-8 p.m., Newport City Building, 998 Monmouth St., Newport.
Cold Spring City Council meeting, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Cold Spring City Building, 5694 E. Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring. Information: coldspringky. gov/city-council.
Boone County Fiscal Court meeting, 5:306:30 p.m., Boone County Administration Building, 2950 Washington St., Burlington, 1st floor. Information: boonecountyky.org.
Kenton County Fiscal Court meeting, 5:306:30 p.m., Kenton County Fiscal Court Covington Courthouse, 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Covington. Information: kentoncounty.org/421/ Fiscal-Court.
Florence City Council business meeting, 6-7 p.m., Florence City Building, 8100 Ewing Blvd., Florence. Information: florence-ky. gov/our-government/ minutes-archive.
Covington Commission meeting, 6-7 p.m., Covington City Hall, 20 W. Pike St., Covington. Information: onboard. covingtonky.gov/ board/5268.
HR 100 Legal Series, 8-9:30 a.m., DBL Law, 109 E. Fourth St., Covington. NKY Chamber partners with DBL Law to provide compliance guidance regarding two significant federal employment rule changes. Information: 859-5788800 or nkychamber. com/events.
Covington Business Council, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Radisson Hotel Cincinnati Riverfront, 668 W. Fifth St., Covington. Monthly luncheon features address by NKU President Cady Short-Thompson. Information: acarleski@ cbcky.com or members. cbcky.com/cbceventcalendar.
Boone County Business Association meeting, 6-7 p.m., World of Golf, 7400 Woodspoint Drive, Florence.
Ludlow City Council meeting, 7-8 p.m., Ludlow Municipal Center, 808 Elm St., Ludlow.
Remodeled Fort Mitchell home with pool
Address: 277 Beechwood Road, Fort Mitchell
Price: $619,000
Bedrooms: Four
Bathrooms: Three
Square footage: 2,400
School district: Beechwood Independent
County: Kenton
Special features: This four-bedroom, three-bathroom was built in 1968. It’s conveniently located near Beechwood School. The open floor plan includes a kitchen adjacent to the living room and dining room, and sliding doors leading to a large deck and in-ground pool. The lower level has been recently remodeled, featuring a recreation room with a fireplace and an office.
An exterior view of this Fort Mitchell home. Photos provided | Michael McKeown with Huff Realty
Robots,
vape-shop coffee and more on Mall Road
By Maria Hehman
This Streetscapes heads to a small strip on the tail end of Mall Road in Florence. A new Mexican eatery, all you can eat sushi and a hidden coffee shop await. We divulge all the details.
La Catrina Mexican Bar and Grill
For being open for mere months, La Catrina Mexican Bar and Grill has made quite a colorful debut in Florence. This vibrant restaurant is visually appealing and appetite-enticing. It serves authentic Mexican cuisine in an atmosphere that pays homage to the culture.
Its menu consists of a variety of traditional Mexican staples, featuring an entire fajita menu. Beef, chicken, steak, veggie and nearly endless combinations of those bases ensure each guest has a meal exactly to her liking. Burritos, quesadillas, nachos and tacos are great options for those wanting something familiar. Those wanting to truly embrace all the flavors of authentic Mexican foods should opt for gorditas, huaraches or tortas. These are less common in Tex-Mex restaurants, making it the perfect
opportunity to try something new.
For drinks, there is a variety of cocktails, including margaritas in nearly every fruit flavor one could dream of, as well as authentic nonalcoholic drinks like a sweet horchata.
CV Coffee Lounge
This coffee shop’s home is in an unlikely spot – inside a vape shop. The vape shop is locally owned and operated and has three other locations in NKY, but this is the original location and the only one to do double duty as a coffee shop.
The CV Coffee Lounge has a huge selection of beverages, from espresso-based to traditional brewed. Its most popular menu items are frappuccinos: From classic caramel to Fruity Pebbles, there are countless choices for customers to indulge in. CV is constantly updating its menu with fun and creative drinks that will give the caffeine kick one needs to fuel his or her day. Although most guests come for the frappes, lattes and more traditional coffee choices also can be enhanced with sweet or fruity flavors.
CV also carries a variety of snacks, candy and other small treats. Many of these are exotic snacks one sees only on Tik Tok, rather than at a local grocery store, but CV Coffee Lounge seems to have a little bit of everything.
Yamato Hibachi Grill and Sushi
This Japanese restaurant primarily serves sushi and hibachi-cooked dishes. This restaurant isn’t for the faint of heart – or for small stomachs. It’s best known for the allyou-can-eat menu, which includes choices of appetizers, hibachi and sushi. That includes delicious crab rangoons. Crab rangoon fans can really test the limits to see exactly how many is too many.
If you aren’t solely looking for crab rangoon, there are ample options to sample everything on the menu. Gyoza, chicken hibachi, spicy tuna roll – you name it, it’s on there.
As if endless food for a great price weren’t enough, the food is brought out to guests by a robot. This is a cool addition for any families to keep kids entertained or heck even some fun loving adults.
Guests without an endless appetite, can order signature dishes, bento boxes and poke bowls while still getting a great value. For beverages, Yamato has traditional sake, wine, and both American and Asian beers. From the all-you-can-eat food options to the drink offerings, there are countless reasons to visit. (We won’t judge you if you go just for the robot.)
La Catrina Mexican Bar and Grill, a new addition to the Florence area. Photos by Maria Hehman | LINK nky contributor
Diamond kings: NKY baseball adds to local lore in 2024
By Marc Hardin
There are many outstanding high school hurlers in Kentucky with an arsenal of pitches. But nothing threw a curveball like the 2024 Northern Kentucky high school baseball season.
Ryle came into the year with six all-state caliber players. This, according to the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association preseason watch list. That accounted for nearly half the total number of players honored in the entire 9th Region. Surprisingly, the rest of the region had just seven such players.
Other unexpected headlines that drive the point home: Power-hitting Beechwood goes small-ball. Underrated Covington Catholic goes 11-0 out the gate. The Colonels won 26 of their first 28 games.
Those weren’t the only surprising developments on local baseball diamonds.
Dixie Heights goes the entire offseason thinking senior standout Brach Rice is over baseball. The Colonels believe he’s making a commitment to football after signing with Miami University in Ohio. The Colonels add Rice just before the start of the year. They struggle early but finish 12-2 to close the season. They put a scare into
Conner lost 13 seniors and its longtime head coach. The Cougars went to battle with far fewer seniors in 2024. They still made the regional semifinals for the second year in a row.
If you predicted all those head-turning developments, please share your Powerball picks for the week.
“There are so many good teams and so many great coaches in Northern Kentucky,” said Beechwood coach Kevin Gray. “That makes things pretty competitive. Any number of teams can win the 9th Region any year so you have to have players.”
Depth is a common theme among this year’s most successful baseball teams.
Ryle featured all those ballplayers named to the preseason watch list, and first-year standout AJ Curry wasn’t even on it.
“We’ve definitely got depth,” Raiders coach Joe Aylor said. “We have a lot of skilled baseball players at Ryle.”
Covington Catholic boasted a pitching staff for the ages, going 10 deep, six with ERAs under 3.00. The Colonels had a team ERA of 2.07.
The 9th Region tournament was so tough that defending champion Beechwood didn’t make it out of the first round. Neither did perennial power Highlands.
“You have to tip your cap,” Gray said.
Campbell County thrived in the 10th Region with more than 30 players and a dozen seniors. Virtually half of Simon Kenton’s roster was seniors. The Pioneers didn’t have a passel of .300 hitters, but they also didn’t have any easy outs and made the state tournament as 8th Region champions.
“We tell our hitters you have to think you’re better than the pitcher,” coach Troy Roberts said. “Our 7-8-9 guys had five of our seven hits in the region championship.”
Ryle’s Curry and CovCath’s Jackson Reardon are the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Division I co-players of the year. Reardon wasn’t on the preseason state
watch list either. Highlands’ Zach DeSylva is Division II player of the year. Bellevue’s Aidan Dickerson is player of the year in Division III.
Curry is the Northern Kentucky Baseball Coaches Association Division I player of the year. Beechwood’s Michael Detzel is NKBCA player of the year in Division II. Reardon is the 9th Region player of the year.
Dixie Heights’ Chris Maxwell is NKBCA D-1 coach of the year. Bellevue’s Rob Sanders is coach of the year in D-2. Covington Catholic’s Bill Krumplebeck was 9th Region Coach of the Year.
Curry finished second in the state in batting average at .571. He led Kentucky with a Ryle single-season record 72 hits. Curry was third in Kentucky with a school-record 20 doubles. He was 11th with an .873 slugging percentage.
“He fits in so well,” coach Aylor said of the newcomer from California. “And he works so hard.”
CovCath’s Reardon was next locally with a .463 batting average, 30th in Kentucky. Reardon was third statewide with 56 hits. He tied for seventh with six triples. He tied for ninth with 15 doubles.
Lloyd’s Kadin Wright hit .453, third in the area, 42nd in Kentucky. Holmes’ Tyler Brashear hit .443, ranking fourth locally, 49th in Kentucky. Holmes teammate Landon Turner tied for fourth statewide with seven triples.
Simon Kenton’s Tyler Ruete launched an area-leading nine home runs, eighth in Kentucky. He was the area RBI leader with 37, tying for 40th in the state.
Simon Kenton pitcher Logan Cones and CovCath’s Bradley Zekl tied for second in Kentucky with 10 wins.
CovCath’s Charlie Dieruf tied for third statewide with five saves. The Colonels’ Eli Wagner tied for 26th with an area-leading 1.17 ERA.
Five locals are on the 2024 Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association allstate teams. CovCath’s Reardon is first team. Ryle’s Curry is second team, and Cooper’s Mark Nowak, Ryle’s Sam Eppley
eventual champion Ryle in a classic 2-1 final with Rice on the mound.
Brach Rice of Dixie Heights was one of many surprises during the 2024 local high school baseball season. Photo provided | Charles Bolton
Simon Kenton’s Tyler Ruete belted nine home runs this season to lead Northern Kentucky. Photo provided | Marc Figgins
Covington Catholic’s Jackson Reardon was named to the KHSBCA all-state first team. Photo provided | Charles Bolton
Ryle sophomore AJ Curry led Kentucky in batting average most of the high school baseball season before finishing second. He’s also an effective pitcher. Photo provided | Charles Bolton
and Campbell County’s Tyler Schumacher are third team.
Bat flip!
Covington Catholic appoints Thelen as next basketball coach
Covington Catholic High School has named former Colonel standout and University of Cincinnati men’s basketball assistant Jake Thelen as its new head basketball coach.
The school’s coach for 13 years, Scott Ruthsatz, announced in May that he was leaving the position to focus more on his family and his personal businesses.
Thelen is the 11th head basketball coach in CovCath’s 80-year history. He is the sixth former Colonel to become head coach.
A native of Edgewood, Thelen thrived at Covington Catholic. Per a release from the school, he was selected to play in both the Kentucky-Indiana and the Kentucky-Ohio All-Star games before embarking on an All-America career at Bellarmine University. He gained coaching experience at three top Division I basketball programs.
Thelen, Class of 2011, finished his career at Covington Catholic with a scoring average of 16.6 points per game. He is the eighth all-time leading scorer in CovCath basketball history with 1,258 points. He also holds
the school single-game record with 18 field goals.
Thelen most recently served as director of player development and assistant coach for the University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team.
Prior to joining UC, Thelen was director of basketball operations at the University of Georgia. He was the youngest director of basketball operations at a Power 5 school when he arrived in Athens at age 25.
Thelen’s on-campus coordination helped the Bulldogs land a consensus top-10 class in head coach Tom Crean’s first full recruiting cycle. That group was headlined by Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He was one of six top-100 prospects Georgia signed during Thelen’s tenure in Athens.
Thelen played professionally one year for Horsens IC in Denmark before getting on the coaching path. He coached at Louisville St. Xavier High School in 2015-16. He became a graduate assistant under Crean at Indiana in 2016-17 and was an assistant coach at Bellarmine in 2017-18. He eventually followed Crean to Georgia.
Thelen was an All-America forward at Bellarmine. He finished ranked No. 16 among Bellarmine’s career scoring leaders with 1,412 points in three seasons. As a senior, he recorded the second-highest point (651) and rebound (375) totals in school history and averaged a double-double. He averaged 18.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Thelen was a consensus All-American and was named the GLVC Player of the Year in 2015. Thelen was tabbed first-team All-America by Basketball Times, DII Bulletin, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and BennettRank.com.
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At CovCath, Thelen participated in basketball, football, Ambassadors Club, Drug Free Clubs of America, and he was a pallbearer for the homeless.
Humphrey moves from Boone County girls to boys basketball program
Boone County didn’t have to look too far to fill its boys basketball head coaching vacancy.
It did create another vacancy within the school, however. Todd Humphrey was named the boys basketball coach on June 10, taking the spot of Nathan Browning, who recently left for the Conner boys basketball coaching position. Humphrey coached the Boone County girls team the last three seasons.
After inheriting a very young roster in 2021-22 with just one senior, Humphrey guided the Lady Rebels to seven wins in each of the past two seasons. They showed marked improvement each season, the last year proving to be a competitive team with nine of their 20 losses coming by seven points or less.
Humphrey is a Holmes graduate and went to Lindsey Wilson College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communication. He played basketball for both programs. He coached at Holmes, Dixie Heights and Cooper prior to Boone County.
He’ll take on a familiar task in rebuilding a team. The Rebels graduated nine seniors after this season, who together accounted for 69.5 points per game. Seven of the nine played in at least 27 of the 28 games played last season.
Humphrey will be introduced on June 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at the high school.
Humphrey’s hire fills all the head coaching vacancies in the 9th Region. Since the end of the season, five coaching changes have been made: Browning at Conner, Jake Thelen at Covington Catholic to replace Scott
Ruthsatz, Scott Code at Dixie Heights to take over for Chad Fields and Sam Elsbernd coming to Holmes and taking over for Tony Perkins.
Holy Cross vet named assistant for NKU men
R.J. Evans is a new NKU men’s basketball assistant coach. He comes to NKU after five years as an assistant at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. Evans’ involvement included on-court coaching, practice planning, opponent scouting, player development, game planning and recruiting. He’s familiar with coach Darrin Horn and his assistants after being on staff at Texas from 2015-17.
Evans also served stints as an assistant at North Carolina-Asheville and Louisville. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Nichols College in 2014. He is a 2012 graduate of Holy Cross, where he scored 1,200 points in his career. Evans played a postgraduate season at Connecticut in 2012-13. He later played professionally in England for a year.
Alessandro, longtime coach at Highlands, to focus on family
Brian Alessandro has stepped down as Highlands cross country and girls track and field coach. He’s been coaching at Highlands for more than 20 years. Alessandro, a 1998 Highlands graduate, is striking a new work-life balance as his children get older.
A Highlands Middle School teacher, his first season at Highlands was as an assistant for cross country in 2002. As a teacher and coach, he made sure other people’s children reached their potential.
Alessandro has been head coach of the Highlands boys and girls cross country teams since 2012. That year he became head coach of the girls track and field team. Alessandro’s Highlands teams won 20 regional championships and nine state titles. Counting relay runners, he coached nearly 30 individual state champions in cross country and track and field.
Alessandro was a cross country and track and field competitor at Highlands, where he also excelled at soccer. He also ran at Northern Kentucky University.
Covington Catholic basketball coach Jake Thelen.
Photo provided | Covington Catholic High School
Todd Humphrey moves over from the girls to boys head basketball coach at Boone County. Photo provided | Boone County High School
Brian Alessandro holds a Tradition of Excellence award given by Fort Thomas Independent Schools.
Photo provided | Highlands Facebook page
By Rebecca Hanchett
MNKY teacher finds, spreads classroom magic
agic is happening in classrooms in Northern Kentucky’s public schools, according to Boone County middle school teacher Kevin Dailey. He said he’s seen it firsthand.
He found it in Zach Neal’s language arts and music classroom at Campbell County Middle School, where Mickey Mouse ears and Disney images fill the spaces between students’ work, Dailey said. Neal sometimes inserts Disney stories into lessons to make them more relatable because “we all know Disney,” according to one student.
All of that, Dailey said, is helping students learn by transporting them to a new kind of “happiest place on Earth.”
“They are pushing themselves to do more and know more, but it’s all facilitated in an environment of comfort, calm and support entirely created by Zach and his largerthan-life personality,” said Dailey, a middle school history teacher at Ballyshannon Middle and the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.
“For anyone questioning if this is too childish or if middle school students are ‘too old for Disney,’ I want you to resist that thought,” Dailey wrote in Kentucky Teacher magazine in May. “For a young person who is being asked to sit all day long and push themselves academically, this little touch of comfort can mean the difference between success and failure.”
(Im)Perfect Classroom
Over at Newport High School, Dailey said magic is being made by middle school social studies teacher Nate Green – a force of nature who Dailey said puts his students first. Green’s Monday morning student check-ins, teaching style and innovative YouTube series, “Coffee with Mr. Green,” let students know that he cares about them as whole people – and it’s making a difference, said Dailey.
“He loves them. He supports them. He embraces their whole selves and makes sure they know that, no matter what happens, he is there for them,” Dailey said about Green in Kentucky Teacher. “He shows up.”
Green and Neal are among at least 20 teachers whose classrooms Dailey has visited as part of his 2024 Teacher of the Year project called the (Im)Perfect Classroom. The educator plans to visit dozens more (there are over 100 teacher recommendations total) before he is through, he told the Kentucky Board of Education on June 5.
All teachers interviewed by Dailey have been recommended by a parent, colleague, former student or someone who told Dailey something about that teacher that makes them really stand out.
“Each one of these comes with a story
U.S. history teacher
| Kentucky Department of Education
about what makes their classroom special,” Dailey told the state board. “I got to feel what it was like to be in their space. To feel what the students feel when they walk into those rooms and, my God, was it incredible. It was amazing. And it was wildly different in every single place, in all corners of Kentucky, in all types of classrooms.”
Right now Dailey is taking what he has learned from the magic-makers he’s visited and distilling it for teachers in all 171 public school districts statewide. The goal is to find “those attributes that make (those teachers) magic and disperse that to new and aspiring teachers so they can find their magic sooner,” he told the board.
“I was only able to visit 20 classrooms. But my work isn’t over,” said Dailey “I’m really excited to continue this journey and to make sure all the 100 plus teachers and any other teachers recommended for this get their flowers, because they deserve them.”
Winning ‘education Oscar’
Dailey is a Holmes High School alum and dedicated public school teacher who is known for making magic of his own. His students at Ballyshannon regularly go on classroom adventures that take them out of the everyday and show them new things. One of his initiatives is a Ballyshannon guest speaker series that brings expert knowledge into the classroom in ways that engage and inform.
“The lessons in my classroom allow students to explore a time or culture they may have never had the opportunity to encounter,” Dailey told Kentucky Teacher last year. “These experiences can spark curiosity, build empathy and understanding for others, and truly make learning fun.”
Being named Kentucky Teacher of the Year is only the latest accolade for the Boone
schools, big districts, little districts, and in every single one of them there are incredible things that no one would know about unless you went looking.”
Kentucky Board of Education Chair Sharon Porter Robinson called Dailey’s presentation “provocative.” Kentucky should look further into taking inventory of its teacher assets based on what she heard, Robinson said.
“Do we have a hope of ever inventorying the resources we have in our teachers in terms of expertise that they have, the things they are really passionate about that is a source of energy for them that they bring? Because I have a feeling we are not yet using it in an intentional way,” said Robinson.
“We need to have a big book with ‘we have a teacher in this county that is really good at community relations and we need that service “in this school.’ (etc.)” So it’s a matter of getting a pool of our assets to answer some of those questions.”
County teacher. Dailey is also the 2024 Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year. Back in 2021, he received the Milken Educator Award – a national award for early- to mid-career teachers, which some call the education Oscar.
The (Im)perfect Classroom project has taught him a lot, Dailey told the state board. Some of those lessons apply to teachers, administrators or the community as a whole.
Teachers need to prioritize their time and energy where it best serves the teacher and students, Dailey reported. Administrators, he said, need to make their teachers “feel trusted as professionals and valued for what they bring to the table.”
As for the community, Dailey said the way to find the magic in local schools is to go looking for it.
“Incredible things are happening in your children’s school,” he said. “They are all over the place. I’ve gone to big schools, little
In response, Dailey said students in those teachers’ classrooms are a source of information. “We need to talk to the students about what the skills and strengths are. We need their input and we need to talk to other teachers,” he said.
Dailey finished his June 5 presentation before the board with pointed remarks on funding of public schools and support of public school teachers. The remarks came as Kentucky voters prepare to decide the fate of a proposed constitutional amendment to allow public funding for private education this fall. The 2024 Kentucky General Assembly voted to place the proposed amendment on the ballot this spring.
“Teachers are encouraged about the future of education, about the future of public schools,” Dailey said. “But most importantly, teachers in Kentucky are necessary. They’re necessary for the workforce. They’re necessary for infrastructure. They’re necessary for any political thing you may vote for. If you do not vote for public schools first, I doubt success in any of the other areas will follow.”
Kevin Dailey, a
at Ballyshannon Middle School in Boone County, was named as the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year in a ceremony Sept. 13 at the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort. He has taught middle and high school for 10 years. Photo published in Kentucky Teacher
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