Winchester City Commission Meeting - August 18, 2026: School Updates and JROTC Honors
Winchester City Commission Meeting - August 18, 2026
The Winchester City Commission met on August 18, 2026, to hear presentations from the Clark County School District, including recognition of JROTC instructors, an update on district initiatives, and operational improvements. The meeting also included approval of minutes, departmental reports, and a closed session for property acquisition and potential litigation.
Presentations & Recognitions
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JROTC Instructor Awards: Retired Lieutenant Colonel Crupper and retired Master Sergeant Larry Lee were recognized as the 2026 Kentucky Senior Army Instructor of the Year and Kentucky Army Instructor of the Year, respectively, for their leadership at George Rogers Clark High School's JROTC program. The award citation noted the Raider Challenge team's three consecutive national championships.
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Clark County Schools Update: Superintendent Dustin Howard reported that district enrollment is up for the third consecutive year, approaching 5,600 students with nearly 1,300 staff. Teacher retention has improved from 67% to 90-92% over the past four years. The district's vision is to 'connect the district and the community' to grow great kids. New initiatives include a 'Connect with CCPS' text messaging system to keep the community informed.
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Academic Initiatives: Chief Academic Officer Kelly Chin highlighted new personalized career labs (IL labs) at Baker, RDC, and the Cardinal Innovation Center, offering hands-on modules in fields like computer science, engineering, health science, robotics, and cosmetology. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for September 8. The district's preschool program now serves about 300 four-year-olds (with capacity for more) and is a five-star accredited program. The Summer Flight Academy provided 200 elementary students with 20 additional days of instruction in June, showing continued growth in reading and math. Extended day programs (two additional hours) will start next week at all four elementary schools.
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Operational Updates: Brandon Whitman reported on summer projects: a new roof at Baker, a major renovation at RDC (new roof, HVAC, doors, windows, and a basement renovation), and a new turf field at RDC for football, soccer, and youth football. The city collaborated on lighting improvements at Farmover King Wade for safety, and on storm line work at RDC. Traffic flow at the start of school was noted as the smoothest in memory, thanks to police and SROs. The first home football game on August 28 will honor the 2026 Clark County Public Schools Hall of Fame inductees. The school board is selling its current central office on Lexington Avenue and moving to the former health department building on Professional Avenue.
Consent Calendar
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Minutes Approval: The minutes of the July 21, 2026 special (4:30 p.m.) and regular (5:30 p.m.) meetings, and the August 4, 2026 special (4:30 p.m.) and regular (5:30 p.m.) meetings were approved by a motion from Commissioner Toole, seconded by Commissioner Cox, with no discussion or opposition.
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Departmental Agency Reports: Reports were accepted by a motion from Commissioner Strode, seconded by Commissioner Cox, with no discussion or opposition.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke.
Informational Items
- Mayor noted the 90th birthday of Dr. Escher, a long-time community servant.
- Mayor mentioned attending a three-hour professional development session on local bridge ownership.
Comments from Mayor, Commissioners, City Manager, and City Attorney
- Commissioner Strode: Reminded of the upcoming Pioneer Festival (September 5-6). Thanked Public Works Director Brian for assembling new benches at the courthouse and for work on the kids' area at the market.
- Commissioner Cox: Mentioned the Hall of Fame induction next Friday and reported that Work Camp served 60 homes this year, finishing only $4,011 over budget (due to extending from 54 to 60 homes).
- Commissioner Toole: Had no comments.
- City Manager (Mr. Dykman): Had no comments.
Key Outcomes
- Closed Session: A motion to enter closed session to discuss potential litigation (KRS 61.810(1)(c)) and property acquisition (KRS 61.810(1)(b)) was made, seconded by Commissioner Schnauze, and approved unanimously. The closed session was held in the city manager's office, after which the special-called meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
To lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay, please remain standing and would like to uh ask our superintendent of schools, Dustin Howard to come forward and do our invocation for us. Dustin. All right, Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight. We serve you, we serve our community, bring us the strength, wisdom, the discernment as we consider the decisions before us as we continue to grow greatness with Chester of Clark County. Got our hearts and our minds so that our choice and our actions reflect what is best for our community, our kids, and our future. Give us the strength to make the right decision, even when the times that decision might not be the most popular. Help us with listening, understanding, leading with integrity, working together for the good of all. In your name I pray, amen. Okay, I will officially call the meeting to order. Everyone may have a seat, and I'd like to ask the city commission to join me down front for a presentation or two. Okay. We're honored this evening to have two fine little gentlemen sitting on the front row with one knocks over. And retired lieutenant colonel uh joined us this evening and retired Master Sergeant Larry Lee. And they uh have had some huge honors, and those honors are uh tired Colonel Cruck Crupper, Lieutenant Colonel Crupp is 2026 Kentucky Kentucky, not a Winchester, not Clark County, but Kentucky Senior Army Instructor of the Year. And a retired Master Sergeant Larry Lee is the 2026 Kentucky Army instructor of the year. Certificate recognition and then present those two for their outstanding leadership and instructional elegant excellence, mentorship, and unwavering dedication to the cadets of the George Drivers Car High School Junior and Reserve Officers Training Corps, better known as JROTC program, selected throughout highly competitive process by the Detective Department of Education's JROTC Directory, and the U.S. Army Cadet Command 7th grade. These prestigious honors reflect their exceptional commitment to developing leadership, discipline, character, civic responsibility, and service among the youth of our community. Through their guidance and through their mentorship, countless cadets have grown into responsible citizens and future leaders. Their remarkable achievements include leading the George Rogers Clark High School, JROTC Raider Challenge team, the three consecutive national championships. Bringing distinction and pride not only to GRC but to the City of Winchester, Clark County, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The City of Winchester extends his sincere gratitude and appreciation to Lieutenant Colonel Crock and Ambassador Sergeant Lee for their exemplary service and for positively impacting the lives of students in leadership, dedication, and excellence. Presented this 18th day of August 2026. These guys, I've been to several of their events, and uh they put over a great event with really good food too. And uh enjoy what they're doing and appreciate they have us out to high school every 911 day uh for a ceremony that is extremely touchy. Um not so good in history, and uh but you two have led the dignity, we've led the price. Thank you very much. Thank you, guys. We're we're just really uh we're just really happy to have the opportunity after serving uh you know great careers over 20 years to then get the opportunity to come back and uh positively hopefully affect uh the next future leaders of America. So we we take it as an honor and privilege. Thank you so much for you guys' support the community. We wouldn't be able to do this without our great support of our district school leadership and the families, families here that support us and the community. Thank you so much, Pat. Thank you all again for the bottom of all of our hearts for what you did that we've done, and it's your character and pride to our kids. I I have to I never had to pray with working with the colonel, but I did what you're playing, and I was always humbled around it, not because of how much kidina or hot luck that he competed with me well. Uh but uh what they do for some kids that that don't have anywhere else. They're they're not a part of anything else, but they go to JRLTC and they find the home, and they have they have uh use the kids fund, I think that are military officers now because they left here and went through R O T Q C permanent Mid Eastern or UK and are serving this country proudly, and once again, thank you. Okay, now we're gonna be entertained. I mean, blessed not entertained, sorry, by our school superintendent, Dustin Howard, who will update us on the Clark County schools, and I'm sure there's not much happening there. Not much at all. Um first thank you opportunity uh to be here tonight to kind of preview what's coming this year uh for not only the students of uh Clark County but our entire community. Enrollment, so let me start there uh is up again for third years enrolled, um close to 5600 students. Uh we have almost 1,300 staff. We are by far the biggest important county, but most people don't realize that. Um we have uh really put a lot of effort into retaining um quality features. The best best thing that I can do is not a program that's not as well as I need go cards, it is to retain the best features and put them in front of us. Uh when I took over this job, we were only retaining about 67% of our staff, and that was just uh four years ago. This is my fifth year of superintendent. Uh happily report today that we are retaining close to 90-92% of our staff, uh, which is an amazing uh fee turnaround.
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