The General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Education met June 7 for the first time during the interim session to hear about teacher shortages in Kentucky classrooms.

Education Commissioner Jason Glass discussed the complex causes of the shortages and offered ideas to combat the problem. The committee also heard from a Kentucky Teachers Retirement System (TRS) representative about the processes for retired teachers to return to the classroom.

Glass told legislators that about 17 percent of Kentucky’s teachers leave each year and over the last several years the number of teacher job postings in the state has increased while the number filled has decreased.

The state is seeing shortages in science, math, early childhood education, special education and world languages, he said.

“We’ve got a problem with the educator workforce in Kentucky. We are seeing an increased reliance on emergency certification to fill positions,” Glass said. “And these certifications are issued with a lower standard of quality than the traditional license or an alternative license.”

Kentucky is also facing the possibility of many current teachers walking away. About 72 percent of Kentucky teachers are at-risk of leaving the profession, Glass said. Those teachers are eligible to retire or are in their first five years of teaching, a time when many educators decide to leave the profession.

“I think that teaching has been under a lot of scrutiny and criticism for a number of years and, honestly, it's hurting us,” Glass told legislators.

Sen. Danny Carroll said there’s a perception from educators that Frankfort doesn’t care about teachers and asked what could be done to “rebuild that bridge.”

Glass replied that the legislature should continue to fund education and increase funding so that teachers’ salaries can keep up with inflation.

“Though the national conversations where education has become politicized, the legislature really has to consider our teachers in Kentucky and our teachers that are in your communities. What is the language that we’re using around them? And is this going to make them feel supported and valued, where we can keep attracting people into teaching and keep those great teachers in our communities?”

Among the solutions to address the shortages, Glass said some ideas include elevating the teaching profession to the public, bolstering high school pathways for students interested in teaching, providing scholarships, increasing the stipend for pursuing National Board certification and/or creating a professional development wallet so that educators could choose their own professional development instead of what is offered in their district.

Kentucky Teachers Retirement Systems Deputy Executive Director Beau Barnes updated lawmakers on provisions from this past session which make it easier for retired teachers to return to the classroom.

“Retired teachers are returning to work in substitute teaching positions as part time employees,” he said. “Very few returned to work in full time positions.”

Barnes also said that as of June 30, about 12 percent of all school employees in the Teachers Retirement System are eligible to retire. But of course, most of them don’t. Each year, there are about 2,000 retirements, he said.

After eight years of being a state-managed or state-assisted district, Menifee County Schools has been released from state assistance.

During the Kentucky Board of Education’s (KBE’s) regular meeting on June 8, the board heard from Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Associate Commissioner Kelly Foster on the management audit of and the school district and approved its release.

Photo above: KDE Associate Commissioner Kelly Foster (left) and Menifee Co. Superintendent Tim Spencer (right) spoke at the Kentucky Board of Education’s meeting on June 8. (Photo by KDE)

In 2021, local school board members had access to an increased number of training events, including more virtual and self-study training offerings on a growing number of topics.

Easy online registration is open for KSBA’s 2022 Summer Leadership Institute (July 15-16) in Lexington. Click the blue button below to begin registration for this event.

View/download a complete conference schedule and session descriptions. The schedule, which this year includes a welcome reception and earlier Friday start/end times for the Opening Session, offers engaging sessions and ample opportunity for networking. View more information below about the weekend's keynote presenters.

Visit the SLI page on KSBA's website for additional details. All sessions at SLI can earn school board members state-mandated board training credit.

Governance is very much a team endeavor that requires a compelling vision, clear communication, shared leadership, route finding, adaptability, courage, preparation and total commitment. Phil Gore, director of Board Services for the Vermont School Boards Association and avid mountain climber, will share how lessons from mountain climbing can inform effective governance during the Opening Session from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 15. Gain insights from governance research that you can apply to improving the work of your board and success of your students.

United We Learn is the new vision for public education in the Commonwealth built around three central themes: creating a more vibrant experience for every student, encouraging innovation in schools and finding genuine ways to collaborate with local communities. Our education system is at its strongest when everyone in our state is working together, pulling in the same direction and learning together. During the Plenary Session from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, July 16, Jason E. Glass, Ed.D., Kentucky’s commissioner of education and chief learner, will share the evolution of this new vision and what it means for the local boards of education serving our school communities across the state.

KSBA’s 2022 “Learn and Earn” monthly webinar series offers school board members pertinent topics good for state-mandated training credits. Sessions are scheduled for noon – 1 p.m. (Eastern) on the second Wednesday of each month at a cost of $50 per session. All Learn and Earn webinars count for 1 hour of training credit.

The July installment -- “Why did we get less state SEEK money this year? Why did they get more next door?” -- discusses the SEEK formula, which is the primary way that the state provides funding to districts for operating schools at the K-12 level. Presented by KSBA Director of Advocacy Eric Kennedy, this session will look at the factors that increase or decrease SEEK amounts.

Click here to register for this webinar. (Pre-registration is required, and space is limited.)

All Learn and Earn webinars count for 1 hour of state-mandated board training credit. KSBA's 2022 series is sponsored by the Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS).

There are a lot of tough days for a school board member, but graduation day might make all those tough votes, late-night meetings and hours worth it. See how board members across the state helped see off the class of 2022 in the June issue of the Kentucky School Advocate.

Also in the June Advocate:

This edition of KSBA Aware is made possible in part