During the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) May Superintendents Webcast.

Commissioner Jason Glass discussed the department’s United We Learn initiative, designed to reimagine the future of learning in the Commonwealth.

KDE held statewide conversations with more than 1,200 people to hear what local communities believe schools should look like. The Kentucky Coalition for Advancing Education then developed a report on the current and future state of education in the Commonwealth.

The United We Learn initiative includes three themes: creating a more vibrant experience for every student, encouraging innovation in schools and finding genuine ways to collaborate with local communities.

“Much like the Commonwealth, our education system is truly at its strongest when we’re working together, pulling in the same direction and when we’re learning together,” Glass said.

Currently, districts that are serving as Local Laboratories of Learning (L3s) are showing how to involve communities, as well as students, in decision-making, and designing educational programs and new assessment and accountability systems.

More information on the department’s United We Learn vision is available on the United We Learn webpage.

Superintendents also heard a recap of the 2022 legislative session from Brian Perry, KDE’s director of government relations. KDE will release guidance on the new laws on the KDE District/School Support webpage.

By the close of Kentucky Gives Day on Tuesday, May 10, more than $9,000 was raised to support KSBA’s scholarships for Kentucky high school students. One hundred percent of funds raised during KSBA’s #KyGives22 campaign will support the KSBA Educational Foundation’s CTE and college scholarships for students across the Commonwealth.

On behalf of the KSBA and KSBA Educational Foundation boards of directors, thank you to all those who made a gift for #KyGives22. We were inspired by the contributions from current and former school board members, district administrators, friends, partners and staff. Your generosity helps to ensure the association can continue to support students in their pursuit of promising careers.

We wish to extend a special thank you to three organizations that went above and beyond to make #KyGives22 a success. The Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative made a $2,500 contribution to sponsor a First Degree College Scholarship. RossTarrant Architects generously issued a $1,500 matching challenge in the final hours of the campaign (that was met). American Fidelity Educational Services issued a matching challenge to their network of employees, offering to match the first $50 of every gift made to the KSBAEF.

Absolutely! The Educational Foundation accept gifts throughout the year. You can make your gift in one of two ways. (1) Make a secure online gift via the KSBA Educational Foundation website. (2) Mail a check made payable to the “KSBA Educational Foundation” to KSBA, 260 Democrat Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601. We are grateful for gifts of any size, as every dollar brings us one step closer to serving even more students.

The Kentucky Chamber Foundation will host the state’s first Civics Bee on Saturday. The competition was open to middle school students who submitted essays about using civics to solve a problem in their community.

The 10 finalists will compete in the live event which includes two rounds of quick recall. After the quick recall, three finalists will then be interview based on their 500-word essays.

First prize will win $1,000, second will win $500 and third will win $250.

The judges include:

The bee is one of six inaugural National Civics Bee competitions promoted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The National Civics Bee is a civics literacy program of The Civic Trust, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation initiative to promote greater civic knowledge and civic participation across the country. Learn more about the Kentucky bee.

KSBA's experienced Superintendent Search consultants have worked with local school boards across Kentucky to facilitate more than 315 successful searches. Visit KSBA’s Superintendent Search homepage to learn more about our service. 

The election/reelection filing deadline for school board races is June 7! Each election year KSBA assembles updated information on the election process and related issues for school leaders and board members. For more than a decade, KSBA has offered these materials as a benefit to members, school districts and engaged citizens. Our 2022 School Board Election Resources Guide summarizes key aspects of election filing, campaigning, documentation and more. KSBA’s guide is a helpful resource for anyone considering board service, whether for his/her first time or fifth term.

House Bill 678, passed during the 2022 legislative session, provides an opportunity for school districts to accelerate construction projects and address extracurricular facilities with a funding source typically reserved for school buildings. Join KSBA and the Kentucky Department of Education for “Deconstructing HB 678: What school boards should know” from noon until 1 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, May 19. This free webinar will review changes made by the bill and its potential impact for districts.

Chay Ritter, director, Division of District Support, Kentucky Department of Education

Eric Kennedy, director of Advocacy, Kentucky School Boards Association

KSBA’s 16th Annual Federal and State Law Update will be held from 9 a.m. until noon (ET) on Thursday, June 2, 2022. This year’s event will once again be held as a virtual conference, offering participants a recap, board policy/procedure updates and Open Meetings/Open Records Act (OMA/ORA) and federal law updates.

The webinar is strongly recommended for school board members and superintendents, and is also useful information for board attorneys, assistant superintendents, school/district administrators, finance officers, etc. Registration is limited to 100 viewers at a cost of $150 per person. Participants are eligible for 3 hours of training credit – board member, CLE and EILA. (CLE and EILA approval has been requested.) The training is also good for Level 4/5 elective credit for KSBA members participating in the association’s Academy of Studies.

This is the only opportunity for a full recap of the legislative session and its impact on school boards. View a full agenda and begin easy online registration for KSBA’s Federal and State Law Update.

The legislative session is over with legislators leaving a mixed bag of impacts on Kentucky public education. On one hand, the new state budget provides increased funding for public schools and a longtime KSBA priority has finally passed; on the other hand, local control of public education suffered some setbacks. Learn about the good and not so good outcomes of the session in the May issue of the Advocate.

Also in the May Advocate:

KSBA’s 2022 slate of “Learn and Earn” webinars is back by popular demand. The monthly series offers pertinent topics while providing school board members with required 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.

Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. All Learn and Earn webinars count for 1 hour of board training credit. Dates for the next three webinars are listed below.

This edition of KSBA Aware is made possible in part