Jason Glass named Kentucky education commissioner

The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) is expected Wednesday afternoon to approve the contract for Kentucky’s new education commissioner.

The board announced Friday that Jason Glass, superintendent of Colorado's Jefferson County school system, had been selected as the state’s next education commissioner. The KBE has called a meeting for 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to vote on Glass's contract.

Glass, a Meade County native, got his start teaching at Hazard Independent Schools.

Prior to serving as superintendent of JeffCo Schools, Glass served as the superintendent of Eagle County Schools in Colorado and as Iowa’s director of education, serving as the chief state school officer from 2010 to 2013.

A native of Brandenburg and a 1990 graduate of Meade County High School, Glass earned his doctorate in education leadership from Seton Hall University, a master’s in political science, a master’s in education and a bachelor’s in political science and history, all from the University of Kentucky.

Glass said he is thrilled to be back in his home state and excited for the future of Kentucky public education.

“I am so incredibly grateful to the board for this opportunity to serve the Commonwealth and I am excited to embark on this effort to improve the future for all of Kentucky’s children,” Glass said. “Kentucky has given so much to me in a quality public education experience – the opportunity for a world-class university experience and a start to my professional career in the state. My wife Sarah and I look forward to relocating to the Bluegrass State and to our children growing up and going to public school in Kentucky.”

Glass was chosen after a nationwide search that garnered 46 applicants which where then narrowed to three finalists.

Glass will remain in Colorado through early September. Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown will continue serving until Glass arrives. 

KDE clarifies back to school decision-making responsibility

Kentucky Department of Education attorney Todd Allen clarified Tuesday that how districts return to school is a local board decision.

The comment came in response to a question during KDE's Superintendents’ Webcast about whether school boards or school-based decision making councils had authority over school reopening plans.

“The decision on whether a school district is going to come back into session … that would be the decision of the local school board and the superintendent,” Allen said.

SBDMs can set policies that are consistent with local school board policy, he added.

“It’s really important that as school districts and school boards determine how they are going to go back to school, whether it’s an in-person model, an NTI model or a hybrid model, they are very quickly and thoroughly communicating that information down to the school level,” he said. 

This week KDE issued additional guidance on assessing learning gaps when students return.

Jefferson Co. board members say start year with distance learning

A majority of Louisville school board members say Kentucky's largest school district should forgo in-person classes and begin the new school year with remote instruction.

Six of the seven members of the Jefferson County Board of Education told The Courier Journal they will vote Tuesday for nontraditional instruction, or NTI, to start the school year, saying it is the only way to keep students and staff safe amid surging coronavirus cases.

Legislators hear about districts' concerns about reopening

KSBA’s Eric Kennedy shared districts’ concerns about going back to school with legislators at the July 7 Interim Joint Education Committee meeting .

Kennedy identified the top six concerns, which include providing multiple modes of instruction, staffing, funding and procurement, support for virus mitigation efforts, district liability and assessments.

“We want to do all of this safely. KSBA hopes districts can provide in-person instruction as much as possible, as safely as possible,” Kennedy said.

More coverage:

KDE, superintendents and public health officials discuss going to back to school

As Kentucky school districts eye reopening, they encounter a host of issues

Many questions still need answers as schools try to reopen

Education leaders address state lawmakers

Ky. education committee discusses reopening schools, restarting athletics

KSBA Summer Leadership Institute videos available online

KSBA hosted its 2020 Summer Leadership Institute virtually this past weekend and our attendees were inspired and moved to tears by two keynote speakers – Jim “The Rookie” Morris (top photo) and Erin Gruwell (bottom photo) of “Freedom Writers.”

If you were unable to join us for some or all of the SLI, you can still experience all of the great sessions with SLI On Demand , available through July 20. Board members or superintendents can access the sessions at a cost of $195. You can earn up to 5.5 hours of credit by watching both keynote speakers and two of the four breakout sessions. (Note: Members can only receive credit for one training course in Breakout Session A and one training course in Breakout Session B.)

To receive your credit, fill out the credit hour form on the SLI On Demand page and return it to KSBA. If you have questions, please email Laura Cole or call her at 800-372-2962 ext. 1122.

School safety facility upgrade funding available

Districts can now apply for funding for school safety facility upgrades required under Senate Bill 1, the School Safety and Security Act.

The Kentucky Department of Education has created a new School Security Request (SSR) process related to funding in the 2020 budget.

House Bill 352, the 2020 budget bill, included $18.2 million for a variety of school safety facility upgrades. The appropriation is based off a survey done by the Kentucky School Boards Association in 2019 and requirements in  SB1 (2019).

SB 1 identifies six required security devices for schools: main entrance locks, a main entrance camera, a main entrance intercom, classroom door locks, classroom door window coverings and exterior door access control. Money from the $18.2 million can only be used for these six devices.

Each district’s portion of the security funding is based on its average daily attendance rates. Districts must submit an SSR form, which details what schools will do with the funding and the amount of funding requested.

Join KSBA the second Wednesday of each month for an hour of meaningful board member training. Our “Learn & Earn” webinar series offers helpful topics while providing school board members with state-required training credits. All sessions will run from noon – 1 p.m. (ET) at a cost of $50 per session.

Registration is required and space is limited to 100 participants. Visit the Learn and Earn web page for detailed webinar descriptions, presenter information, registration details and more. Download a complete schedule (PDF) of the upcoming opportunities.

The Aug. 12 "Learn and Earn" webinar will be a superintendent evaluation session titled Using Formative Conversation to Improve Superintendent Evaluation . This webinar meets mandated superintendent evaluation training requirements for school board members. Register now!

For questions contact Laura Cole, KSBA director of Board Team Development, via email or at 800-372-2962.

COVID-19 impact on district policies

KSBA does not recommend making permanent changes to local board policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance from the Kentucky Department of Education and Department of Public Health will drive decision-making at the local level. As this situation is fluid, it will be necessary for districts to have the ability to quickly make decisions and the adoption process and timelines for formal policies and procedures limits such. It is recommended that districts have a COVID-19 Plan instead. ( Policy reference 01.5)

For more information or if you have questions, please contact your KSBA policy consultant.

Internet providers offer assistance for low-income households

During the COVID-19 pandemic it is critical that students have access to the internet. Companies are working to provide families with low-cost internet services and devices.

Everyoneon.org is a nonprofit that allows users to find internet options in their community by zip code and by participation in a specified program.

AT&T’s Access program has expanded eligibility based on income and to households participating in the National School Lunch and Head Start programs. Households with incomes under 135% of federal poverty guidelines, participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or participating in the federal school lunch program or Head Start program are eligible. Information can be found on AT&T’s website .

Comcast Internet Essentials and Spectrum Internet Assist also offer assistance to households in their service areas. 

KSBA is once again accepting nominations for its PEAK Award. We know districts have a lot going on as they look to reopen schools, so we wanted to give plenty of time to submit PEAK Award entries. The deadline is Sept. 22 and more information is available on our website .

The PEAK (Public Education Achieves in Kentucky) Award has been shining a spotlight on outstanding programs in the state since its inception in 1997 and this fall will mark the 52nd time that KSBA will honor a program with a PEAK Award.

The prestigious award recognizes outstanding public school efforts aimed at enhancing student learning skills and, in doing so, promotes the positive impact of public education in the Commonwealth.

The entry guidelines and links to stories on some of the recent winners, are available on our website . If you have questions, please email or call Matt McCarty at 800-372-2962 ext. 1209.

Poll results

July 21: KDE Superintendents' Webcast

July 29-31: KASA Annual Leadership Institute

Aug. 5-6: Kentucky Board of Education meeting

This edition of KSBA Aware is made possible in part

by the following KSBA Affiliate Members.