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KBE takes next step in commissioner search

The Kentucky Board of Education on Monday approved a request for proposals (RFP) for a search firm to help hire the state’s next education commissioner. 

Education Commissioner Jason Glass announced in July that he will resign Sept. 29 to become an associate vice president of teaching and learning at Western Michigan University. 

The board approved the RFP and Associate Commissioner Robin Kinney said she expected it to be released this week. 

The RFP must be out for a minimum of seven business days, although a longer period of time allows for more notice to prospective search firms. Once the vendor is selected, processing of a contract can take up to 30 days. Kinney said the goal is to have the search firm start its work no later than Dec. 1.

“I think we can get it done sooner than that, but just to manage expectations that if all the stars do not align … then we’ve got a little bit of wiggle room there,” she said.

KBE also approved a committee to evaluate responses to the RFP by interested search firms. The committee includes KBE members Alissa Riley, Steve Trimble and Julie Pile.

The board will hold a special meeting to discuss the search at 9 a.m. Sept. 6.

KSBA seeking workshop proposals for conferences

Save the date for KSBA's 2023 Winter Symposium, Dec. 8-9 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown, and KSBA's 2024 Annual Conference, March 1-3 at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville.

KSBA is seeking proposals for workshop sessions for both Winter Symposium and Annual Conference. See the session proposal guidelines. All workshop proposal submissions for both conferences must be received by Sept. 10. Visit the Call for Workshop Proposals page on our website for more information, including the proposal form link.

If you have questions, contact Debra Webb or Shannon Robinson at [email protected].

Applications open for Prichard's Community Schools Grant

Through the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative, the Prichard Committee will partner with 20 school districts across Kentucky to develop local responses to the unique needs of students and families, ultimately improving academic outcomes.

With a total of $30 million to be distributed over five years, each selected district will receive $1.5 million, equivalent to $300,000 per year, to bring communities to the table and implement the research-informed framework.

The application for selecting the 16 new districts is live and the deadline has been extended to Sept. 8. Interested districts may apply at this link.

If you have questions or need further information, contact Brooke Gill, the director for the Prichard Committee's Collaborative of Families and Schools.

Regional meetings begin Aug. 29

KSBA will hit the road again this fall as the association's 12 regional chairs host meetings for board members, superintendents, district staff and friends of education. The annual tour of the state allows members to gather in proximity to the communities they serve.

A short format program offers an evening of learning and networking in an intimate setting and members who attend will earn 1.25 hours of state-mandated school board training credit.

Meeting details will be communicated by host districts approximately five to six weeks prior to your region's meeting. See more information on regional meetings, including a list of dates for each meeting. Find your district's assigned region.

Six of the regional meetings will include regional chair elections. Those regions are: Northern Kentucky, Middle Cumberland, Second, Eastern Kentucky South, Fourth and Upper Cumberland. Links to the nomination forms for the regional chair positions, along with the nomination deadline, can be found on KSBA's website.

Report details historic state funding gap among Kentucky school districts

According to a new report by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KyPolicy), per-pupil funding between the state’s poorest and wealthiest school districts now exceeds the level ruled unconstitutional by the Kentucky Supreme Court more than three decades ago.

“After years of inadequate state funding for public education and growing tax breaks that reduce revenue, the progress Kentucky made toward ensuring equal education opportunities to Kentucky’s kids has been undone,” said Jason Bailey, KyPolicy, executive director.

The report uses methodology first developed by the Office of Education Accountability (OEA), which was created by 1990’s landmark Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) to monitor school finance. OEA has rarely produced analysis since 2010, but this new report updates the data for all years through 2022.

In response to the report, KSBA Executive Director Kerri Schelling emphasized the challenges funding gaps present to school districts.

“School funding in Kentucky is complex,” she said “The goals are to achieve adequate funding and to distribute those funds equitably; two separate but equally important issues. This report explains why the distribution of district funding has become more inequitable over time. The trend is driven by the uneven economic growth and property value across regions, the amount of state funding distributed through the SEEK formula, and how those factors interact with local taxes.”

The negative impact of funding inequity on districts’ ability to serve students is an issue raised by KSBA members every year, Schelling added.

The full KyPolicy report is available here. 

September Learn and Earn to discuss wellness policy

The September installment of KSBA's 2023 Learn and Earn webinar series, is “A Deeper Dive into Your Wellness Policy.” 

As a participant of the National Breakfast and/or Lunch programs, school districts are required to have a Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP) promoting the health of students and addressing the growing problem of childhood obesity and food insecurity. The responsibility for developing a LSWP is local so that the unique needs of each school in the district can be addressed. Join us from noon - 1 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, Sept. 13 as the Kentucky Department of Education's Stephanie Bunge, school health consultant, and Kathryn Embree, branch manager in the Division of School and Community Nutrition, discuss the federal requirements and how this policy can provide framework for improved student well-being.

Register for this webinar.

Pre-registration and payment is required for all Learn and Earn webinars at a cost of $50 per attendee. Each webinar counts for one hour of school board training credit.

See descriptions and online registration for all upcoming Learn and Earn webinars.

Superintendent search alert

KSBA's Superintendent Search Service is currently facilitating searches in the following districts. Click the district name to be directed to the position posting.

Laurel County Schools

Application deadline: Aug. 31, 2023

Owensboro Independent Schools

Application deadline: Jan. 1, 2024

In addition to the superintendent searches facilitated by KSBA, other districts may have vacancies they are working to fill. These vacancies currently include, but are not limited to:

Danville Independent Schools

Application deadline: Oct. 3, 2023 at 4 p.m. (ET)

State-mandated board training topic webinars

Planning out your board training schedule for the remainder of the calendar year? For the convenience of our members, KSBA is offering webinar opportunities on the state-mandated topics of ethics, finance and superintendent evaluation. 

Each of the state-mandated topic webinars is $50 per attendee and pre-registration and pre-payment is required. If you are not able to attend after you register, you will have access to the recorded version of the event and will be able to complete the session at your convenience. 

Members will also be able to complete state-mandated training requirements during Winter Symposium, which will be held Dec. 8-9 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown. More information on Winter Symposium will be available later this fall.

View a full lineup of webinars and clinic session offerings for the remainder of the calendar year on state-mandated topics.

Questions? Contact [email protected]. 

KECSAC seeks superintendent for interagency advisory group

The Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children (KECSAC) is seeking a current KECSAC superintendent to join the group’s Interagency Advisory Group which includes representatives from its state agency partners, including the Kentucky Department of Education, Department of Community Based Services, Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities.

The advisory group also includes two current school administrators of KECSAC programs and a school district superintendent. The retirement of Laurel County Schools Superintendent Doug Bennett has created an opening for a superintendent. Nominations, including self-nominations, can be emailed to Ronnie Nolan, KECSAC executive director, at [email protected].

Semifinalists named for 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year

Ten teachers from across the state are semifinalists for the Kentucky Department of Education's 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year award.

The teachers are in the running to be named as Elementary, Middle and High School Teacher of the Year, one of whom will be named the overall 2024 Kentucky Teacher of Year. Winners will be announced Sept. 13 at a ceremony in Frankfort.

Semifinalists for the elementary Teacher of the Year are:

• Katie Hale, Ponderosa Elementary (Boyd County)
• Deanna Landrum, Southgate Public School (Southgate Independent)
• Justin Moreschi, Klondike Lane Elementary (Jefferson County)
• Donnie Wilkerson, Jamestown Elementary (Russell County)

The middle school semifinalists are:

• Kevin Dailey, Ballyshannon Middle (Boone County)
• Doug Henry, Bullitt Lick Middle (Bullitt County)
• Kimberly Thompson, Eastside Middle (Bullitt County)

The high school semifinalists are:

• Ryan Davis, Waggener High (Jefferson County)
• Luke Glaser, Hazard High (Hazard Independent)
• Kumar Rashad, Breckinridge Metropolitan High (Jefferson County)

“Each of these award-winning teachers are dedicated to uplifting their students, their school communities and the education profession as a whole,” said Education Commissioner Jason Glass. “I want to congratulate them for receiving this prestigious recognition and thank them for the hard work that has led them here. They represent more than 40,000 of their colleagues from every school district in Kentucky who give of themselves every day to help students.”

Aug. 29: KSBA regional meetings begin

Sept. 6: KBE special meeting

Sept. 12: KDE Superintendents Webcast

Sept. 19: Interim Joint Committee on Education

Sept. 19: Task Force on School and Campus Safety

Sept. 25-27: COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C.

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