Commissioner's Special Tuesday Message

May 30, 2023

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you all had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend, which unofficially marks the beginning of summer. Congratulations to those of you who have already closed out the school year and hang on to those of you wrapping up this week!

Last week, I had the honor of presiding over the graduation ceremonies at the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) and the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD). These schools are very close to my heart. They serve students from across the Commonwealth, many of whom have faced additional challenges in their school career. They give their students the skills and competencies they will need to navigate and succeed in the world.

On May 23, nine students closed out their high school career at KSB. Among those graduates was Cory Wallace and Alex Hitzelberger, who were saying goodbye to a school they had attended since they started kindergarten in 2009. The mothers of the students said the school was like a family and helped provide their children with the skills they need to be successful in life.

You can read more about the KSB graduation on Kentucky Teacher.

Last Friday, I got a first-hand example of the kind of dedication these schools engender at the KSD graduation in Danville.

From 1937 to 1948, 94-year-old Beulah Hester attended KSD, but left before her senior year to start a family. Despite not finishing her coursework, she remained committed to KSD and was employed by the school as a dorm houseparent for 30 years until she retired in 1990. Last Friday, she was finally awarded her honorary diploma. She was one of four students to walk the stage this year as the campus celebrates its 200th anniversary.

“I’m very surprised at everything that’s happening with this,” Hester said. “Getting this diploma has been so important to me. I’ve just enjoyed it so much.”

You can read more about the KSD graduation on Kentucky Teacher.

I want to congratulate these new graduates, as well as the thousands of new graduates from across Kentucky. This is the first step in what I am sure will be a lifetime of distinction.

Kind regards,

Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.

Commissioner and Chief Learner

Forums to Be Held in Search for New Kentucky School for the Deaf Principal

KDE is inviting stakeholders to participate in community forums to gather feedback on the qualities they would like to see in the next principal of the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD).

The input of students, staff, families and the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community will be incorporated throughout the process so we can make critical and informed decisions throughout the search. 

The remaining forum is:

• In-person forum: Wednesday, May 31, from 7-8 p.m. ET, in the gymnasium at the Kentucky School for the Deaf, 303 S. 2nd St., Danville

All the information gathered from the Kentucky School for the Deaf – Principal Profile Survey (which closes at 11 p.m. ET on Friday, June 2) and the two forums will be used by the hiring committee while interviewing candidates to ensure KSD has the principal who will be the best fit for the school and the students it serves,

Priority consideration will be given to candidates with Deaf/Hard of Hearing education experience or American Sign Language (ASL) skills.

KDE also is seeking stakeholders who may be interested in serving on a representative interview committee for the new KSD principal.

Those who are interested in serving on the interview committee should complete the KSD Principal Interview Committee interest form, which will close at 5 p.m. ET on June 1. Stakeholders who are selected to serve must be available June 12-30 to review applications and conduct interviews.

KDE hopes to have a new principal in place at KSD by July 1.

Changes Made to Lease Approval Process

Pursuant to KRS 65.944(1)(b), school districts must receive approval from Kentucky’s education commissioner before entering into leases that exceed $100,000.

On average the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) annually receives close to 30 leases of more than $100,000 that must be approved. Close to 50% of these leases will be fiber lines that districts use to connect their schools to KDE’s internet hub. About 25% will be leases for copiers/printers and 22% will be a financial payment plan to immediately obtain computers and pay for them over a period of years. The remaining 3% is mainly for phone systems or property/land/buildings.

KDE has changed some processes and reduced steps within KDE to speed up the approval process of leases over $100,000.

Districts shall submit leases that exceed $100,000 to leasesover100K@education.ky.gov.

KDE also has developed the attached optional Local Board Attorney Certification form for use by districts in an effort to expedite the approval process. If the attached form is not submitted, KDE requests that districts include the contact information for their board attorney in the email submitting the lease for approval if the district would like KDE’s Office of Legal Services to contact your board attorney directly regarding any necessary changes to the lease.

If the form is not submitted, KDE will reach out to the superintendent from the district that submitted the lease for approval regarding any necessary changes in the lease. The district will need to work directly with the vendor regarding any changes.

The official approval e-mail to your district will come from KDE’s Commissioner’s Office.

Resources for Summer Learning

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) supports family engagement all year long. During the school year, the Standards Family Guides are a resource parents and caregivers may use to initiate conversations with their children regarding what they are learning at school.

Learning can continue when school is not in session. The summer months are an opportunity to further encourage families to enjoy literacy and numeracy experiences together in their own homes.

To support educators, parents, families and caregivers in encouraging summer learning, KDE is providing resources through the Summer Support webpages to help keep children’s minds active. Available resources include:

• Accelerating Student Learning During the Summer and Academic School Year
• Summer Food Service Program
• School and Public Libraries
• Literacy Resources
• Mathematics Resources
• Virtual Read Aloud Series
• Information and Printables for Families and Caregivers
• Gifted and Talented Resources
• Council of Chief State School Officers Summer Learning & Enrichment: State Guidance for District and School Leaders

New Resource Available for Supporting Transient Students Credit Accumulation

Every year in Kentucky, more than 10,000 students are enrolled in three or more schools.

Transient students face enormous challenges that can lead to disengagement from the educational process. A frequent obstacle is lack of processes and support to ensure they are accumulating credits across settings. These students often have to repeat course content and are too often placed in virtual learning spaces when they need direct instruction.

One of the ways schools can support these students is to ensure they are accumulating partial credits toward successful completion. To this end, please consider the practices in this brief, 2-page resource guide Supporting Transient Students Credit Accumulation.  

For more information, please contact Judi Vanderhaar or April Stanley.

2023 Persistence to Graduation Summit Scheduled for June 28-29

The Kentucky Department of Education’s Division of Student Success is hosting the 2023 Persistence to Graduation Summit June 28-29 at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington.

Superintendents, principals, educators, Family Resource and Youth Services Center coordinators, social service professionals, and community partners from across Kentucky will convene to share information and best practices to support students who may experience challenges to reaching graduation. Engaging and interactive sessions will be led by facilitators from across the state and will include:

• Well-rounded educational opportunities;
• Safe and supportive learning environments;
• Effective use of education technology;
• Student transition and re-engagement strategies; and
• Alternative education programming

The keynote speaker will be Trevor Ragan, who you may recognize from his popular TEDx Talk on overcoming fear or his work around developing a growth mindset.

Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit will be available. For more information, email Sarah McIntosh.

Kentucky Exemplary Educators Program Recommendations Due May 30

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has announced a new recognition program to celebrate distinguished teachers, teacher specialists and school leaders in the Commonwealth’s public schools.

Individuals may recommend up to three educators currently serving in Kentucky’s public schools for the 2023 Kentucky Exemplary Educators Program (KEEP). Recommended individuals should be early- to mid-career professionals with at least 5 years of experience and whose contributions to education are largely unheralded, yet worthy of the spotlight.

Recommendations, including a copy of the candidate’s resume and a one-page, signed recommendation letter on official letterhead, are due via the KEEP Recommendation Form by May 30.

Free Leadership Development Through National Institute for School Leadership

The Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Continuous Improvement and Support has partnered with the National Center on Education and the Economy to implement its National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) program.

This initiative provides leadership development to school and district leaders based on a national research-based curriculum, and has been in place in Kentucky for the past 13 years in three regions. The NISL program is the most widely used research-proven professional learning program for school leaders in the country.

This experience prepares leaders to create and lead high-performing organizations, improve instruction, leverage data-driven decision-making, improve student and school culture, and focus on equity.

The monthly interactive experience focuses on the key themes for capacity-building and for transforming the school as an organization while improving student success.

School and district staff interested in participating in this free professional learning are encouraged to complete the National Institute for School Leadership interest form no later than June 2. Questions regarding the training opportunity should be directed to Charlotte Jones.

Schools Encouraged to Submit Best Practices

The Kentucky Department of Education’s Best Practices and Sustainability website is open for submission of best practices from schools and districts.

The Best Practices website is designed to serve as a clearinghouse to promote practices that motivate, engage and provide measurable results in student learning, achievement and school/district processes. Any aspect of a school system that can impact student outcomes through improved instruction or operations can be submitted as a best practice.

Best practices should be submitted to the Best Practices database by June 1 to be considered for acknowledgement at the Continuous Improvement Summit, scheduled for Sept. 25-26. For more information, email Natasha Stein.

2023 Continuous Improvement Summit: Save the Date and Registration Link

Mark your calendars to attend the annual Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit. Co-hosted by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Cognia, the summit will be held Sept. 25-26 at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington.

During this two-day event, attendees will enhance their professional learning, make new connections and build upon existing relationships with peers across Kentucky. They also will hear up-to-date information from KDE leaders and learn how Cognia can help address unique challenges in their journey of continuous improvement. Please join us for this opportunity to explore a variety of topics, engage in conversations that will enrich your understanding of continuous improvement, and be energized by the keynote speaker, Mike Rutherford.

Registration is available on the 2023 Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit event webpage.

Sign Up Now for School Improvement Planning for Performance Excellence Training

A two-day School Improvement Planning for Performance Excellence training session will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 21-22 at the Central Bank Center, formerly the Lexington Convention Center.

The session will assist leadership teams in an increased understanding of how to apply the performance excellence systems approach to continuous improvement. The work will focus on an increased understanding of the role of the school improvement plan by developing school improvement goals, creating strategies, and developing and implementing action plans toward increasing student achievement and organizational effectiveness.

Tools used during the sessions will include the appropriate Jim Shipley workbooks, Teams System Check, linkage diagram and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) process. Additionally, the work session content will include activities around leadership team building, using needs assessment practices, building school mission statements, assessment of the school as a system, and use of the Performance Excellence Criteria in a systematic way. The content will be from Jim Shipley and Associates, led by certified Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) facilitators.

Each attendee interested in participating must fill out the School Improvement Planning for Performance Excellence registration form no later than Aug. 4. Questions regarding the training should be directed to Susan Greer.

Those receiving this at KSB and KSD, please make sure all employees receive it. Also, ATC principals are asked to forward it to their staffs.

Please send your questions, comments and suggestions on the Monday Message to Jennifer Ginn by 10 a.m. Friday to be published in the upcoming week.