Commissioner's Tuesday Message

Jan. 2, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back to the start of another year! I hope that each of you had time to “unplug” over the holidays and spend time with your family and friends.

The Kentucky General Assembly reconvenes in Frankfort for the new session today. This year is the long session, which includes creating the next biennial budget. If you would like to follow what happens in Frankfort this session, here are some important committees to keep an eye on and when they are scheduled to meet:

• House Education, Tuesdays, 8 a.m. ET;
• House Appropriations and Revenue, Tuesdays, 10 a.m. ET;
• House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary/Secondary Education and Workforce Development, Tuesdays, noon ET;
• Senate Appropriations and Revenue, Wednesdays, 10 a.m. ET;
• Senate Economic Development and Workforce Innovation, Thursdays, 8 a.m. ET; and
• Senate Education, Thursdays, 11 a.m. ET.

You can watch the General Assembly live through KET and you can watch committee meetings live or see the recordings on the Legislative Research Commission’s YouTube channel.

As usual, we will be following what happens in the legislature closely and will be working with its members to provide a full picture of how proposed legislation will impact all of the Kentucky’s public school students. We will keep you informed of bills that may impact your schools as the session progresses.

Sincerely,

Robin Fields Kinney

Interim Commissioner of Education

Get Ready to Streamline Administration of Your District’s Title I Program

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has contracted with the Public Consulting Group (PCG) to provide Title1Next™, a Title I, Part A document management solution at no cost to all Kentucky school districts. School districts may register to get started with Title1Next in January or March 2024. More details will be forthcoming. Additional opportunities to register later in 2024 also will be available.

Title1Next is a cloud-based documentation management system which allows district Title I coordinators to quickly disseminate, retrieve, evaluate and approve an unlimited number of compliance documents from Title I schools and principals. The system also allows you to file, organize and store documentation for multiple academic years.

Information on the system features is available on the Title1Next website. Details about the system and registration process also was shared during the monthly KDE Title I webinar for December. The webinar recording is available on the Title I Part A Documents and Resources webpage.

Benefits of Title1Next include: 

• Increased operational efficiency: From streamlined data and documentation to built-in program management and communication tools, Title1Next encourages more efficient, collaborative and productive Title I operations within districts and schools.   
• Improved compliance and accountability: The integrated monitoring and alert system within Title1Next helps ensure that Kentucky Title I schools submit documentation on time. This documentation also is stored in the cloud for multiple academic years, which is pivotal for meeting record retention requirements and preparing for monitoring.

For more information, please contact the following individuals: 

• KDE contacts: Erin Sudduth or David Millanti 
• PCG contact: Jennifer Jones

EdCamp for Leaders to be Held Jan. 17

The 8th annual virtual EdCamp will be Jan. 17. Join leaders from across the state (without leaving your building) to learn, grow, network and problem solve.

Last year, more than 300 school leaders were in attendance, and this year’s EdCamp is expected to be even bigger. Jimmy Casas and Wayne Young are keynote speakers, and the day will begin with remarks from Kentucky’s Interim Commissioner of Education, Robin Fields Kinney. Sessions will be facilitated by fellow school leaders, who will share what is working well and positively impacting student outcomes in their schools.

With an extensive number of sessions offered, participants can choose session topics matched most closely to professional and school needs. Prioritize your calendar and take advantage of this free participant-driven professional learning event. EILA credit will be awarded.

Registration information and additional details about the event are available on the Principal Partnership Project (P3) website. If you have questions, you may contact Keith Griesser with the Kentucky Department of Education.

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 Jan. 22-23 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington.

This training will assist leadership teams in an increased understanding of how to apply the performance excellence systems approach to continuous improvement. This training will focus on an increased understanding of the role of the school improvement plan by reviewing school improvement goals, reviewing chosen strategies, and developing and implementing action plans. These plans will ensure monitoring of initiatives to increase achievement for all students and improve 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 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 facilitators.

Each attendee interested in participating must fill out the School Improvement Planning for Performance Excellence registration form no later than Jan. 12. Questions regarding the training should be directed to Charlotte Jones.

Save the Date: Continuous Improvement Summit 2024

Save the date for the annual Continuous Improvement Summit on Sept. 23-24, 2024, at the Central Bank Center in Lexington.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Cognia™ are inviting you to the summit, where you will have an opportunity to explore a variety of topics and engage in conversations that will enrich your understanding of continuous improvement.

During this two-day event, you will enhance your professional learning, make new connections and build upon existing relationships with peers across Kentucky, hear up-to-date information from KDE leaders, and learn how Cognia can help you address your unique challenges in your journey of continuous improvement.

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.