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Dear Colleagues,
One of the best parts of my role as the interim commissioner of education has been visiting different school districts.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to travel to two different schools to present the Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award (KESSP) to two wonderful custodians.
For those who do not know, the KESSP award was created in 2020 by Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman to recognize more than 46,000 classified school employees in Kentucky. We were honored that Lt. Gov. Coleman participated in the celebrations at both school districts and acknowledged the efforts of all our wonderful classified staff.
Our first stop was in Fayette County, where custodian Judy Edens was given the award. Edens has been a custodian at Breckinridge Elementary School for the past 17 years. We then traveled to Robertson County, where custodian Brandon Burden received his award during an all-school assembly.
Burden and Edens serve in vital and often overlooked roles, but they spend their days ensuring students’ vital needs are met, and it was clear after spending some time within the schools that they both have made a positive impact on their students and staff.
As a winner of the KESSP award, both of their names have been forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education for consideration for the national 2024 Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award.
I encourage you to check out their stories on Kentucky Teacher and read what their colleagues have said about the impact Brandon and Judy have made in their schools and communities.
I am grateful for these experiences and the opportunity to share with you all the exciting things happening inside your schools. I look forward to seeing you online for our February Superintendents Webcast tomorrow, Feb. 13 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. ET.
Sincerely,
Robin Fields Kinney
Interim Commissioner of Education
Save the Date: Persistence to Graduation Summit 2024
Mark your calendars to attend the annual Persistence to Graduation Summit. Hosted by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Division of Student Success, the summit will be held June 11-12 at the Hilton in downtown Lexington.
During this two-day event, superintendents, district level personnel, school administrators, school counselors, educators, family resource and youth services center coordinators, school mental health and 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:
- Student Transition and Re-engagement Strategies;
- Alternative Education Programming;
- Well-Rounded Educational Opportunities;
- Safe and Supportive Learning Environments; and
- Effective Use of Education Technology.
Effective Strategies to Address Youth Vaping
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) and Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) are partnering to provide more information and supports to address youth vaping.
The latest Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) survey results found one in four Kentucky high school seniors reported vaping at least once within the past year. More than 20% of sophomores, 13% of 8th grade students, and 5% of 6th grade students in Kentucky schools reported vaping.
In 2022, Kentucky’s attorney general announced that the state will receive at least $14 million from electronic cigarette manufacturer JUUL Labs because of the company’s unlawful marketing and sales practices towards youth. For all districts currently allocating resources to address youth vaping, including the funds from the JUUL settlement or other federal funds, information is provided below on effective ways to use your resources:
To receive more information on evidence-based resources or to share effective strategies your school or district is implementing, reach out to the following contacts:
Reminder: CRDC Reporting due by Feb. 26
The submission period for the 2021-2022 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) will end on Monday, Feb. 26.
Please ensure your district has completed their submission on or before that date. As of Feb. 9, 55 Kentucky districts have completed and certified their data.
The CRDC is a collection of data from local education agencies (LEAs). Each district is responsible for entering and verifying the accuracy of data before certification.
To help districts, KDE prepopulated much of the data, but districts remain responsible for completion and the submittal of CRDC data.
For more information, visit the KDE CRDC Webpage or the Office of Civil Rights CRDC webpage or call the CRDC Partner Support Center at (855) 255-6901.
Register now for the 2024 March leadership meetings
In order to provide equitable learning environments for all students, it is important for schools and districts to translate the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) into a guaranteed and viable curriculum. The regional educational cooperatives, in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education, will host in-person meetings in March for district and school leaders to explore new resources available to support effective implementation of local curriculum supported by high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs).
The purpose of the meeting is to provide the following:
- HQIR Implementation Support
- Curriculum Implementation Framework
- Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Guidance Document
- Structuring Professional Learning Cycles
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Kentucky Academic Standards for Science Resources
- Science Instructional Resources Consumer Guide
- New Science Module
- Academic Standards Update
- KAS for Visual and Performing Arts
- KAS for Health Education and Physical Education
Click on the date to learn more and register for the live, in-person three-hour session of your choice:
- March 5: London, Southeast/South-Central Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. ET
- March 7: Louisville, Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. ET
- March 11: Lexington, Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. ET
- March 21: Ashland, Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, 9 a.m. ET
- March 22: Hazard, Kentucky Valley Education Cooperative, 9 a.m. ET
- March 26: Cold Spring, Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services, 9 a.m. ET
- March 28: Bowling Green, Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. CT
- March 29: Eddyville, West Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. CT
Participants will need to bring a personal device to access documents from the digital meeting folder.
Kentucky Teacher of the Year applications due Feb. 23
Applications for the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Awards Program have been emailed to nominated educators. Presented by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), these awards celebrate some of Kentucky’s most outstanding educators.
KDE invites eligible candidates to submit a formal application by Feb. 23 to be considered for the award. Email awards@education.ky.gov to request an application. Refer to the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Awards Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.
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