Kentucky Teacher

In a special video edition of Commissioner’s Comments, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday thanks Kentucky teachers for all their hard work this school year, including their efforts to close achievement gaps and incorporate the new Common Core State Standards into thier lessons. He also offers a few words about the upcoming K-PREP tests, and urges Kentuckians to express their thanks to teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Day on May 8.

(Note: Video plays in IE9 and Firefox. It also will play in Chrome using the following plug-in:  http://www.interoperabilitybridges.com/wmp-extension-for-chrome).

By Tracy Goff-Herman
tracy.herman@education.ky.gov

Mayfield Elementary School (Mayfield Independent) 3rd-grade teacher Kim Smith speaks with state Rep. Rita Smart, D-Richmond, and state Rep. Linda Belcher, D-Shepherdsville, after giving emotional testimony regarding teachers work hours during a House Education Committee meeting. Photo by Amy Wallot, March 13 , 2012

After 60 days, the 2012 Regular Session of the General Assembly has finished its work with 1,407 bills considered and a new state budget that covers the next two fiscal years.

Gov. Steve Beshear vetoed several budget measures, including some new initiatives that were passed without any money to support them. 

Here’s a look at some of the budget and legislative highlights:

Budget

With the continuing national recession, Kentucky’s revenue situation hasn’t improved.

As such, the newly enacted budget reflects additional cuts to operating and program budgets. HB 265 contains the state operating budget for the next two years.

Several key P-12 education spending measures  spending measures were included in the budget. That includes the total Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) appropriation is $2,899,840,800 for each year of the biennium.

The base per-pupil allocation is set at $3,833 in FY 11 and $3,827 in FY 12.

In addition to SEEK, the budget:

• Contains disaster day language will allow school districts impacted by the March tornadoes more flexibility in calculating attendance.
• Includes language that requires SEEK funds to be directed to two National Guard Academies.
• Adds $600,000 in spending over the biennium for hearing, speech and visually-impaired learning centers, but doesn’t include any additional funds to pay for those designated programs. Read the full story

The next superintendents’ webcast will be Thursday, April 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.

The topics will be an update on the legislation and budget enacted during the 2012 General Assembly. By that date, information will be available regarding what bills were signed by the governor and the outcome of any actions related to the veto period. Superintendents will be apprised of how the legislation and budget will impact schools and districts.

Associate Commissioners Kevin Brown and Hiren Desai and Legislative Liaison Tracy Herman will be featured during this broadcast to ensure questions get addressed on these matters.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will send superintendents the materials for and the link to the broadcast closer to the date. Superintendents may invite any staff who would benefit from watching to participate. As always, KDE will archive the webcast for those who need to watch it at a later time.

In a special video edition of Commissioner’s Comments, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday welcomes Kentucky educators back to school after winter break, and offers a preview of  “what’s hot and what’s coming in 2012.” Among the topics highlighted are the Unbridled Learning: College/Career Readiness for All assessment and accountability system; student growth; Kentucky Core Academic Standards; new professional development resources; and the upcoming legislative session.

(Note: Video plays in IE9 and Firefox. It also will play in Chrome using the following plug-in:  http://www.interoperabilitybridges.com/wmp-extension-for-chrome).

Susan Meadows sits with Christopher Empson and a small group of students practicing writing and scissor work during her preschool class at Caldwell County Primary School. Photo by Amy Wallot, Nov. 15, 2011

By Tracy Goff-Herman
tracy.herman@education.ky.gov

With the continuing national recession, Kentucky’s revenue situation hasn’t improved. 

As such, the General Assembly’s focus will likely be on maintaining current funding levels, plugging holes and, when possible, restoring funding to pre-recession levels.

In anticipation of the upcoming session, the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) has finalized its list of budgetary and legislative priorities. The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) focus will be on supporting and obtaining adequate funding for these strategic priorities.

There are four foundational items in KDE’s budget request. They are the programmatic policies that will enable the commonwealth’s education system to prepare students to be college- and career-ready. They include:

Funding for school improvement: This $13.3 million request would provide funding to assist non-Title I, low-performing schools. Schools and districts would use the funds to pay for efforts aimed at promoting student academic growth, reducing dropout rates and improving graduation rates.  Read the full story

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holiday will conduct the next superintendents’ webcast on Dec. 16 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET. The webcast will include updates on the budget and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver request.

Those who have topics that should be included in this broadcast should e-mail them to Mary Ann Miller.

The links for the broadcast will be e-mailed closer to the actual date of the webcast.