Kentucky School for the Deaf Advisory Board(DANVILLE, KY) – Commissioner of Education Robin Fields Kinney told the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) Advisory Board on Feb. 13 that the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will be reposting the school’s principal position.

The position was last posted on Jan. 16 and shared with 111 national Deaf organizations.

Kinney said the posting was open for 25 days, and during that time, KDE received seven applicants.

“We are trying hard to have a principal in place by the summer so that they are comfortable by the time school starts in August,” said Kinney.

Kinney said it has been challenging to find someone who meets all the minimum requirements to be principal of KSD. Minimum requirements for this posting were established by KDE after input from stakeholders representing the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.

The minimum requirements that the candidate must have include: 

  • A Kentucky principal certification or pending certification from the Education Professional Standards Board based on recent completion of preparation requirements, out-of-state preparation, or alternative routes to certification pursuant to KRS 161.027 and 161.028 at the time of application.
  • Demonstrated successful leadership in working with students, staff, parents and the general public.
  • Three or more years of experience in curriculum and instruction development and implementation, with direct experience assisting teachers and administrators in curriculum implementation required.
  • Professional certificate for Teaching Exceptional Children-Hearing Impaired, Grades Primary through 12, or the out-of-state equivalent.
  • Experience in Deaf education.
  • A Sign Language Proficiency Interview rating of Advanced or higher.

During the meeting, Kinney spoke with board members, students and community members about the options they wish to pursue with this continued search and concluded that reposting at a later date would be the best choice.

“We want a strong instructional leader here at KSD, and we want someone who will successfully lead our students and our faculty,” she said.