A man holds his hands out demonstratively as three others sitting next to him and another woman sitting behind him look at him

Kentucky Board of Education Member Randy Poe, right, speaks during the board discussion on school improvement efforts. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, April 8, 2026

(FRANKFORT, KY) – Members of the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) discussed school improvement efforts, including how schools are selected for targeted improvement, during the KBE meeting April 8-9.

Representatives with the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Continuous Improvement and Support provided an overview of what the agency does to support schools identified for assistance by the federal government: Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) and Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). These designations are federally mandated school identifications that are based on the overall school score that is generated by the state accountability system.

Schools in Kentucky are annually identified for TSI status if they have a subgroup of students performing at or below the bottom 5% of all schools by level for three consecutive years. ATSI schools are identified every three years and require a school to be identified for TSI status in the year prior to ATSI identification, while continuing to have a subgroup of students performing at or below the bottom 5% of all schools by level. CSI schools are identified annually if they have overall performance in the bottom 5% of all schools by level, a graduation rate below 80%, or if they failed to exit ATSI status after three years.

In 2025, KDE identified 39 TSI schools, 101 ATSI schools and 49 CSI schools.

Federal law requires local school districts to provide support for TSI and ATSI schools. Foster provided an overview of the supports KDE offers when funds are available, including continuous improvement reviews, strategic planning support, needs assessment analysis and a variety of professional development and coaching opportunities. This includes partnerships with several educational groups to provide additional support.

KDE Associate Commissioner Kelly Foster also discussed the intervention involved with CSI schools, starting with support from KDE on the day the identification is made, led by an education recovery team KDE develops to help the school with a three-year turnaround plan.

Questions from board members focused on how the federal classification structure works and the specific types of help KDE offers districts, along with a discussion on how different student demographic groups are monitored through improvement efforts.

Board Member’s Final Meeting

Two men sit next to each other as the man on the right smiles moderately

Kentucky Board of Education Member Lee Todd, right, acknowledges fellow board member Steve Trimble as the board honored Todd for his service. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, April 9, 2026

The April 2026 KBE regular meeting marked the last for Lee Todd, whose term on the board expires April 14.

Todd is a former electrical engineering professor who served as president of the University of Kentucky (UK) from 2001 to 2011, leading the school through a period of significant increases in enrollment, budget resources, research funding, medical facilities and start-up company initiatives.

He was originally appointed to the KBE in December 2019 and reappointed in May 2022 by Gov. Andy Beshear.

Todd said it has been an honor to work with the board, the professionals with KDE and everyone who makes our schools run.

“I have to say that I’ve served on several boards, but I’m not sure any boards have been as well-populated as this one with people who are really, really passionate about what they do and have done it already themselves and know what it’s like to be in those seats,” Todd said.

KBE Chair Sharon Porter Robinson praised Todd for his dedication to students across the Commonwealth.

“Dr. Todd has come to every meeting fully prepared to be engaged across the whole agenda, including – I assure you – having had questions put to us before we get to the table and having plenty of challenging questions for us at the table,” Robinson said.

Todd grew up in Earlington and holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UK, along with a master’s and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award

Three people pose for a photo as the woman in the middle and the man on the left hold an award

Recent Kentucky Milken Educator Award recipient Sydney Newton, center, poses for a photo with KBE Vice Chair Lu S. Young, right, and Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, April 9, 2026

The board honored Sydney Newton, an English language arts teacher at Taylor County High School, who was named the latest Kentucky educator to receive the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award in December.

“I want to thank you all for having me here today and recognizing this momentous occasion in my teaching career,” Newton said. “It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m beyond flattered.”

The prestigious award, hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” was created in 1987 to publicly recognize excellence in teaching and includes a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize. Newton also joins the national network of Milken Educators and has the opportunity to attend the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Washington, D.C.

Newton said she was shocked by the honor and credited several of her past teachers and colleagues with helping her become the educator she is today.

“Really, I’m just a combination of some of the amazing educators who have poured into me and students who have shaped me and my own instructional strategies over the years,” Newton said. “It’s hard for me to take credit for this, but I’m trying.”

Newton also thanked her husband, Dylan, for being there for her as she navigates the highs and lows of her teaching career.

In other business, board members:

  • Discussed the 2026 Kentucky legislative session, which officially wraps up April 15, and several pieces of legislation the board and KDE have been following;
  • Discussed results of a recent KDE customer satisfaction survey;
  • Approved revisions to the Perkins V State Plan to reflect the Kentucky Summative Assessment as the exam of record and to include Kentucky’s estimated 2026-2027 Perkins funding allocation of $22,022,485 aimed at enhancing career and technical education;
  • Approved amendments to 702 KAR 3:220, guidelines for the waiver of school fees, to clarify that schools or districts that qualify under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision program do not automatically have to waive fees for every student;
  • Approved amendments to 702 KAR 6:110, a regulation on claim reimbursement for school and community nutrition programs, to remove references to outdated forms and to update the language to accommodate online claim filing.
  • Approved waiver requests for Mercer County and Franklin County related to 702 KAR 4:180, Kentucky Schools Facility Planning Manual, Chapter 5, Section 501.3-501.5; and waiver requests from Jefferson County Schools related to caseload/class size limits established in 707 KAR 1:350, Section 2;
  • Approved annual revisions to Kentucky’s minimum specifications on school buses; and
  • Awarded the 2026 Robinson Award to Rhonda Logsdon, the executive director of the Kentucky Special Involvement Network (KY-SPIN).

The KBE’s next regular meeting is scheduled for May 6. The virtual meeting will focus on the board’s learning agenda.