Members of the School Curriculum, Assessment and Accountability Council (SCAAC) discussed new prototypes for the Commonwealth’s assessment and accountability system during the council’s meeting on July 16.
Kentucky State Sen. Stephen West and Rep. James Tipton joined Interim Commissioner of Education Robin Fields Kinney and incoming Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher at Bourbon Central Elementary School on June 3 to discuss literacy instruction across the Commonwealth and unveil a new statewide reading research center.
The Superintendents Advisory Council discussed the current legislative session and ongoing budget talks during the council’s meeting on Feb. 21.
I am thankful to Sen. David Givens for sponsoring Senate Bill 192 and Rep. Bobby McCool for sponsoring House Bill 499, both of which were filed late last week. These identical bills build upon the Kentucky General Assembly’s historic investment of state funds for local career and technical education (CTE) programs in the 2022 budget session.
For those of us who work in state government, you will hear us talk about the first few months of a new year being a busy time due to the General Assembly being in session. This year is what is known as a long session, where the legislators will create the next two-year budget.
Gov. Andy Beshear unveiled his two-year budget proposal Monday night ahead of the 2024 legislative session. Kentucky Interim Education Commissioner Robin Fields Kinney issued the following statement:
“We are appreciative of the General Assembly’s quick actions to address the many needs facing our schools in eastern Kentucky after the historic flooding. In our regular discussions with these superintendents, some of their top concerns were how soon they could get their students in school, how they would meet the mandatory number of attendance days for students and how they could assist their teachers."
A year ago, I asked Kentucky Rep. James Tipton if I could help him with his reading bill that had died in committee. He agreed, and I started to do research. Over the year, I discovered that despite having a master’s of arts in teaching and a doctorate in education, I did not know much about the research on teaching reading.
With the nonresident student attendance portions of House Bill 563 (2021) set to go into effect in July, staff from the Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Finance and Operations met with school district leaders for the April Superintendents Webcast to examine how the legislation will affect those districts.
Legislation aimed at opening charter schools in the Commonwealth cleared the House and is on its way to the Senate following an unusual process in which the Kentucky General Assembly sought to expedite its approval.