Education Briefs

Kentucky School Advocate

June 2019 

 

Teacher of the Year announced
Erin Elizabeth Ball (pictured at center), a language arts teacher at Georgetown Middle School in Scott County, has been named the 2020 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. Ball has four years of teaching experience in Scott County Schools.

Melanie Callahan (left), a fourth-grade teacher at London Elementary (Laurel County), was named the 2020 Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Matthew Kaufmann (right), an English teacher at Marion C. Moore School (Jefferson County), was named the 2020 High School Teacher of the Year. The three joined 21 other teachers from across the state honored with 2020 Valvoline Teacher Achievement Awards.

Valvoline Inc. and the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) made the announcement May 20 at a ceremony in Frankfort.

Ball received $10,000 and an art-glass statuette from Valvoline, and Callahan and Kaufmann each received $3,000 and an art-glass statuette. In addition, KDE will provide an ambassadorship or suitable alternative for Ball, who also will represent the state in the 2020 National Teacher of the Year competition. The remaining 21 winners each received $500 cash awards.

Financial data, comparisons now available online    
Spending per student and other financial expenditures are now available at www.kyschoolreportcard.com. Users can compare the data of up to four different organizations at the school, district and state levels.

The financial information is from the 2017-18 school year and includes data on funding, grants, spending and taxes. The financial data was released later than the rest of the School Report Card so that districts could use audited financial information.

“The expenditure data shared on the School Report Card will undoubtedly create new conversations at the local level about resource allocation. Context is incredibly important, so we encourage healthy conversations between citizens and district officials,” Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis said.

The new compare feature allows visitors to view side-by-side comparisons. The tool can help show how schools or districts are performing compared to the state, neighboring districts or other schools.

State awarded $9 million grant to improve school mental health    
A $9 million federal grant will be used to increase awareness of mental health issues among Kentucky students in three pilot school districts.

The Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (AWARE) grant will allow Bullitt, Henderson and Warren County to implement mental health policies and processes. Kentucky was one of only four states to receive the grant.

The partnership between the Kentucky Department of Education and the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities will enhance school mental health supports, provide Youth Mental Health First Aid training, implement trauma-informed practices and improve social emotional skills for all students in the districts. The project will serve 37,556 students annually for five years and impact 375 school administrators, 3,292 school staff and more than 1,000 parents and community members.

McCracken County hires Carter as new superintendent     
The McCracken County Board of Education, in a unanimous vote, selected Steven Carter as the district’s next leader effective July 1. Carter, deputy superintendent of Union County Schools, will succeed Interim Superintendent Heath Cartwright, who will retire June 30. 

The board’s superintendent screening committee recommended Carter unanimously after interviewing him and at least two other candidates. 

Carter started as a social studies teacher in Crittenden County and served as school administrator there before moving to Union County as director of pupil personnel in 2005. As deputy superintendent in Union County, Carter led myriad departments including human resources, transportation, building and grounds, security, gifted and talented, Title I and II programs, assessment and curriculum, and career and technical education.

Cartwright was appointed interim superintendent in March following the resignation of Brian Harper.

 

June 5: Kentucky Board of Education meeting, Frankfort

 

June 8: 30th Anniversary of Rose v. Council for Better Education Decision

 

June 14: KSBA's 13th Annual Federal & State Law Update, Lexington

 

July 11: U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) training, Louisville

 

July 12-13: KSBA's Summer Leadership Institute, Lexington

July 17-19: Kentucky Association of School Administrator’s Annual Conference, Louisville