Kentucky School Advocate
November 2024
Bullying prevention webinar to be held in December
KSBA’s “Learn and Earn” webinar series offers school board members with easy, one-hour opportunities to earn state-mandated training in a number of timely topics. While information is presented through the lens of school board service, some topics may be pertinent to district administrators, board attorneys or other education stakeholders. All are welcome to participate.
The December webinar will be held from noon – 1 p.m. (ET) on Dec. 11 and will feature a presentation on bullying and cyber-bulling prevention. The presenter will be Dan Orman, training coordinator for the Kentucky Center for School Safety. For more information go to ksba.org/LearnandEarn.aspx.
Learn and Earn webinars are available at a cost of $75. Registration and prepayment are required. Registrations are nonrefundable. If a registrant is unable to participate in the live webinar, he/she may be able to earn credit by watching a recording of the webinar and then applying for self-study credit. Access to a recorded version of the webinar will be made available to all registrants after the live event.
KSBA seeking nominations for student scholarships, grants
KSBA’s First Degree Scholarship program was established in 2011. This year, KSBA will be awarding four students – two male and two female – with a $2,500 non-renewable scholarship to any two- or four-year accredited college or university. The recipients must be the first in his or her immediate family to complete postsecondary degrees. KSBA invites each district to nominate one male and one female student. Eligible students who are nominated will be placed in a drawing at KSBA’s December board of directors meeting.
KSBA will also once again award CTE Student Grants. KSBA will award up to four students – two male and two female – from each of the 12 KSBA regions with $250 one-time grants to be used for costs associated with completion of CTE industry certifications. In total, KSBA will award up to 48 CTE grants. Each district may nominate one male and one female student.
The deadline for scholarship and CTE student grant nominations is Nov. 26. Contact Jennifer Kiser at 502-783-0063. Visit the
KSBA Educational Foundation website for more information.
EPSB to analyze teacher certification structure
The Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) approved a measure on Oct. 22 to form a group of education stakeholders to analyze and suggest potential areas of reform within Kentucky’s teacher certification structure.
Todd Davis, of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness, said Kentucky’s teacher certification structure does not have overlapping options for certification, while many other states do.
During the meeting, board members discussed various challenges within the certification system, including the need to have educators with emergency certifications to fill teacher positions across the state. Davis said the EPSB has broad legal authority to modify the certification structure. Board members approved asking KDE staff to form a stakeholder group. A progress report will be shared during the December EPSB meeting.
Literacy grants to be awarded to districts
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) was awarded a five-year, almost $55 million Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The funding will be used to advance literacy skills for preschool through grade 12 with an emphasis on disadvantaged children, including children living in poverty, English learners and children with disabilities.
“This is the largest federal CLSD grant Kentucky has ever received,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher.
The CLSD discretionary grant program – renamed Kentucky Comprehensive Literacy 2025 (KyCL 25) – will provide competitive funding to districts to strengthen high-quality instructional resources and curriculum-based professional learning for all levels.
The KDE Office of Teaching and Learning has issued a request for application for subgrantees for the KyCL 25 grant that can be found on the Competitive Grants page at education.ky.gov. Funding will be based on the number of students in each district feeder system designated as small, medium and large. The number of awards will depend on the number and size of the awarded applicants.
KDE anticipates funding approximately 40 districts. No matching funds are required. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. (ET) Dec. 18.