Commissioner's Monday Message

July 15, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

Exciting things are happening this week in education!

With a focus on vibrant and hands-on learning experiences, many of you, myself included, have seen the beneficial effects that Future Farmers of America (FFA) has on our students, communities and educational system.

The Kentucky FFA Leadership Training Center in Hardinsburg has established a venue where students can participate in a variety of FFA events all year long, such as local chapter leadership conferences. On Thursday, they will host a groundbreaking for the construction of the Rising Sun Center. The center was funded by the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2022 and 2024 budgets and will replace the old administration building, which was constructed in the 1950s. 

The Rising Sun Center will include meeting space, restroom and shower facilities, and an indoor recreation space for use during inclement weather. The name was selected because the rising sun represents a new era in agriculture and a look toward the future!

I look forward to the opportunities this new center will have for our students. Construction is slated to begin in early fall and should be completed in the spring of 2026. 

Also on Thursday, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), along with No Kid Hungry and Feeding Kentucky, is celebrating the 2024 Summer Hunger Hero at Frankfort High School (Frankfort Independent), a location that currently serves about 14,000 meals weekly with the Summer Food Service Program.

In June, No Kid Hungry announced 10 Summer Hunger Heroes for their outstanding commitment to children’s summer hunger relief. This includes expanding summer meals in rural communities and helping set the new Summer EBT program in motion.

This year’s honorees came from nine states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and one of those heroes is one of our very own here at the department: Cathy Gallagher, manager of the Summer Food Service Program at KDE, provides support and resources for the staff behind the scenes who make the summer meals happen for our students.

The Summer Food Service Program has helped students across the Commonwealth stay fed during the summer months to ensure they continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Unfortunately, students attaining a nutritious and healthy meal during the summer months can be difficult for some. Having these programs in place is highly important to connecting children with the meals they need while school is out.

With the recent congressional changes to the Summer Food Service Program, Kentucky’s program operators are providing more ways than ever before to reach kids through group meal sites for children and to-go and delivered meals in rural communities.

It’s always a great week when we can celebrate the positive impacts education is having on our students, together we are creating lifelong success for all our students.

I hope you all have a great week!

All In,

Robbie Fletcher

Commissioner of Education

Plan Now to be School Report Card Ready

The Kentucky Department of Education will release the 2023-2024 School Report Card (SRC) Suite in a phased approach this fall. The assessment and accountability data will be released in datasets before the new SRC dashboard view is available.

The anticipated SRC Suite timeline is provided below:

• September 2024: Collection/Approval tool opens for district data entry and validation.
• October 2024: Assessment and Accountability data sets will be available publicly for download.
• November 2024: District, media and public release of SRC data in new dashboard view.

The current SRC Suite dashboard view will sunset this year and be replaced. Since assessment and accountability reporting is dependent on the quality of underlying demographic data, it’s important to verify the quality of the data early.  

Districts are encouraged to start validating data now and not wait for the new SRC data entry and approval tool to open. Districts can start now by:

• Reviewing data reports to help ensure that data is accurately reported in Infinite Campus (IC) and other systems before data is loaded to the SRC for validation. The Quality Assurance (QA) Worksheet document includes a list of data reported in the School Report Card Suite along with QA tools available to use for verification.
• Compiling data to enter into the SRC collector system. The SRC Collector Items document details information on each collector item, including the School Profile Report.

Other changes for 2023-2024 reporting:

• Safe Schools data remains due by Aug. 5. Safety data has an earlier due date because it must be provided to the Center for School Safety and Office of Education Accountability by Aug. 30 per KRS 158.444. This year this data will be reviewed through the IC Safe Schools aggregate report to meet this deadline. District Safe Schools Administrators should reference the Validation of Safety Data Instructions to complete this task.. 
• KRS 158.6453 section 20 (b) requires the School Profile Report be available in the local board office by Oct. 1 with signatures of the school-based-decision-making council members, principal and superintendent. The collector tool is not expected to be open for district data entry and printing of the School Profile Report until mid-September, so the timeframe to produce this report will be shorter than in prior years.

The SRC is a federal and state requirement, but it should be more than just a compliance activity. It is an opportunity to showcase the achievements of your schools each year. Now is the time to make sure your district is SRC ready by validating the quality!

School Report Card Resources

The School Report Card Resources webpage will continue to be used as a central repository for communications and resources. The SRC timeline, resources and all SRC communications will be posted to this webpage.

National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program and Application for Category 1, 2 and 3

The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA) – formerly the National Title I Association – selects examples of superior, federally-funded school programs for national recognition through the National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program.

Each year, states can identify up to two Distinguished ESEA Schools in three possible categories:

• Category 1: Exceptional student performance and academic growth for two or more consecutive years.
• Category 2: Closing the achievement gap between student groups for two or more consecutive years.
• Category 3: Excellence in serving special populations of students (e.g., homeless, migrant, English Learners, etc.).

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is now accepting applications for schools for Categories 1, 2 and 3. Schools may apply for recognition in only one category, and anyone interested in applying should fill out the National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program application. The application must be signed by the school principal and district superintendent by the deadline of Aug. 15.

If selected as a finalist, KDE staff will conduct a site visit to interview the principal and selected staff.

KDE to Offer Statewide Federal Programs Training

The Kentucky Department of Education is pleased to offer statewide federal programs training at no cost to school districts on Sept. 10-12, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m ET. The same content will be offered three different days) at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington.

The training will be provided by The Bruman Group. This legal firm is nationally recognized for its federal grants management and education regulatory and legislative practice.

This will not be a repeat of previous training. Although some topics will be presented again, there also will be legislative updates and a deeper dive into selected topics.

This training will help you build a strong foundation in federal programs and stay current on hot topics. It will benefit district staff who are responsible for oversight and administration of federal education programs and compliance with legal requirements. We strongly encourage the district superintendent, finance officer and federal programs coordinator to attend.

Come and network with colleagues from across the state and take the opportunity to ask the Bruman experts any federal education programs questions you may have!

To register, please fill out the Fall 2024 Bruman Training registration and interest form. You may register yourself and others from your district but you must fill out a separate survey for each individual.

Please send any questions to Leslie Bridges, or call her at (502) 564-3791, ext. 4040. Registration will be open until available seats are filled but register early to get your preference for your training day and hotel room if eligible. 

Important Due Dates for Superintendents Available

The updated Important Due Dates for Superintendents webpage outlines key district deadlines and required reporting timelines.

Points of contact for all listed programs also have been updated to reflect current Kentucky Department of Education staffing.

Principal Wellbeing Project

The Kentucky Department of Education’s Principal Partnership Project (P3) invites school leaders who are interested in discussing wellbeing in school leadership to create a wellbeing strategy video to share with other school leaders. 

Principal wellbeing will be a focus area for the P3 team during the 2024-2025 school year, and we look forward to hearing all the great ideas shared by school leaders across the Commonwealth.

For more information, read the School Leader Wellbeing Project information sheet. The P3 team has also developed optional prompts for the School Leader Wellbeing Project. For questions, contact Stacy Noah.

KDE’s Communication Skills for School Leaders Series

The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Communication Skills for School Leaders Series, facilitated by Mike Rutherford, consists of three one-day conference experiences offered in Lexington at the Central Bank Center and in Bowling Green at the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. local time.

The Lexington sessions are scheduled for Oct. 8, Nov. 19 and Dec. 10. The Bowling Green sessions are scheduled for Oct. 9, Nov. 20 and Dec. 11. Each conference experience is designed for optimal engagement, relevance and applicability. The conference series comes at no cost to participants.

Communication skills are learnable. Everyone can become a better communicator. This three-part series will engage school leaders in a rigorous and lively examination of the skills necessary to be a clearer and more compelling communicator.

Topics will include public speaking; presentation skills; interpersonal skills; difficult conversations; communicating with individuals, small groups and mixed groups; communicating with varied constituent groups; communicating with print, social and on-camera media; how to interview and be interviewed; how to advocate for a cause; how to be a keen listener; how to be more influential and persuasive; how to facilitate learning for adult professionals; and even how to talk to yourself in a more positive and productive way.

The three sessions will be interactive, engaging and filled with opportunities to practice skills with immediate feedback in a safe, supportive environment. 

Registration for the Communication Skills for School Leaders Series is required by Sept. 30. Questions regarding the training should be directed to Haley Ralston.

School Resource Officer Funding Available to Districts

Included in the budget state lawmakers passed in April is $16.5 million in fiscal year 2024-2025 and $18 million in fiscal year 2025-2026 for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to assist local districts in funding salaries for school resource officers (SROs), as defined in KRS 158.441, on a reimbursement basis.

KDE shall reimburse local school districts up to $20,000 for each campus employing at least one on-site full-time certified school resource officer. Any portion of the money not expended for this purpose shall lapse to the state's budget reserve trust fund account. 

In order to meet the reporting requirement outlined in the budget, KDE is requesting districts that will seek reimbursement to complete the School Resource Officer (SRO) Funding Intent to Participate form by July 31.

Information provided in the survey will determine funding amounts available to districts for each school campus employing at least one on-site, full-time certified SRO.

For questions, please contact Karen Wirth or Lalah Brewer.

Registration Open for 2024 Continuous Improvement Summit

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Cognia™ invite you to the annual Continuous Improvement Summit on Sept. 23-24 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington. Please join us for an opportunity to explore a variety of topics and engage in conversations that will enrich your understanding of continuous improvement.

Keynote speaker Marck Abraham, the author of “What Success Looks Like,” is a transformational leader with a wealth of experience in education. He is committed to providing a world-class educational experience that ensures all students achieve their goals of post-secondary college and fulfilling careers. His mission has been to create environments that assist students in reaching their maximum potential in life.

During this two-day event, you will enhance your professional learning, make new connections and build upon existing relationships with peers across Kentucky, hear up-to-date information from KDE leaders, and learn how Cognia can help address your unique challenges in your journey of continuous improvement.

To receive early bird pricing, please register before Sept. 2.

District Trauma-Informed Plans for 2024-2025 School Year

Pursuant to KRS 158.4416, each local board of education must develop a plan for implementing a trauma-informed approach in its schools.

Senate Bill 2 requires that the trauma-informed plans be reviewed and updated annually, incorporated into the annual Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP) and submitted to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).

Districts are strongly encouraged to use the template developed by KDE to ensure their plans address all the required components identified in KRS 158.4416. More information on requirements as well as the Trauma-Informed Toolkit can be found on KDE's Trauma-Informed Practices website. This survey is a temporary collection for 2024-2025 school year and the plan will be incorporated into the CDIP in Cognia for the 2025-2026 school year.

For more information, please contact Christina Weeter, division director in the KDE Office of Continuous Improvement and Support.

Those receiving this at the Kentucky School for the Blind and the Kentucky School for the Deaf, please make sure all employees receive it. Also, Area Technology Center (ATC) principals are asked to forward it to their staffs.

Please send your questions, comments and suggestions on the Monday Message to Jennifer Ginn by 10 a.m. Friday to be published in the upcoming week.