Commissioner's Weekly Message

Jan. 7, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you all are safe following the severe winter weather Kentucky experienced over the weekend. If your district needs any help or resources, please reach out to us here at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and we will do the best we can to address your needs.

The winter weather has been a bit tricky for us at the department as well. KDE and the Kentucky United We Learn Council are hosting a series of community conversations to shape the future of education in the Commonwealth, including a review of our newly-proposed assessment and accountability system framework.

We hoped to have the first one of these meetings today at the Southeast South-Central Educational Cooperative in London, but given the weather conditions, we have decided to reschedule it to Feb 4. Wednesday's meeting at the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services in Cold Spring also was rescheduled to Feb. 12.

Your input has been important as we have worked with the public on this assessment and accountability framework. I hope you will continue with us on this journey as we develop a system that truly reflects the needs of our communities. Please share the assessment and accountability town hall dates with your community so we can reach as many people as possible.

We also are well underway with our roadshow on the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding program. We have had two events already – one at the Southeast South-Central Cooperative in London and the other at the Kentucky Educational development Cooperative in Ashland – and both were well-attended. These meetings sparked a lot of interesting discussion on what issues our different communities are facing as they navigate their budget concerns.

The SEEK roadshow resumes on Jan. 22 and I encourage you to both attend and share the dates with your colleagues who may be interested.

With these events, we want to emphasize how important it is that we hear from you. We are actively listening and taking input from as many voices as we can get to ensure we are seeking out solutions that address everyone’s needs.

As we begin the new year, January also marks School Board Recognition Month, and I want to celebrate the incredible role school board members play with districts across the Commonwealth.

Their dedication to ensuring districts run smoothly and provide an outstanding education for our youth is truly remarkable. Their leadership, within our local communities, plays a crucial role in addressing the diverse needs of our students and creating an environment where learning thrives.

I send my sincere appreciation for their hard work and continue commitment to our “All In” approach by focusing on what truly matters: the success of our students. I’m excited about working together to shape education policies and programs that empower schools and districts to prepare every student for a successful future.

As always, thank you for being …

All In,

Robbie Fletcher

Commissioner of Education

Options for Snow Days if the Entire District is Closed

Districts have several options for taking snow days. However, an emergency waiver cannot be used if the entire district is out due to weather conditions until 20 days have been missed. Please see the options below for days missed due to weather if the entire district is closed.

1. Weather Cancelled: The district can take a “W: Weather Cancelled” day. These days would need to be made up before the end of the year to meet the 170 day, 1,062 hours of instruction for a traditional calendar, or 1,062 hours of instruction for a variable school calendar.
2. NTI Days: Each district has 10 Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) days that can be used for weather, health and safety. The NTI plan for these days must be approved by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) prior to using these days. Additional resources can be found on KDE’s Non-Traditional Instruction webpage.
3. Emergency Day Waivers: If the district missed more than 20 school days due to an emergency, the commissioner of education could approve the emergency waiver. The first 20 days would need to be added back into the calendar and the waiver would count for days missed over and above the first 20 days. Attendance is waived for the amount of time missed over 20 days. Please see 702 KAR 7:140 for more information.

Assessment and Accountability Town Halls

Join Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher and the Kentucky United We Learn Council for a series of community conversations to shape the future of education in the Commonwealth, including a review of the proposed assessment and accountability system framework. Attendees also will see what innovative things are happening in surrounding districts to provide Kentucky’s students with vibrant learning experiences.

Attached is an agenda outlining the topics that will be explored during these sessions.

• Jan. 15: Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 2331 Fortune Drive, Suite 180, Lexington, 5-7 p.m. ET
• Jan. 16: Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative, 412 Roy Campbell Drive, Hazard, 5-7 p.m. ET
• Jan. 21: Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, 230 Technology Way, Bowling Green, 5-7 p.m. CT
• Jan. 22: Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, 904 West Rose Road, Ashland, 5-7 p.m. ET
• Jan. 27 (Hybrid Spanish-language Town Hall): Dishman-McGinnis Elementary, 375 Glen Lily Road, Bowling Green, 5-7 p.m. CT
• Jan. 29: Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, 219 7th St., Shelbyville. 5-7 p.m. ET
• Jan. 30: West Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 435 Outlet Ave., Eddyville, 5-7 p.m. CT
• Feb. 4: Southeast South-Central Educational Cooperative, 55 Waco Drive, London, 5-7 p.m. ET
• Feb. 12: Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services, 5516 E. Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, 5-7 p.m. ET

SEEK Roadshow Schedule

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is preparing for cooperative visits to offer district training on the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding program and tackle the main challenges associated with SEEK funding.

Our aim is to improve outreach by partnering with cooperatives to deliver training sessions for superintendents and finance officers. We will conduct a three-hour workshop that will feature a presentation by KDE representatives, followed by an extensive Q&A session. Each cooperative will provide registration details.

Please plan to attend one of the following educational sessions:

• Jan. 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET, Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) – 412 Roy Campbell Drive, Hazard
• Jan. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon ET, Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) – 100 Alpine Drive, Shelbyville
• Feb. 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT, Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) – 230 Technology Way, Bowling Green,
• Feb. 13 from 9 a.m. to noon ET, Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative (CKEC) – CKEC Training Center, 2331 Fortune Drive, Suite 110, Lexington
• Feb. 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET, Northern Kentucky Educational Cooperative (NKEC) – 5516 E Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring
• Feb. 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT, West Kentucky Educational Cooperative (WKEC) – WKEC Conference Center, 435 Outlet Ave, Eddyville

Schools and Districts Encouraged to Submit Best Practices

The Kentucky Department of Education’s Best Practices and Sustainability webpage is open for submission of best practices from schools and districts.

The Best Practices website is designed to serve as a clearinghouse to promote practices that motivate, engage and provide measurable results in student learning, achievement and school/district processes. Any aspect of a school or district system that can impact student outcomes through improved instruction or operations can be submitted as a best practice.

Best practices should be submitted to the Best Practices database by May 9 to be considered for acknowledgement at the Continuous Improvement Summit, scheduled for Sept. 22-23.

For more information, email Natasha Stein.

AED Grant Information

The Kentucky Legislature earmarked $2.5 million to be used during the current fiscal year for greater access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the event of a cardiac event.

Grant funds are available to Kentucky public school districts interested in acquiring an AED when none exists in a school, wishing to update AEDs more than eight years old, or add to its current AED inventory.

Applications may be submitted to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) by 4 p.m. ET on by Feb. 28. A virtual technical assistance session will be held on Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. ET.

Additional information can be found on the KDE Competitive Grants webpage.

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 Jan. 17, Feb. 25 and March 18. The Bowling Green sessions are scheduled for Jan. 16, Feb. 27 and March 19.

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. Questions regarding the training should be directed to Haley Ralston.

Cognitive Coaching Registration Now Open

The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Continuous Improvement and Support will be offering its third cohort for Cognitive Coaching certification for classroom, school and district leaders.

This free, eight-day intensive training supports leaders in learning how to produce self-directed persons with the cognitive capacity for excellence. Participants will utilize intentional structures and tools for planning, reflecting and problem resolving, developing higher levels of efficacy, consciousness, craftsmanship, flexibility and interdependence. The coaching tools of pausing, paraphrasing, posing questions, the use of effective feedback and mediating thinking through conversational structure and data will be the main focus.

The trainings will take place on Feb. 3-4 at the Scott County Public Library, 104 S. Broadway Lane in Georgetown; Feb. 12-13 at the KDE office located at 300 Sower Blvd. in Frankfort; March 12-13 at the KDE office and April 14-15 at the KDE office.

To register, please complete the Cognitive Coaching Registration Form. Priority will be given to schools designated for comprehensive or targeted support and improvement, or those requiring more rigorous intervention. If you have any questions, please contact Educational Recovery Director Shannon Gullett.

Last Opportunities to Earn Initial Certified Evaluation Training for 2024-2025

There are two remaining Initial Certified Evaluation training sessions for the 2024-2025 school year.

The two-day training, including the corresponding assessment, is required for all new evaluators of certified personnel prior to completing a formative or summative evaluation per KRS 156.557 and 704 KAR 3:370.

Remaining dates are Jan. 22-23 and Jan. 29-30. For details and to register, visit the Initial Certified Evaluation training session registration webpage. 

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 Commissioner's Weekly Message to Joe Ragusa by 4 p.m. Monday to be published that week.