Commissioner's Weekly Message

July 3, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

I know many of you and your educators have had questions regarding Senate Bill (SB) 181, legislation passed during the 2025 regular legislative session that requires school districts to approve a system of communications for all forms and types of electronic communications used with students.

The district’s board of education must designate traceable communication systems as the exclusive means for school district employees and volunteers to communicate with students, absent some exception or written consent of parents to utilize a different communication system. The communication systems must trace all communications sent to or by a student and provide parents an opportunity to access and review those communications.

In an effort to provide more clarity on this legislation, we encourage you to send any questions you may have to KDE and we will address them during the Superintendents Webcast on July 15. Please visit the Questions Regarding Senate Bill 181 (2025) Google Form to submit your questions by the end of the business day on July 8.

KDE staff will collect your questions after the webcast and use them to produce a SB 181 Frequently Asked Questions document, which will be posted on the KDE Legislative Guidance webpage.

These types of bills are targeted toward a very small number of bad actors. The vast majority of our teachers in the Commonwealth are great people who follow the rules, and we want to make sure we’re helping our educators continue this commitment amid changes.

KDE Audit

The Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts (APA) released a report detailing its fiscal and operational performance audit of KDE that was established by House Bill 825 (2024).

I’d like to thank the staff at KDE who were involved in this comprehensive audit. It took many, many hours of staff time to speak with the auditors and provide the documents that were required for this deep look at how the agency operates.

In every section, the report highlights the good work agency staff have been doing to support the students and educators of Kentucky. The audit showed that morale at KDE is high, our staff members truly believe in the agency’s work and that superintendents believe they can rely on KDE to provide them with high-quality resources.

KDE is an organization focused on continuous improvement. We look forward to utilizing the APA’s final report to identify opportunities for future growth and plans for continued improvement in service of Kentucky’s public school students. We welcome the opportunity to work with the Kentucky General Assembly for the legislative changes necessary to accomplish recommendations within the report.

As always, thank you for being …

All In,

Robbie Fletcher

Commissioner of Education

Title I, Part A and Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 Applications Open in GMAP

Tentative Title I, Part A and Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 applications are open in the Grant Management Application and Planning system (GMAP).

Note, these allocations are tentative and are subject to change when final allocations are issued in the fall. We highly encourage districts to begin working on these applications immediately and submit for approval in GMAP by Aug. 31. Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received.

Since we have not received all federal allocations for programs contained within the consolidated application, only these applications are opening at this time. As other programs are allocated, they will be populated in GMAP. If you have application specific questions, please contact the following KDE staff:

• KDE Title I, Part A consultants by district
• Title I, Part D, Subpart 2: Monica Higgins or Wes Blake

Fiscal Year 2026 Community Education Request for Application Posted

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is issuing a request for application (RFA) to implement local community education initiatives for a maximum of four grants.

Community education is defined in KRS 160.155 as a program in which a public building – including a public elementary and secondary school – is used as a community center operated by a local education agency in cooperation with other groups in the community, community organizations and local government agencies to provide educational, recreational, cultural, healthcare and other related community services in accordance with the needs, interests and concerns of the community.

Grants will be awarded based on the availability of funds. Four grantees will be awarded $20,000 to employ a full-time community education director. The community education director must implement a comprehensive community education initiative countywide. Only one grant per county will be awarded.

Counties that have more than one school district must collaborate in implementing the community education initiative for all schools and communities. Applicants are required to provide a 25% ($5,000) cash match. Grant and match funds can only be used for salary to hire a full-time community education director.

General Information

Applications will only be accepted from public school districts that submit a plan to implement community education activities countywide. If multiple school districts are located within the county, then all school districts must be involved in the development and design of the application. Only one grant per county may be submitted for consideration. If more than one grant from the same county is submitted, both will be disqualified and not scored.

Current community education grantees are not eligible to apply and do not need to reapply to maintain your grant award.

Grant Period and Contract

The grant is anticipated to begin Sept. 1, 2025. Pending funding availability, community education grants are renewable annually if all grant assurances and requirements are met.

Grant Requirements

A public school district may receive funding for a community school program if the following criteria established in KRS 160.157 are met:

1. Submits an application for approval;
2. Submits a plan to the Kentucky Department of Education, approved by the local board of education, which outlines the proposed community education program, including procedures for obtaining the involvement and cooperation of other agencies and groups in identifying and recommending programs for meeting locally determined needs;
3. Establishes an advisory council to assist in conducting community needs assessments and recommending program priorities to district leaders; and
4. Employs one full-time community education director.

Submission

To assist applicants in preparing a quality application, please review the prerecorded technical assistance webinar that addresses essential grant requirements, budget preparation and state guidance.

The deadline to submit applications is July 17, 2025, at 4 p.m. ET. The application can be found on the KDE Competitive Grants webpage.

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.

Kentucky High School Students Invited to Attend Fall Service Academy Information Fair

Sen. Rand Paul is hosting his annual Service Academy Information Fair on Aug. 28 at the Knicely Conference Center at Western Kentucky University. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. CT, with the event being held from 6 to 8 p.m. CT.

The event provides interested students and parents with an opportunity to learn more about the U.S. Army, Naval, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine Academies. Representatives from each will be on hand to answer questions.

Interested students may RSVP to the Office of Sen. Paul: (270) 782-8303.

Registration Now Open for the 2025 Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Cognia invite you to a two-day event designed to elevate your impact in education. Registration is now open the 2025 Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit on Sept. 22-23 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington!

This year’s keynote speaker is Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year. She teaches English as a second language to students from kindergarten through 8th grade and is a passionate advocate for her students, their families and fellow teachers. A Tennessee native and first-generation college graduate, Testerman takes pride in her former students’ success and is dedicated to ensuring the next generation receives a broadened education while living in a rural setting. She emphasizes the importance of teachers holding high expectations for all students from the moment they step into the classroom.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your professional learning, strengthen existing relationships or tackle unique challenges with fresh strategies, this conference is for you. Don’t miss this opportunity to spark new ideas, gain insights from KDE leaders and join Kentucky’s continuous improvement movement! Visit the 2025 Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit registration page to register.

Cognitive Coaching Registration Now Open

The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Continuous Improvement and Support will be offering its fifth cohort of Cognitive Coaching certification for classroom, school and district leaders. This eight-day intensive training supports leaders in learning how to produce self-directed persons with the cognitive capacity for excellence. Cognitive Coaching is the premier coaching structure for all leaders to utilize and it comes at no cost to participants! This training fills quickly, so please register soon!

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 and posing questions, the use of effective feedback and mediating thinking through conversational structure and data will be the main focus.

The eight sessions will take place at the Kentucky Department of Education located at 300 Sower Blvd. in Frankfort on Sept. 5, Sept. 8, Sept. 18-19, Oct. 23-24 and Dec. 11-12.

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, although all Kentucky leaders are invited to attend. If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Gullett, KDE educational recovery director.

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.