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Dear Colleagues,
Among the many pieces of legislation lawmakers approved earlier this year, one bill aims to improve the Kentucky Educator Placement Service (KEPS) system.
Part of the House Bill 727 omnibus legislation authorizes the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) to use a portion of the proceeds from certification fees to update KEPS system.
The new and improved KEPS system will continue to capture all certified vacancies, but will be enhanced to include:
- The creation of a common application to allow applicants to apply for multiple vacancies with one submission. Districts will have the ability to configure supplemental essay questions, if desired.
- Refined search features to allow applicants to filter vacancies by position type, geographic region, etc. Districts will be able to identify potential candidates who elect to be contacted.
- An educator profile that can highlight career accomplishments and information such as completion of professional development, unique skills, etc., in addition to existing EPSB credentials.
- Real-time vacancy data that represents the true count of unfilled positions.
The anticipated launch date for the new KEPS system is February 2027.
I also want to highlight a series of recommendations made by the Certification Structure Workgroup during the EPSB meeting on April 21, including the expansion of grade bands and a proposal to add a secondary general science certification. The EPSB also approved a recommendation to allow middle school math teachers permission to teach Algebra 1 and geometry in grades 10-12, offering added flexibility as districts build master schedules for the 2026-2027 school year. While some of the proposed changes will take more time to implement, the expanded math permissions can have a more immediate impact.
Updates to certification and course permissions have been completed in the Local Educator Assignment Data (LEAD) system. Districts can verify changes through the Infinite Campus LEAD Extract or LEAD daily validation updates. LEAD also can serve as a useful tool when making 2026-2027 teacher assignments and scheduling decisions.
As always, thank you for being …
All In,
Robbie Fletcher
Commissioner of Education
2026 Kentucky Incentives for Prevention Survey to be Administered in October
Kentucky will administer the Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) Survey statewide in October 2026.
The KIP Survey is Kentucky’s most trusted source of information on student substance use and mental health. The data help districts and communities:
- Track student needs
- Identify disparities and emerging trends
- Guide decisions that support student well-being
- Identify challenges early
- Strengthen prevention efforts
- Guide school and FRYSC planning
- Access and compete for grant funding for prevention and mental health efforts
Your district’s participation matters. Without broad involvement, Kentucky cannot fully understand student needs or direct resources where they’re most needed. Participating gives your district high-quality, local data that supports decision-making and helps shape statewide planning.
The 2026 KIP Survey will be open from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15. It is an online survey for students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. Student answers are completely anonymous and are not linked to names or any personal information. Caregivers will receive clear information about the survey from the school and students may only participate if a parent or caregiver gives permission. Each district will receive its own results, and district-level data are not publicly shared. There is no cost for districts to participate in the KIP Survey.
We encourage your district to take part in the 2026 KIP Survey. Your leadership helps ensure every student’s needs are understood and supports a stronger statewide prevention system.
More information and previous statewide results are available on the KIP Survey website and on the KIP Survey fact sheet. If your district plans to participate or has questions, please contact KIP Survey Administrator Lisa Crabtree via email.
Infinite Campus Reminder
Districts should finalize decisions now and ensure Infinite Campus has been notified by June 1, if they no longer plan to use Campus Learning (CL) and/or Online Registration (OLR) for the 2026-2027 school year.
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) additional budget request was not approved by the legislature so districts must pay to keep using these tools for the 2026-2027 school year. Please note that if you choose to cancel Campus Learning, the grade pass back function will not be available for 2026-2027. This impacts any grade imports you may have set up from 3rd-party systems into Infinite Campus (i.e., LMS, Google Classroom).
Districts should already have their 2026-2027 Infinite Campus invoices; these are typically emailed to the district financial contact. Please review your invoice carefully to confirm that only the tools you plan to use and pay for are included. If CL or OLR are not shown on your invoice and you do not plan to use them, no further action is required. If there are tools the district plans to use that are not included on the invoice, you will need a new contract to continue use.
To add services, contact Kent Willette by email. To cancel services, submit an Infinite Campus support ticket. Infinite Campus invoices are issued early so districts can choose to pay with funds from the current or upcoming year. Contact Lisa DeGaris if you cannot locate your invoice. Payments are due no later than Aug. 15. To avoid late fees; please ensure approval at board meetings is completed timely to meet this deadline.
General questions can be directed to KDE data services.
House Bill 257, Section 7 Middle School Mathematics and Advanced Mathematics Coursework Opportunities Study Survey
Section 7 of House Bill (HB) 257 requires the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to submit a study report, by Nov. 1, 2026, to the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Education on middle school mathematics and advanced mathematics coursework opportunities within the Commonwealth.
Per Section 8 of HB 257, KDE has been authorized to collect the information required within this survey to fulfill the legislatively required report. Your prompt attention to this survey is greatly appreciated, so the most accurate information can be provided to state legislators.
KDE has developed a survey tool designed to gather the specific information required in HB 257. The link to the survey will be shared with district curriculum and instruction leads and will remain open from May 4 to June 12.
If you have any questions regarding Section 7 of HB 257, please contact Sarah Medley. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact Caryn Davidson.
New Teacher Survey for 2025-2026 Academic Year
As part of the annual data collection required under KRS 161.031 regarding district new teacher induction and mentoring programs, we need your support.
Action steps:
- Please designate one district representative to complete the district Kentucky Educator Mentorship Program Survey. This response will provide an overview of your district’s program.
- Share this New Teacher Survey with school-level leaders in your district so they can distribute it to new teachers and mentors who directly participated in the induction/mentoring program.
- Important: Administrators should not complete this survey. Only new teachers and mentors involved in the program should respond.
The surveys will remain open until Aug. 14. The collected data will be compiled into a report for the Legislative Research Commission by the Oct. 1 deadline.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring accurate and timely data collection. For questions, please contact Kentucky Department of Education program consultant Allie Green via email.
Free Leadership Development Through National Institute for School Leadership
The Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Continuous Improvement and Support has partnered with the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) to implement its National Institute for School and System Leadership (NISL) program.
This nationally recognized leadership development program was designed to help school and district leaders transform schools into high-performing learning environments and has been in place in Kentucky for the past 15 years. NCEE’s NISL program is the most widely used research-proven professional learning program for school leaders in the country.
Built on decades of research into the world’s highest-performing and most rapidly-rising education systems, NISL equips leaders with the skills, strategies and vision to drive meaningful and sustainable change. This experience prepares leaders to explore global education trends, set a clear strategic vision and design rigorous instructional systems and build a culture of continuous improvement, ethical leadership and long-term school success. The monthly interactive experience focuses on the key themes for capacity-building and for transforming the school as an organization while improving student success.
School and district staff interested in participating in this free professional learning are encouraged to complete the NISL interest form no later than June 1. Questions regarding the training opportunity should be directed to Charlotte Jones.
NEW NTI Regulation Webinar and Technical Support
To provide technical support, the Kentucky Department of Education will host a nontraditional instruction (NTI) webinar on June 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET. This session will provide an overview of key changes, implementation expectations, and available supports. Districts are encouraged to submit specific questions through the webinar registration form to ensure the presentation addresses your local needs.
To register for the webinar and submit your questions, please visit the NTI Webinar Registration form.
Should you have immediate questions, reach out to NTI Program Consultant Steven Kissinger.
School Resource Officer Funding – Notice of Intent to Participate
Appropriations of $11.5 million in general funds and $11.5 million in restricted funds in both fiscal years, 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, have been set aside in House Bill 500 and Senate Bill 197 this year to assist local school districts and nonpublic schools in funding salaries for certified full time school resource officers (SRO).
The appropriation bills state: “The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) shall reimburse local school districts and nonpublic schools up to $20,000 in funding salaries for each full-time certified school resource officer.”
Please note: The language in the legislation has changed from previous years. Districts can fund salaries for full-time certified school resource officers regardless of assigned location within the district. There is no longer a requirement that an SRO be assigned on a full-time basis to a single campus.
In order to meet the requirement outlined above, KDE is asking districts that will seek reimbursement to complete the School Resource Officer (SRO) Funding – Notice of Intent to Participate by June 1.
Completion of this Notice of Intent to Participate form is a prerequisite to receiving any award. However, completion of this Notice of Intent to Participate form does not guarantee receipt of an award. The information contained within this Notice of Intent to Participate form will be used by the KDE for the following:
- Determine the total number of full-time certified SROs that potentially qualify school districts and non-public schools for an award;
- Determine whether the total appropriation is sufficient to make awards of $20,000 per full-time certified school resource officer, or whether awards will be made on a pro rata basis; and
- Establish a contact directory to communicate with school districts and non-public schools the next steps in applying for an award.
No school district or non-public school will be eligible to submit additional forms or requests related to this award if the Notice of Intent to Participate is not submitted by the deadline stated above.
For questions, please contact Karen Wirth or Lalah Brewer.
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