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Dear Colleagues,
The Kentucky Secretary of State’s office recently filed administrative regulation 30 KAR 1:060, Scholarship Granting Organizations, to implement action by the Kentucky General Assembly to take part in the new federal scholarship tax credit program.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has no assigned role in administration of the program. However, conversations occurring both in Kentucky and nationally include discussions on how the program may be utilized to benefit public school students. Given these conversations, KDE is sharing information for your awareness on the topic.
The primary goal of the federal scholarship tax credit program is to incentivize individual contributions to state-approved scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs) by offering taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700. SGOs then allocate these funds as scholarships to eligible K–12 students. Of importance to public school districts:
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Public School Inclusion: Public school students are eligible to receive these scholarships.
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Fee-for-Service Model: Public school districts could receive funds by offering optional, fee-based service plans (e.g., non-mandatory tutoring, field trips, or specialized electives) funded via SGO-issued student scholarships. However, districts must waive school fees for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch except those fees set forth in Section 6 of 702 KAR 3:220.
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Payroll Deductions: Employers can allow workers to allocate up to $1,700 to an SGO via payroll deduction, which is offset by an equivalent reduction in federal income tax withholding.
EdunomicsLab at Georgetown University recently provided a webinar on how public school districts may access these federal tax credit scholarships. The information provided in the webinar focused on the following optional steps for public school districts to consider:
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State Coordination: Establishing a state working group comprising district leaders, business stakeholders, and education advocates to manage state-level logistics.
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SGO & Software Integration: Partnering with IRS-approved 501(c)(3) SGOs that utilize platforms allowing taxpayers to designate specific school districts.
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Employer Engagement: Providing information to local employers regarding payroll deduction mechanics and employee participation.
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Permissible Fee Identification: Establishing structured fee schedules for non-required educational services that comply with state laws governing public education fees.
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Financial Tracking and Data Systems: Creating robust accounting procedures to manage and track fee-related revenues transparently.
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Income Verification Protocols: Establishing attestation forms to verify student eligibility (focused on families earning under 300% of area median gross income).
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Information Dissemination: Sharing program details across education leadership conferences, school board meetings, and administrative briefings.
Official U.S. Treasury Department regulations and draft rules governing the specific administrative mechanics and allowable expense categories for the program have not yet been released. Draft regulations are expected in September.
If you wish to provide written comments on the Secretary of State’s recently filed regulation, 30 KAR 1:060, Scholarship Granting Organizations, you may submit comments by Oct. 31, 2026, as designated in the Public Hearing and Public Comment Period notice attached to the regulation.
As always, thank you for being …
All In,
Robbie Fletcher
Commissioner of Education
School-Based Mental Health Professional Use of Time Survey Due Nov. 1
Per KRS 158.4416(3)(f), superintendents must report to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), no later than Nov. 1 of each year, the number of school-based mental health service providers, the position held, placement in the district, certification or licensure held, the source of funding for each position, a summary of the job duties and work undertaken by each school-based mental health service provider, and the approximate percent of time devoted to each duty over the course of the year.
This School-Based Mental Health Services Provider Professional Use of Time Survey has been created by KDE so that each school district's superintendent can fulfill this requirement.
At the link provided, there is a “Read Me First” tab which gives instructions on how to best complete this process. An updated Use of Time Survey collection tool instructional video has also been created to assist school districts in completing the Use of Time Survey. Please submit your spreadsheet to the Use of Time Survey SharePoint site.
For technical questions or assistance, please contact Leslie McKinney. If you require clarification or have any questions regarding the survey, please contact Michelle Sircy.
Nominations Sought for 2026 Alternative Education Programs of Distinction
Do you know an alternative education program that’s making a powerful impact? One that’s redefining student success, fostering innovation, and transforming lives? Now’s the time to shine a spotlight on excellence.
To highlight exemplary practices in Kentucky’s alternative education programs, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is offering an opportunity to nominate the alternative education programs from your district that meet the criteria to be recognized as a 2026 Alternative Education Program of Distinction.
Superintendents or their designee can nominate one or more A5 or A6 alternative education programs from their district. The selected Alternative Education Program of Distinction will be determined by compliance with ILPA completion requirements, evidence aligned with the Alternative Education Program Quality Indicators, and site visits. Alternative Education Programs of Distinction will be recognized at a Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) meeting, featured in Kentucky Teacher, and may be utilized as a hub alternative education program for professional development.
The application window is now open, so please visit the 2026 Alternative Education Programs of Distinction application for more details. All districts that wish to nominate an alternative education program should submit their application no later than close of business on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
We hope you will participate in this process by nominating any worthy programs in your school district. If you have questions about this process or need additional information, please contact Cristina Green or Leticia Porter.
Comprehensive Improvement Planning in the New Cognia Improvement Platform
Kentucky educators will soon begin accessing improvement planning resources through the updated Cognia Improvement Platform which has been redesigned to create a more user-friendly experience and stronger alignment across the four phases of comprehensive improvement planning.
District and school leadership are invited to join the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) District 180 staff and members from Cognia for a guided walkthrough of the redesigned interface.
During this session, attendees will explore the redesigned platform, learn what’s new and what remains the same for improvement planning processes, review the KDE’s updated comprehensive improvement planning expectations and receive practical tips for using the platform to support high-quality improvement planning.
Please visit the Cognia Improvement Platform session registration page to register for the session that fits your needs. District and school leadership responsible for improvement planning and other reporting requirements (safety reports, trauma-informed care plan, etc.) should register for one location and time only. Morning and afternoon sessions will be made available from 8:30-11:30 a.m. or 12:30-3:30 p.m. local time.
Constitutional Prayer Required Annual Certification
As a condition of receiving federal funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a local education agency must annually certify to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) that it has no policy that prevents, or otherwise denies participation in, constitutionally protected prayer in public schools (ESSA Sec. 8524).
This requirement is being met through one of the District Funding Assurances. The fiscal year 2027 District Funding Assurances are currently available in the Grants Management Application and Planning System (GMAP). Once the assurances have been completed in GMAP, they must be printed and presented to the local board for approval. Then the superintendent (not the designee) must upload the assurances statement by Sept. 30. By Nov. 1, KDE is required to report to the US Department of Education a list of local education agencies that have not filed the required certification or that have been the subject of a complaint, so it is important for districts to upload the assurances statement timely.
Information about completing and submitting the funding assurances is available on the Comprehensive District Improvement Plan Funding and Finance web page. For questions about Constitutional Prayer, refer to the U.S. Department of Education guidance or contact Tara Rodriguez by email or phone at (502) 564-3791 ext. 4042.
Master Agreement Approved for Title 1 Next
As previously communicated, the Kentucky Department of Education will no longer offer statewide access to the document storage platform, Title 1 Next, through the Public Consulting Group.
For districts interested in continuing or beginning services, the Finance and Administration Cabinet has approved a master agreement to allow districts to directly purchase the service from the vendor. To inquire about services, please contact Robert Gilleo at the Public Consulting Group via email or by phone at (470) 601-7707. For programmatic questions in relation to the platform, please contact David Millanti by email or by phone at (502) 564-3791, ext. 4060.
Regional Innovation Specialists are Partners for Sustainability and House Bill 257 Success
The progress we have seen across Kentucky over the last several years is the result of local vision. With the passage of House Bill (HB) 257, Kentucky formally recognizes that communities are well-positioned to define and measure the quality of their local education system. At the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Division of Innovation, our goal for the 2026-2027 school year is to help you embed these systems - from Portrait of a Learner to performance assessments - into your district’s DNA.
KDE is pleased to offer the continued support of our regional innovation specialist. Funded through June 30, 2027, your regional innovation specialist serves as a sustainability architect to help you engineer the policy, data, and leadership systems for long-term success.
During the 2026-2027 school year, your regional innovation specialist is prepared to partner with you on five key sustainability objectives:
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HB 257 Strategy and Local Indicators of Quality: Assisting with the design process for a set of local success indicators aligned with HB 257.
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Systems Coaching: Coaching a local innovation lead to ensure expertise remains in-house.
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Spreading and Codifying Success: Co-creating strategic implementation plans to transition local pilots to scale and board policy (e.g., embedding Portrait of a Learner into local graduation requirements).
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Evidence Systems: Acting as a “critical friend” to ensure local data collection and assessment systems are rigorous and manageable.
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Professional Learning & Peer Networking: Facilitating collaborative, multi-district professional learning opportunities on topics such as vibrant learning, Portrait of a Learner, performance assessments, and local indicators of quality.
For more information or to connect with the specialist in your region, contact Robert Meacham.
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