The Courier-Journal reports that the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is now advertising for legal help to dig into collective bargaining contracts with Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) as part of the department’s ongoing and massive management audit of this troubled school system. According to the Courier, the KDE “…said it wants an analysis as…
We have written very frequently in the past about Kentucky’s very abnormal and low ratio of teachers to other staffers in our public school system (such as here, here and here, to cite only a few examples). The problem is that when other staff members bloat up the manning in a school, teachers’ salaries inevitably…
Governor Bevin’s proclamation says: “Teachers are responsible for educating and guiding Kentucky’s children and the future of the Commonwealth and use their vast expertise and talents to give our children a solid foundation for their entire lives,” Gov. Bevin said in the proclamation. “Kentucky is grateful for the love and sacrifice our teachers give to…
A news report from the Paducah Sun says something that’s no surprise to us: “Recruiting teachers can be a challenge in some fields” (subscription). The article quotes McCracken County Assistant Superintendent Heath Cartwright saying: “We’ve been fortunate and have been able to find quality applicants for vacancies within our district. However, we do see there…
Even though Kentucky’s charter school law is now on the books, we continue to hear vehement but ill-informed attacks from opponents. For example, about two weeks ago former Jefferson County School Board member, Stephen P. Imhoff, sounded off in the Courier-Journal with some off-target comments about charters. Said Imhoff, “The entire concept fails.” Well, parents…
I wrote on April 26, 2017 about the surprise announcement that the Lisa Herring, Chief Academic Officer (CAO) in the Jefferson County Public School District (JCPS), was a finalist to become Birmingham, Alabama’s new school superintendent. The surprise here was that Herring, who has been on the job less than a year in Louisville, was…
A new study from Vanderbilt University concludes, as Education Week puts it, that “merit pay for teachers can lead to higher test scores for students.” Vandy’s study points to an interesting policy idea for merit pay. Click the “Read more” link to learn about that.
“Experience suggests that traditional district schools, on their own, are probably incapable of adopting the structural and practice changes necessary to prepare the majority of students for the challenges of an uncertain future. The state must provide the authority and resources to motivate and help districts adopt successful innovative practices developed by pioneering charter and…
David Hornbeck, an architect of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) who describes himself as a “consultant to the Kentucky legislature, 1989-1990,” claims in a recent op-ed opposing charter schools: “Kentucky’s children have made more progress than those of any other state in the nation.” For such a claim to hold up under scrutiny of…
Even though a Kentucky charter school law is now on the books, we continue to hear vehement attacks from opponents. The State Journal reported on April 4, 2017 in “Kentucky lawmakers say negative impacts of session will be felt across the state” that one opponent, Kentucky Representative James Kay, D-Versailles, believes “the impact of charter…