Twitter chat Parents: Want to chat with educators? A parent/teacher Twitter chat takes place at 9 p.m. every Wednesday. To participate or just follow the conversation, use the hashtag #PTchat. All photos by KDE unless otherwise noted

Additional content:• Nominate schools, individuals for environmental

awards• Semifinalists named for 2018 Kentucky Teacher of the

Year• Free booklet gives tips about financial literacy

ParentInfo May 15, 2017News for a child’s most important educator

UK to hold Agriculture Biotech Day

Keep your children learning this summer

Commissioner’s Comments: Ensuring a strong public education system is top priority

Ensuring a strong public education system is top priority continued to page 3

Commissioner Stephen Pruitt: Ensuring a strong public education system is top priority

This month, I am sharing my thoughts about an issue that stirred up a lot of feelings and opinions on both sides of the political aisle during the 2017 regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly.

House Bill 520, which was signed into law in March, gives local school boards and the mayors of Lexington and Louisville the authority to authorize charter schools. Nonprofits, parents, school administrators, teachers and public organizations will be able to apply to open a charter school, which is a public school that is run by a board of directors and is exempt from many state regulations. And although they are not required to by the new law, these charters may show an enrollment preference for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals and those who attend persistently low-achieving noncharter public schools.

I’m no stranger to charter schools. I worked with them during my time with the Georgia Department of Education. And much like traditional public schools, I have seen charter schools that excel and those that struggle. That was much the same conclusion drawn by Margaret Raymond, director of the Center for Research on Education

Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University, when she spoke to the Kentucky Board of Education in November during a special study session on charter schools.

CREDO researchers have studied education reform and student outcomes for 18 years. What they have found is overall, charter schools best serve students in historically challenged communities, meaning students from racial minorities and those that come from low-income households. Those are the very students that frankly, Kentucky hasn’t done a good job with helping them reach their potential.

A special Kentucky Department of Education research analysis, “A Focus on Equity for All,” examined student math performance between middle and high school from 2012 to 2016. It found that even students with the best grades are falling short in reaching Kentucky’s college-readiness standards in math.

Additionally, African American and low-income students have substantially lower chances of scoring proficient on state assessments or meeting the Council on Postsecondary Education’s math benchmark score of 19 on the ACT than their white or wealthier peers who earned the same average letter

grade in math courses. Achieving that benchmark allows students to enter credit-bearing courses in college without taking remedial courses, for which they pay tuition, but do not earn credit.

Those results simply aren’t good enough for the children of this Commonwealth and we must find new ways to reach those students that are most at-risk. For some, the answer may be a high-quality charter school.

But when we talk about high-quality charter schools, it’s the “high-quality” part of it that really matters. We, as a state, have the opportunity to shape what is meant by quality. The Kentucky Board of Education will do its part by establishing regulations – in its usual open and transparent process – on how the law will be implemented. You will have a chance to look at those regulations before they are adopted and give us your feedback on what you think works and what doesn’t.

I encourage you to take part in this process, regardless of whether you are a supporter of charter schools or not. Having high-quality schools in Kentucky is of the utmost importance. A world-class education is the key to the future of Kentucky’s children and the Commonwealth.

So, what happens when a

charter doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain in providing, as HB 520 says, “exceptional levels of results-driven accountability”? Charter schools are based upon a contract between the school and the authorizer. If the charter school isn’t serving its students well, we must be willing to hold that school accountable and not renew the contract.

Another thing we must look at while implementing HB 520 is funding. This issue can easily break down into an us vs. them mentality, and we must not forget that all of Kentucky’s public schools are entitled to equitable and adequate funding. Right now, we are falling short on both counts.

Since 2008, SEEK funding – the

Pare

ntIn

fo

Stephen Pruitt

Ensuring a strong public education system is top priority continued from page 2

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is holding a Biotech Day for high school students, parents and teachers.

The day is designed to expose students to the world of

biotechnology. The free event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 22 at the Cameron Williams Auditorium in the Plant Science Building at 1405 Veterans Drive, Lexington.

Students will be able to tour UK research labs, observe research activities and learn about biotech careers. To enter the labs, long pants and close-toed shoes must to worn. To register click here. For more information contact Carol Hanley at chanley@uky.edu or call 869-257-1993.

UK to hold Agriculture Biotech Day Nominate schools, individuals for environmental awards

Nominations are open for the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education’s 2017 Excellence in EE Awards, which recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals, organizations, agencies, schools and businesses in

the field of environmental education.The nomination deadline is July 16. Click here for more information or

click here to submit a nomination online.

state funding formula for education – has increased slightly from $2.37 billion to $2.42 billion. According to a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, while most states have been restoring funding cuts made during the Great Recession, Kentucky was one of just 12 states that cut general funding per student during the 2015-16 fiscal year when adjusted for inflation. And according to the Quality Counts 2017 report published by the Education Week Research Center, Kentucky receives an A- for spending the money it has equitably among schools, but it rated an F overall in total school funding.

We, as a state, must do better.I remain, as always, a strong supporter of public education and one of the state’s biggest cheerleaders for the 655,000 children who are educated

in Kentucky’s public school classrooms each year. I do not expect to see public schools fail just because Kentucky will soon have charter schools, nor do I think educational outcomes will necessarily improve just because those charter schools exist.

It will take all of us, working together, to help improve education for all of the Commonwealth’s students. If you stand for what is best for the Commonwealth’s children, I’ll stand with you.

Keep your children learning this summerThe school year will soon be over, but that doesn’t mean students

should stop learning during the summer. Camps across the state offer learning opportunities for the summer months.

Whether it’s day camp while mom and dad work or sleep-away camp with friends, there is likely a camp dedicated to your child’s interest. Here some links to camps listings:

Camps in and around Lexington: https://www.uky.edu/hr/work-life/resources-for-parents/summer-camps-listings

Camps in and around Louisville: http://www.louisvillesummercamps.org/

Camps across Kentucky: http://www.kidscamps.com/summer_camps/kentucky-summer-camps.html

Camps in Northern Kentucky: http://www.4theloveoffamily.com/

nky-kids-summer-day-camp-directory-giveaway/

Camps in Western Kentucky: https://www.wku.edu/campbigred/

http://www.wku.edu/kentuckymuseum/education/summer_camp_gallery.php

Pare

ntIn

fo

Semifinalists named for 2018 Kentucky Teacher of the YearNine outstanding teachers from across the state – three elementary,

three middle and three high school teachers – are semifinalists for the 2018 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award from the Kentucky Department of Education and Valvoline.TM

Winners of the Elementary, Middle and High School Teacher of the Year Awards, in addition to the overall 2018 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, will be announced at a ceremony at 10 a.m. ET on May 16, in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building in Frankfort.

Competing for Elementary Teacher of the Year are:• Natasha Craft, Pulaski Elementary (Pulaski County)• Belinda Raye Furman, Sherman Elementary (Grant County)• Carla Oetinger, Ryland Heights Elementary (Kenton County)Middle school semifinalists are:

• Jennifer Meo-Sexton, Bondurant Middle (Franklin County)• Apryl L. Moore, The Academy at Shawnee (Jefferson County)• Olga Payne, Daviess County Middle (Daviess County)In the high school category, the semifinalists are:

• Kellie Clark, Randall K. Cooper High (Boone County)• Doug Logan, Randall K. Cooper High (Boone County)• Ryan New, Boyle County High (Boyle County)The nine semifinalists are among 24 educators who were named

2018 Valvoline Teacher Achievement Award winners. They were chosen based on their scores from the first round of judging, which was conducted by a blue-ribbon panel of veteran educators. Applications included information on nominees’ teaching philosophies, teaching experiences, involvement in their respective communities and letters of

recommendation.Classroom visits and personal

interviews with each of the nine semifinalists will result in the selection of the 2018 Elementary School, Middle School and High School Teachers of the Year. A culmination of these scores results in the selection of the 2018 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. This individual then will represent Kentucky in the 2018 National Teacher of the Year competition.

Valvoline will present the 24 Teacher Achievement Award recipients with cash awards and certificates at the awards ceremony in Frankfort. In addition to cash awards, the three Kentucky Teachers of the Year also will receive custom-designed glassware commemorating their accomplishments, and all 24 educators will be honored at a special luncheon that day.

The Kentucky Teacher Awards program combines the best elements of what was formerly known as the Ashland Teacher Achievement Awards that was sponsored by Ashland Global Holding Inc. Valvoline, a publicly-traded company headquartered in Lexington, which is pending final separation from Ashland Global Holding Inc., now the sponsor of the Teacher Achievement Awards and the Kentucky Teacher of the Year programs.

Free booklet gives tips about financial literacyKentuckians

can tap into free resources from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).

“It’s Money, Baby,” a booklet

about financial literacy, is available free from KHEAA. The 32-page booklet includes sections about such topics as:• Cash basics

• Banking• Credit• Insurance• Fraud and identity theftTo order a free copy, email publications@

kheaa.com. Please include your mailing address. Only Kentucky schools and residents will be sent more than one copy.

An online version of the booklet is available on www.kheaa.com, while financial literacy videos can be found at http://itsmoney.kheaa.com.

In addition, KHEAA’s regional outreach

counselors can provide “It’s Money, Baby” presentations for schools and other agencies. Call (800) 928-8926, ext. 7577, to schedule a presentation.

KHEAA is the state agency that administers the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), need-based grants and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses.

For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call (800) 928-8926, ext. 6-7214.

Pare

ntIn

fo