Call to Order and Roll Call
The 3rd meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Education was held on Monday, August 28, 2017, at 1:00 p.m., in Grace Crum Rollins Fine Arts Center at the University of the Cumberlands. Representative John Carney, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Mike Wilson, Co-Chair; Representative John Carney, Co-Chair; Senators Danny Carroll, Stephen Meredith, Reginald Thomas, Johnny Ray Turner, Stephen West, and Max Wise; Representatives Mark Hart, Regina Huff, Reginald Meeks, Phil Moffett, Tim Moore, Rick G. Nelson, Melinda Gibbons Prunty, Steve Riley, Attica Scott, James Tipton, and Jill York.
Legislative Guests: Senator John Schickel
Guests: Terry Manuel, Commissioner, Department for Libraries and Archives; Elizabeth Milburn, Library Services Division Director, Department for Libraries and Archives; Steve Carter, Assistant Superintendent of District-Wide Services, Union County Schools; and Mark White, Editor, News Journal.
LRC Staff: Jo Carole Ellis, Joshua Collins, and Maurya Allen.
Chairman Carney welcomed members and thanked the staff of University of the Cumberlands for opening their doors to the committee, as did Representative Regina Huff.
Welcome and University of the Cumberlands Overview
Dr. Larry L. Cockrum, President, University of the Cumberlands, welcomed members and presented some brief facts about the university. He played a video created by students highlighting aspects of the school from a student perspective.
Chairman Carney informed members that data regarding the positive economic impact of Kentucky’s 18 independent colleges and universities would be sent to their legislative addresses.
School-Based Decision Making Councils
Ronda Harmon, Executive Director, Kentucky Association of School Councils was present to provide an overview of the history and function of school councils, also called Site-Based or School-Based Decision Making Councils (SBDMs). She explained that the idea of a group of parents, teachers, and principals working together to increase student success predates the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). However, KERA did formalize the process by which school councils would be formed and required them for a majority of Kentucky public schools. As of the 2016-17 school year, there were a total of 7,485 school council members, of which 2,545 were parent representatives. 501 of the parent representatives were further identified as minority parent representatives. Ms. Harmon stated that school councils empower parents, teachers, and principals and provide the venue for each group to have a voice and effect change.
There is an annual training requirement of six hours for new council members and three hours for experienced council members in Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) approved curriculum. For new members the curriculum includes an introduction to SBDM and an overview of member roles and responsibilities provided by the Kentucky Education Association. Experienced council members receive training in roles and responsibilities, teamwork for achievement, bylaws and policies, family and community engagement, tools for closing the disability gap, novice reduction, budgets for school councils, SBDM and the Every Student Succeeds Act, and formative assessment.
Ms. Harmon presented data which illustrates the positive impact of school councils. Teachers and administrators report more favorable conditions for effective school leadership on the 2017 TELL Kentucky Survey in schools with school councils. Additionally, she presented data from the annual Comprehensive School Survey in Jefferson County where 84 percent of school-based certified staff agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “School-Based Decision Making has helped improve my school” and 90 percent of parents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “The Site-Based Decision Making Council has helped to improve my child’s school.” Finally, superintendents give principals and assistant principals high ratings as school leaders with zero percent receiving the lowest rating of “ineffective” on the 2016 Professional Growth and Effectiveness System evaluations.
Particularly emphasized was the impact of SBDMs on addressing achievement gaps. Ms. Harmon said that there are signs of improvement in gap scores across Kentucky from 2014-2016, and she highlighted schools from each region with significant improvements. She then highlighted KRS 158.649(8) which states, “…if a local board determines that a school has not met its target to reduce the identified gap in student achievement for a group of students, the local boards shall require the council, or the principal if no council exists, to submit its revisions to the school improvement plan describing the use of professional development funds and funds allocated for continuing education to reduce the school’s achievement gap for review and approval by the superintendent…,” to illustrate the active role school councils have in addressing achievement goals. Evidence was provided that schools in districts who are exempt from school councils (those districts with only one school) are less likely to perform in the top half of Kentucky schools. While school councils are certainly not the entire solution to achievement gaps, councils put decision making capabilities in the hands of those most closely connected with students in terms of curriculum, staffing, and budgeting.
Ms. Harmon invited Michelle Burke, SBDM parent member, Madison Middle School, and Liz Erwin, Principal, Paint Lick Elementary School, to speak regarding their experiences on school councils. Ms. Burke said that, as a minority parent representative, she valued the opportunity to positively impact her children’s education. She spoke of communicating concerns on behalf of other parents who were either unable or afraid to speak up to school leadership. Being a member of the council is an opportunity for her to model leadership skills for her children and encourage them to take an active role in the issues that concerned them at school. Ms. Erwin spoke about the valuable role school councils have in creating a community and a partnership between parents, teachers, and principals. As a new principal, she feels the involvement of the school council in her hiring provided an essential connection to the stakeholders of her school before she even began her employment. She was able to begin forming the connections that will be invaluable to her as she moves from being a parent and teacher to being a principal.
Senator John Schickel expressed concerns regarding SBDMs and areas that he feels need to be examined. Over the nine years he has been a state senator, he has grown aware of the importance of education to the future of the Commonwealth. Everyone pays for schools through taxes because the success of schools and education is the responsibility of everyone. Contrary to some criticisms he has heard, Senator Schickel said he does not feel that superintendents should be the sole decision-making entities for schools. The elected school board which represents all the taxpayers, not just parents and teachers, should have the final say about what goes on in schools. While some SBDMs work well, and he has experienced that, some do not. His primary concern is that people making decisions about schools, particularly about the allocation of funds, do not always live in the taxing district. Senator Schickel agreed that parental involvement is critical, but statutorily, parents are a minority voice on school councils. Additionally, the current structure of SBDMs puts superintendents, who are hired by school boards, in an unfortunate position of being responsible for situations without having the tools to effect real change. The system, in his words, is dysfunctional at its core and is the result of an overcorrection to school board problems of the past.
Senator Schickel then invited Randy Poe, superintendent, Boone County Schools and Ed Massey, school board member, Boone County Schools to share their concerns. Mr. Poe explained that he is incredibly supportive of parental involvement in schools and the valuable opportunity provided by school councils to enhance parental empowerment. The statutes governing school councils need revision because of differing interpretations of the statutes over the more than 20 years the legislation has been in effect. He cited the ruling in Board of Education of Boone County v. Bushee where the courts said that school boards do not have any authority over site-based councils. This created an issue across Kentucky where school boards stopped taking an interest in SBDMs because they are unsure of their authority over SBDM actions. This has driven up costs, confuses taxpayers, and calls into question textbook and curriculum discrepancies among schools within the same district. Boards and superintendents are forced to spend limited funds on legal advice because they do not have clear rules on areas of responsibility. As an example, Mr. Poe informed the committee that the Office of Education Accountability (OEA) recently ruled that the Boone County superintendent and school board had usurped the authority of the school council when all the parties had been in agreement on a course of action, at the advice of the state SBDM trainer, KDE, and school board attorney. The OEA ruling further requires training for the principal and superintendent. He feels that legislative action needs to be taken to create a balance between parental engagement and board membership holding final authority in the district. Specifically, OEA should not have authority over disagreements between school councils and school boards because they do not have any stakeholders or understanding of the district.
Mr. Massey also spoke to the need for greater involvement by parents than is offered by the SBDM structure as it currently exists. Irrespective of the council, whether it is advisory or not, parents must be involved in much higher numbers than made possible by SBDMs. He reiterated the concern that school boards are held accountable for decisions, particularly budget decisions, made by school councils without the authority to influence the decisions. And finally, he was equally aggrieved by the OEA decision in Boone County and the lack of an appeal process. The school board is going to be required to pay for the training mandated for the principal and superintendent, as a result of conflicting information provided by state educational entities. The board was particularly concerned with the ruling that Mr. Poe had usurped the authority of the board and site-based council when they had given him express permission to take the action in question. Rather, individuals who were not members of either body made the complaint to OEA resulting in additional legal fees for the school district. Mr. Massey said good teachers and strong parental and community engagement are the keys to success in the classroom. School board members will continue to serve as liaisons to the community and involve parents in their actions, whether they are members of school councils or not.
Mr. Jim Waters, President and CEO, Bluegrass Institute, testified about school councils. He specifically pointed out the lack of research on SBDM councils and how they function in schools. The most current research was conducted by a former University of Kentucky professor, Jane Clark Lindle, in 2001, and many of the problems identified in her study have yet to be resolved. The first issue that Mr. Waters urged the committee to address was the need for an external management audit to be performed on SBDMs, especially those at priority schools. He gave an example of a high performing school that had difficulties with its SBDM council in regards to a digital learning program and authority over curriculum and contracts. This reinforced earlier statements that there is confusion regarding authority between school boards, superintendents, and SBDMs.
Mr. Waters indicated that there is little evidence that the SBDM model is fulfilling its statutory mandate to improve student achievement. Mr. Waters said that 31 of the 47 schools categorized as priority schools lost their site-based authority during the process of being named a priority school and only two have had site-based authority restored. Nine of the schools are eligible for restoration of site-based authority this fall, pending results of the most recent academic year, even though they left priority status in 2015. He conjectured as to why it was taking so long for site-based authority to be restored including the possibility that the schools left priority status too soon (before they had reestablished site-based authority), an inconsistency in the priority and SBDM restoration policies, or possibly that the management audits indicated that the SBDMs were hindering needed reforms. As there were four schools where the management auditor specifically recommended disbanding of dysfunctional SBDMs, Mr. Waters felt that the final scenario was most likely.
Mr. Waters said that while there is evidence of progress in achievement throughout Kentucky, it has not been enough to close the achievement gaps and ensure the next generation is prepared. He directed members’ attention to his written testimony, provided in their meeting packets, for further data and analysis. While teachers are in control of the councils, he questioned whether they are adequately trained for the complex and sophisticated decisions regarding the handling of local, state, and federal dollars. The six hours of training hardly seems adequate to prepare them to make informed decisions regarding finances, much less guide complex curriculum options with the rise in the use of digital learning options. Curriculum decisions are crucial to properly preparing students for their futures, and in nine of the management audits previously referenced “curriculum neglect” was a serious issue that needed addressing. He asked what the governance model of SBDMs had really accomplished in terms of improved school cultures and parental involvement across the state. Frequent complaints were referenced from schools across the state about difficulties finding parents to serve on SBDMs. Mr. Waters suggested that it was time for OEA and KDE to investigate parental involvement, especially in low-performing schools.
Chairman Carney said that questions would be limited as the issue of SBDMs would be addressed in more detail later in the year.
Senator Thomas stated that he had served as a president of his local school council and had experienced the many positive aspects that school councils had brought to the schools since the implementation of KERA. In his mind, the lack of funding for schools has been the biggest detriment to improvement in school achievement. He also stated his familiarity with historical abuses of school boards and had not seen those same abuses perpetrated by school councils. He asked what specific recommendations Senator Schickel had regarding school council legislation. In response, Senator Schickel said he had proposed several bills in the past to overhaul the SBDM system, and that he had yet to file anything for the upcoming session as he was wanting to open up discussion among all the individuals present today. Primarily, he wanted to ensure that superintendents and school boards have authority commiserate with the responsibilities they currently have, particularly in terms of taxing and curriculum selection.
Senator Thomas said that Senate Bill 1 of the 2017 Regular Session, which is now in effect, does give superintendents the authority, within the first two years a school is identified as failing, to step in and take control of principal hiring.
In response to a question from Representative Scott, Ms. Burke said that she ensures that student voices are heard at the council by encouraging them to attend and provide public comment at the meetings rather than doing it herself for the students. She hopes that this gives them the empowerment to speak up for themselves. In response to the question about her decision to join the council, she had self-nominated herself as a council candidate and was elected by fellow parents who had been given the same opportunity to self-nominate as she had through an open request from the superintendent to the entire community of parents.
Approval of Minutes
Representative Nelson made a motion, seconded by Representative Scott, to approve the minutes of the July 10, 2017, meeting. The motion passed by voice vote.
Kentucky’s Teacher Certification Program
Jimmy Adams, Executive Director, Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB), and Lauren Graves, Executive Staff Advisor, EPSB, discussed Kentucky’s teacher certification program. Mr. Adams directed members’ attention to the provided handout which included an “at-a-glance” overview of EPSB, a copy of the presentation, and a copy of the EPSB 2016-2017 Annual Report.
Ms. Graves said that EPSB consisted of a 15 member board of P12 educators, representatives of education preparation programs (EPPs), a public representative, and an appointee of the School Curriculum, Assessment, and Accountability Council. She shared the vision statement of EPSB which is that “every public school teacher and administrator in Kentucky is an accomplished professional committed to helping all children become productive members of a global society.” She discussed the commitment to rigorous professional standards for preparation, certification, and responsible ethical behavior of all professional educators in Kentucky. To this end, EPSB sets standards and certifies educators who have met the standards in dispositions, ethics, skills, and knowledge.
Mr. Adams said that certification involves assessments, and if a candidate meets the minimum requirements, EPSB can assure parents that they are entrusting the welfare and well-being to a qualified individual. If a teacher violates any of the standards, EPSB also has the authority to take action against the certification of a teacher up to and including revocation of the certificate. Ms. Graves explained that certification begins with the accreditation of EPPs and the approval of education programs for licensure. There are also candidate assessments to ensure pedagogy and content knowledge, for example the Praxis, and internship programs such as the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program (KTIP) and the Kentucky Principal Internship Program (KPIP). Traditional routes are through a university-based program, but there are also eight alternative routes to certification outlined in KRS 161.048. Finally, there is a proficiency-based certification, set to come before the board again in October, which would allow an individual to have their experiences evaluated by an accredited institution for comparison to an approved education program. If it is satisfactorily similar, the individual can receive certification, with additional classwork as necessary.
Under the Division of Educator Preparation, Assessment, and Internship, there are 27 approved EPPs and approximately 1,852 initial, advanced, and other school professionals programs. Also, EPSB relies on various content and pedagogy assessments to ensure that someone with the right dispositions and who relates well with children or teenagers is accurately teaching content. Ms. Graves also discussed the KTIP and KPIP programs. She said that this past year was the first year that all KTIP applicants were able to be funded. The program is designed to provide assistance and support to new teachers and is based on the same framework for evaluation, so there is no additional workload placed on the teacher. The average number of interns is approximately 2,475 per year with a completion rate of 99.3 percent. Mr. Adams explained that the KPIP internship program is designed to help new principals, includes a mentorship aspect, and has recently been redesigned with the assistance of the Kentucky Association for School Administrators (KASA). It also does not include any additional workload, however it has not been funded or implemented since 2008. He said that he would encourage the members to consider both of these internship programs when budget decisions are made in the next legislative session.
Ms. Graves said that there are 42,000 certified educators employed in Kentucky’s public schools, and 144,000 individuals currently hold Kentucky certifications. Additionally, there are 35,000 certification applications processed annually. From 2005-2016, there have been roughly 11,000 deficient certification applications reviewed. Applications can be found deficient in a number of ways, including not having a transcript; not passing a content assessment; not paying the certification fee; or failure to pass a character, fitness, or background check. Approximately 8,000 of those deficient applications have since been addressed and certifications have been issued to the applicants. In the area of educator ethics, Mr. Adams said there are 729 complaints received annually. The vast majority of complaints come from superintendents, and all are reviewed by a Complaint Review Committee of three staff members. The committee determines if there is credible evidence of a violation and if it is within the jurisdiction and authority of the EPSB. If these factors are met, the case is submitted to the board for review. Prior to review by the board, the educator in question is notified and provided the opportunity to submit a rebuttal. Actions of the board in cases of violation include dismissal, deferral for training, admonishment, admonishment with training, attorney review and investigation, referral to hearing, and deferral for more information.
Mr. Adams said that the mission of EPSB is to support the achievement, improved understanding, and performance of P-12 students in Kentucky. To achieve this, EPSB’s goal is to recruit and retain the most effective teachers and leaders in Kentucky for our students, and this is the biggest investment in schools as well, with 85 percent of school budgets allocated to personnel. There is no shortage of qualified teachers in Kentucky, but there is a distribution problem. One of the immediate aims of the EPSB is helping districts lacking teachers to promote their schools to better attract new teachers. Also, the agency recently underwent a reorganization moving their 32 employees into three divisions: Educator Preparation, Assessment, and Internship; Certification; and Educator Ethics. This allows EPSB to work more efficiently within current budget constraints. Regarding budget issues, Mr. Adams said that the EPSB had experienced an approximately 39 percent reduction in budget since 2008 and asked that legislators work to increase the EPSB general fund budget in the next biennial budget. The board would like to see full funding of the KTIP and KPIP internships and allow for the use of restricted funds for these programs when necessary. Other legislative issues they are seeking assistance with are student loan forgiveness programs, teacher salary increases, maintenance of the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System, and regulation reviews. All of these would aid the goals of teacher recruitment and retention.
In response to a question from Senator Wilson, Mr. Adams said the cost of certificate renewal is $85 every five years. There is no fee for initial statements of eligibility or one-year provisional certificates. In answer to a follow-up question, Mr. Adams said that the board is currently reviewing a modification to the master’s degree barrier to Rank II to be further discussed in their October board meeting.
In answer to a question from Senator West, Mr. Adams said that he does not have the precise number of certificates that have been revoked, but he believes it will be relatively small, as some educators voluntarily surrender their certificates as part of a negotiated settlement. In his view there are two categories of disciplinary scenarios. The first is an educator who has made a mistake and wants to learn how to correct the mistake and get back on a path to a successful career. The other is the very small group which does not need to be around children, and EPSB does everything in their power to prevent them from being around children.
In response to a question from Senator Meredith, Mr. Adams said that there is a pathway to superintendent certification that would not include a candidate having the necessary principal training. However, most candidates begin with a teacher certificate, move on to a principal certificate, and then get their superintendent certificate. As long as the superintendent certificate is maintained, the other certificates will be as well, posing no difficulty if a superintendent wishes to later pursue a principal position.
AdvanceKentucky
Anthony Mires, Executive Director, AdvanceKentucky, discussed the AP math, science, and English programs aimed at increasing access and success for students through AdvanceKentucky and the National Math + Science Initiative. The student centered elements of the program that directly benefit students are student time-on-task, exam fee support, student recruitment and counseling, supplies, and equipment. There are incentives for teachers including stipends and bonuses, vertical teaming, teacher mentoring and content coordinators, and rigorous content-focused teacher training. The real driver for the program is the open enrollment aspect, which opens the door for students and allows them to really engage with the challenge of rigorous coursework, with the proper support and tools for success.
AdvanceKentucky has served 119 high schools since beginning in 2008 and just started the next cohort of 10 schools. Mr. Mires provided a graphic illustrating the schools that are currently the focus of AdvanceKentucky’s efforts, as well as those which have been through the program already. Those schools which have “graduated” from the program can become active cohort schools again at any time, at cost.
The first performance report Mr. Mires shared showed the first-year percent increase in AP math, science, and English qualifying scores by cohort. The aspect he most wanted to highlight was the overwhelming increase in just the first year by students in the cohort schools versus the state average. This is interesting because it shows that the exact same students are capable of significant gains in a very short time with this program. The three-year growth chart shows that cohorts one through six have a dramatic 154.2 percent increase in qualifying scores. Additionally, the increase in qualifying scores for free/reduced-price lunch students is 302.9 percent and in minority students is 202.4 percent. The baseline number of qualifying scores for an AdvanceKentucky high school is 20, and after eight years in the program the same school achieved 120 qualifying scores. The most exciting result of the data so far is there does not appear to be a plateau in the number of qualifying AP scores for participant high schools.
In terms of postsecondary impact, students participating in AdvanceKentucky go to college at much higher rates. For the class of 2009, 94.2 percent of AdvanceKentucky participants went to college versus 64.3 percent of comparison groups. In 2015, 76 percent were going to college versus 49.7 percent of comparison groups. The same trend continues for low income students, with 69.3 percent of AdvanceKentucky participants going to college versus 40 percent of comparison groups in the class of 2015. This applies to all students who engage with the AP material, not just those with qualifying scores. Data also shows that a greater percentage of AdvanceKentucky students choose STEM majors compared to their counterparts. This is evidence that students carry confidence with them to tackle subjects they may have otherwise believed they were incapable of and that they internalize expectations for success beyond high school.
Mr. Mires showed the results of longitudinal research from 2012 to 2015, illustrating the number of students that can still be served. In a control group, only 30 percent of students will attempt an AP exam, whereas in an AdvanceKentucky school, 86 percent of students engage in AP and attempt an exam. In that same control group, 48 percent of students earned a qualifying score on a math, science, or English AP exam, totaling 3,555 students with at least one qualifying score. The percentage of AdvanceKentucky students earning a qualifying score is roughly the same at 45 percent, however, it represents a much larger number of students at 9,757. The difference between those is the group that AdvanceKentucky serves. Taking that difference, 6,202 individuals, multiplying it by an average of two qualifying scores, and further multiplying by an average of $800 in average tuition cost per course, the result is an estimated savings of $9.9 million in direct tuition. This does not factor in the other college savings, as these students also retain larger amounts of scholarship funds, carry higher GPAs in college, take higher course loads, and graduate faster than non-participant peers. Data also illustrates that since the start of the program in 2008, Kentucky has seen a significant rise in the number of unique students taking AP exams in all subjects and in unique students earning AP qualifying scores. Most remarkable is that in 2016, there were more students earning a qualifying score than had even taken the test in 2008. The number of students achieving AP Scholars recognition is also higher.
Mr. Mires discussed the Kentucky computer science expansion initiative and the desire to expand access to the AP Computer Science Principles course, which just started and takes a broad look at what computer science is, including data structures, algorithmic and computational thinking, and the internet. In partnership with Code.org, KDE, and the College Board, AdvanceKentucky has more than doubled the number of teachers available to provide the course and incorporated 15 middle schools that are teaching a pathway course. They plan to continue this trend over the next two years and expand access over the entire state.
Through the experience of AdvanceKentucky, educators have also identified 8th Grade Algebra 1 as a critical turning point in students’ later ability to engage with advanced coursework in high school. To address this, a program very similar to the AP program has been developed specifically for middle school math, featuring all of the same key elements. The PSAT 8/9 exam has been selected as the metric for gauging student success, and the goals are shared among all math instructors in the school. The 2016-17 pilot schools were Franklin-Simpson Middle School, Green County Middle School, and Glasgow Middle School, and applications are currently being accepted for a second cohort.
Mr. Mires gave a snapshot of the funding for AdvanceKentucky. The base funding in fiscal year 2018 is $1.7 million, allowing for 30 schools to be served. The request is for $2.4 million in fiscal year 2019 and $2.6 million in fiscal year 2020 to support 36 schools and 48 schools, respectively. Historically the program has relied on some outside sources of funding that will be expiring, which is why the funding request increases at a greater rate than the number of schools served.
In response to a question from Representative Scott, Mr. Mires said that the real key is flipping the idea of an “AP student” on its head. There were unintended consequences in the ways teachers approached students and established courses. AdvanceKentucky seeks to remove unintended barriers to Advanced Placement enrollment including summer assignments, pre-requisite classes or tests, and lack of student support outside of class.
In response to a question from Representative Tipton, Mr. Mires said that the apparent decrease in the number of college bound individuals seen in the data is actually a result of the program going deeper into the school populations to reach students who would not have even considered the path otherwise. There are a number of students in the beginning of the program who were already going to be taking AP courses and going to college. The individuals that AdvanceKentucky is attempting to reach now are largely those who may have never considered it as an option before.
Review of Executive Order 2017-433 and Executive Order 2017-434
Brad Montell, Deputy Secretary, Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, Jessica Fletcher, Director of Communications, Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, and Wayne Lewis, Executive Director of Education Policy and Programs, discussed the executive orders dealing with the Work Ready Skills Initiative, Work Ready Skills Advisory Committee, and the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship. There was no discussion.
Review of Executive Order 2017-496
Robyn Kenny, Associate Commissioner, Office of Finance and Operations, Kentucky Department of Education; and Kevin Brown, Associate Commissioner and General Counsel, Office of Legal, Legislative, and Communication Services, Kentucky Department of Education, answered questions regarding the executive order dealing with the reorganization of the Kentucky Department of Education.
In response to a question from Senator Wilson, Ms. Kenny said there are 350 filled positions in the Frankfort branch, 200 in the Kentucky School for the Deaf and Kentucky School for the Blind, and 600 staff in the 53 area technology centers. Together, these total 1,150 and KDE is below cap. Responding to a follow-up question, Ms. Kenny stated that the increase in the employee cap as part of this reorganization is to create the four positions in the Division of Charter Schools. They need to expand the cap to create the new positions and stay at or below cap in the future as current vacancies are filled. The rest of the reorganization consists of renaming and consolidating existing positions and divisions to improve efficiency. The request to increase funding to support the new division will be made later with the overall budget requests.
Review of Administrative Regulation – 725 KAR 2:070. Certification of renewal of public librarians.
Terry Manuel, Commissioner, Department for Libraries and Archives and Elizabeth Milburn, Library Services Division Director, Department for Libraries and Archives were present to answer any questions regarding the regulation. There was no discussion.
Chairman Carney thanked the University of the Cumberlands for hosting the committee. He said that the next meeting will be Monday, September 18, 2017, at Valley High School in Louisville, Kentucky at 1:00 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:24 p.m.