Kentucky

Nominations open for the 2025 Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award

Published

2 years ago

September 18, 2024

Nominations open for the 2025 Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award

(FRANKFORT, KY) – Gov. Andy Beshear’s office, in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education, has opened the nomination window for the 2024-2025 Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award.

The top two nominees also will be considered for the national 2025 Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award. Enacted by Congress in 2019 and overseen by the U.S. Department of Education (USED), the RISE Award recognizes classified school employees who have displayed exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school.

From driving students to school or preparing their meals to working with partner agencies to ensure essential needs are met, classified employees serve in a variety of vital and often overlooked roles.

“Our schools simply could not function without our classified employees. They often are unsung heroes in the schools, but fulfill such crucial roles,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “This is an opportunity to shine a light on the dedicated staff who are ‘all in’ when it comes to ensuring our students have the safest and healthiest environments in which to learn.”

Eligible candidates must work in any of the following occupational specialties: paraprofessional; clerical and administrative services; transportation services; food and nutrition services; custodial and maintenance services; security services; health and student services; technical services; and skilled trades.

Nominees must illustrate excellence in each of the following areas:

Work performance;
School and community involvement;
Leadership and commitment;
Local support (from co-workers, school administrators, community members, etc.); and
Enhancement of classified school employees’ image in the community and in schools.

The nomination period will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 30. Each nominator can submit up to two candidates for consideration via the 2024-2025 RISE Award Nomination Form.

Eight individuals have received the Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award since it was established in 2020 by Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.

Brandon Burden, a custodian in Robertson County, and Judy Edens, the lead custodian at Breckinridge Elementary School (Fayette County), received the 2024 Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award.

“The contributions of our classified employees to every school district in this state are immeasurable. Their hard work and dedication to students is noticed and appreciated,” Coleman said. “I am pleased to have helped establish the award to recognize these employees and give them the appreciation that they deserve.”

Beshear and Coleman have put together a committee of key education stakeholders who will review and score this year’s nominations.

Beshear will forward the names of the top two classified employees to USED as Kentucky’s nominees for the national RISE Award by Nov. 1. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will select a single classified employee from among all nominees to receive the national 2025 RISE Award.

Page load link

Go to Top

Source link

Kentucky

Roadway in Northern Kentucky could be designated ‘Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway’

Published

5 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Roadway in Northern Kentucky could be designated ‘Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway’

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKRC) – A measure that includes naming a highway in Northern Kentucky after conservative activist Charlie Kirk is awaiting action from the governor.

Senate Joint Resolution 139, an omnibus bill designating honorary names for roads and bridges across the state, was delivered to the governor Thursday after clearing both chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Among its provisions is the designation of a portion of Kentucky Route 18 in Boone County as the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway.”

The resolution passed the Senate 36-0 in March and later cleared the House 86-4 on April 1 before final concurrence in the Senate.

Lawmakers considered removing the Kirk designation during debate. A House floor amendment that would have deleted the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway” provision was defeated.

The measure includes several other highway and bridge designations statewide, including memorials for fallen service members and local leaders.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION (2)

If signed, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet would be directed to install signage marking the honorary highway names.

Source link

Kentucky

Lexington veteran’s remains found in Indiana park

Published

17 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Lexington veteran’s remains found in Indiana park

CLARKSVILLE, In. (WKYT) — The remains of a Kentucky veteran who was the subject of a Green Alert were found in a park.

The remains of Jyronna Dione Parker, 54, were found March 22 by officers from the Clarksville Police Department. His body was found in Ashland Park on the river’s shoreline.

Jyronna Dione Parker, 54.(Lexington Police Dept.)

In late 2025, a Green Alert was issued for Parker. This alert was cancelled by the Lexington Police department after they determined he was not at risk.

Despite the cancellation of the alert, Parker had been reported missing from Lexington since Oct 17.

What is a Green Alert?

Under Kentucky law, a Green Alert is issued when a veteran at risk goes missing. It’s designed to help first responders and the public locate missing veterans who may be in danger by quickly notifying emergency management agencies, search and rescue teams, and local media outlets.

Source link

Kentucky

Kentucky legislature passes bill shrinking JCPS board to 5 members

Published

1 day ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky legislature passes bill shrinking JCPS board to 5 members

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A revamped bill unveiled late on the final day to pass legislation in the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly with the ability to later override a veto would significantly alter the makeup of Louisville’s public school board.

The new Senate Bill 4 would cut the number of seats on the Jefferson County Board of Education from seven to five. It includes an emergency clause, meaning it would go into effect immediately if passed — Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, who introduced the new bill in the House, said the legislation includes new district maps to be used when voters head to the ballot box this year but added JCPS would be able to redraw its own maps after that.

The bill passed in the House on a 72-21 vote mostly along party lines, with three Republicans (Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Georgetown, Rep. Patrick Flannery, R-Olive Hill, and Rep. Kim Holloway, R-Mayfield) joining Democrats in opposition.

It quickly passed 25-7 in the Senate a few minutes later, with Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, and Sen. Robin Webb, R-Grayson, joining Democrats in voting no.

A copy of the bill was not immediately available.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, originally aimed to create a principal leadership and mentorship program. But after changes in the House, new provisions were added that would affect the makeup of boards for large school districts, including Jefferson County Public Schools and Fayette County Public Schools.

SB 4 is one of many education bills introduced this session, several of which have specifically targeted JCPS. Senate Bill 1, also passed on April 1, gives more power to JCPS’s superintendent while requiring the board to focus on long-term strategies.

The bills come as JCPS navigates an ongoing financial crisis, with a $188 million shortfall expected in the next budget. Prior to the revisions, the SB 4 would have required two new members with “expertise in finance” to be appointed by the state treasurer, Republican Mark Metcalf. That provision was removed during deliberations between the House and Senate.

In an interview after the votes, board Vice-Chair James Craig told The Courier Journal a five-member board “has made sense to me for a number of reasons.” It’s in line with every other district in the state, he said, and it can be difficult to find qualified candidates who have the bandwidth in their lives to devote enough effort to do the job right.

“I think given the realities of what the legislature could have done, how other districts are governed and the challenges that we’ve faced, Senate Bill 4 reflects a compromise that should be workable,” Craig said. “… But I have significant concerns about Senate Bill 1 and the way it interacts with Senate Bill 4.”

Lawmakers have listened to concerns he and other education advocates have raised, he said, removing some of the “problematic provisions” that had been floated as ones that could be included in SB 1. But the bill takes power from the elected board, he noted, and gives it to an unelected superintendent — in Louisville’s case, he added, someone who is “new to the city of Louisville in the last year.” JCPS Superintendent Brian Yearwood testified against SB 1 earlier this session in Frankfort.

“In my opinion, voters in the city of Louisville do not want a super-empowered superintendent. They want a democratically elected Board of Education that is accountable to them,” Craig added.

Board members will have a discussion with their attorney about potentially challenging SB 1 in court, he said. A similar bill passed in 2022 was struck down late last year by the state Supreme Court after previously being upheld by the high court.

JCPS leaders and board members have raised concerns about the earlier iteration of SB 4 and the removal of two board positions. Three members of JCPS board — Craig, Chair Corrie Shull and Linda Duncan — are scheduled to be up for reelection in November.

Craig does not plan to run again this year, he added.

“Eight years of intense, uncompensated public service have been fulfilling,” he wrote in a text message. “It is time for me to return to the full time practice of law.”

This story will be updated.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com or follow her on X at @keely_doll.

Source link