By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Kentucky State Auditor Allison Ball has released a special examination of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), identifying widespread improvements needed across the agency.
“Kentucky’s children deserve to receive the education they need to be competitive in the real world,” Ball said. “This examination provides a clear path forward for student success, parent accessibility, and teacher support in all of Kentucky’s schools. It can serve as a guiding document for Commissioner Robbie Fletcher as he continues his work to improve the state of public education across our commonwealth.”
Notable findings include:
• KDE allowed over $250 million in SEEK funds to lapse instead of reallocating the funds to cover funding shortfalls, including the most recently complained of shortfall this past January.
• KDE’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts have been a waste of money, and there has been no noticeable difference in student outcomes.
• KDE’s preschool funding mechanism violates the U.S. Constitution as recently reaffirmed by the United States Supreme Court.
• KDE’s method of rating preschools is misleading for parents. A high preschool rating does not correlate to kindergarten readiness. KDE’s current preschool oversight processes do not promote strong kindergarten readiness.
• KDE and KHSAA are not mitigating the risk of sexual harassment and abuse of student-athletes. KDE, only upon this audit, created resources related to sexual assault prevention and raising awareness in schools.
• Students with disabilities have not demonstrated meaningful academic outcomes over time due to KDE’s ineffective special education tracking.
• KDE neglects to provide meaningful support of the Kentucky School for the Blind and the Kentucky School for the Deaf.
• KDE’s curriculum resources for teachers are difficult to access and use, making it harder for teachers to do their job.
Fletcher responded to the report, saying, “KDE is an organization focused on continuous improvement. We look forward to utilizing the Auditor’s final report to identify opportunities for future growth and plans for continued improvement in service to Kentucky’s public school students. We welcome the opportunity to work with the Kentucky General Assembly for the legislative changes necessary to accomplish recommendations within the report.“
The complete examination, including accompanying recommendations and KDE’s response, can be found at www.auditor.ky.gov.