Focus Area/ Task Force Group Descriptions
The following Task Forces have been created to dive into existing data, research, and possible solutions on key aspects of the issue, including but not limited to compensation, working conditions, career advancement opportunities, and more.
Focus Area: Teacher Retention
Co-Chairs: Dr. Jason Glass & Dr. Robbie Fletcher
1. Compensation & Benefits Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations regarding equitable teacher compensation, with a particular focus on the retention of current classroom educators. This may include consideration of career ladders, differentiated compensation, teacher leader program, and other innovative ideas that incentivize quality educators to remain in the classroom. In addition, this task force will make recommendations to enhance the benefits structure for teachers, including the Kentucky Teacher Retirement System and other benefits such as sick/personal/emergency days (paid time off), health insurance, supplemental savings contributions, and other benefits to make teaching more financially attractive.
Co-Chairs: Dr. Lu Young, Ms. Sharon Porter Robinson, & Mr. Doug Bechanan
2. Working Conditions Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations regarding teacher working conditions, including appropriate and sufficient support staff, student discipline and safety issues, respectful professional climate, professional interactions, time allocations (work/planning time, restroom, lunch, etc.), teacher/student relations, parent relation expectations, and other issues that would increase job satisfaction for classroom educators.
Chair: Mr. Thom Cochran
3. Incentives Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations that provide incentives to retain current educators in the profession, considering such issues as student loan forgiveness, financial incentives to work in low performing schools, incentives for critical need positions, and other incentives that encourage teachers to serve in more challenging settings.
Chair: Mr. Bobby Bennett, & Ms. BJ Chaney
4. Structures & Supports Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations for a model new teacher induction system to ensure inexperienced teachers gain important skills in a sequence that enhances their effectiveness and job satisfaction, which may include tailored professional development with multiple modes of delivery, and the development of a career progression plan that leads to the demonstration of mastery level teaching competence by the time a tenure decision is made.
Chair: Dr. Jenny Watson
Focus Area: Teacher Recruitment
Co-Chairs: Dr. Aaron Thompson & Dr. Sally Sugg
1. Financial Incentives Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations that provide strong financial incentives for Kentucky’s highest achieving high school graduates to pursue a career in elementary and secondary education, including teaching force development scholarships, graduated student loan deferment and forgiveness over several years, paid teaching internships, other financial incentives for students to pursue careers in education.
Chair: Dr. Leon Mooneyhan, & Ms. Amanda Butler
2. Certification Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations on certification alternatives to attract experts in professional disciplines for whom traditional certification paths are untenable to become educators on a full or part-time basis, alternative certifications for retired teachers who wish to return to the profession on a full or part-time basis, and emergency certifications for individuals who have not yet completed their degree programs.
Co-Chairs: Dr. Martha Jones, & Dr. Jennifer Muncy
3. Pipeline Opportunities Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations to assist districts in recruiting teachers to their schools and post-secondary education in recruiting students to teacher preparation programs, including consideration of expanded high school career pathways into education, targeted outreach to first- and second-year undergraduate college students, and other methods or programs to fill the pipeline into Kentucky classrooms.
Chair: Ms. Thea Hurt
4. Recruitment Funding Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations for the allocation of state or other funds to encourage districts to expand their efforts to recruit additional classroom teachers.
Chair: Mr. Mike Ford
Focus Area: Marketing
Chair: Mr. Jason Booher
Marketing Taskforce
Charge: Deliver recommendations to market careers in education to high school and college students, as well as to established professionals by considering a marketing campaign utilizing Kentucky celebrities (entertainers, athletes, etc.) to participate in a public education effort to highlight the importance of teachers in their own lives, and consider methods that will attract practicing scientists, engineers, and other professionals to a full- or part-time career as a teacher.
Chair: Mr. Jason Booher