Thread by @oliviakrauth

Hello from Frankfort! #KYGA23 restarts today.

We're kicking things off with the House Education Committee, which will dedicate its first meeting of the year to the teacher shortage.

I looked at what's on the table and what should be on the table.

courier-journal.com/story/news/pol…

It is a packed house for this morning’s meeting. #kyga23

It has filled in a bit since I took this photo, too.

House Education Chair James Tipton says committee subs will be sent out the night before (woo!) but the committee will meet at 8 a.m. for the rest of the session (boo!) #KYGA23

First presentation is from Beau Barnes from TRS. His presentation aligns with what he told me much of the summer -- that teacher retirements are at around pre-pandemic levels.

The shortage issue stems more from resignations.

I will add that no one on Beshear's team is scheduled to testify, but KDE is - and KDE disagrees with how Beshear has been interpreting the data. #KYGA23

https://twitter.com/jess_m_clark/status/1622978500738023424

Barnes from TRS says around 9,000 teachers are eligible to retire. They've made some changes over the last few years to entice teachers to stay in the classroom longer, and they've seen the average retirement age go up. #KYGA23

Education Commissioner Jason Glass is speaking now.

He would like to present some data.

A look at how many teachers are coming into classrooms.

Traditional pathway is down a bit, alternative certification and high schooler interest is up.

More teachers, as has been extensively reported and explained, are leaving.

And emergency certifications are way up coming out of the pandemic.

It is a “troubling trend,” Glass says.

Saying the reasons for the shortage are complex, Glass boils it down to three categories: low pay, lack of support (including from limited state funding), and lack of respect (culture wars, but also state lawmakers).

Tipton starts the questioning about the teacher vacancy figure: "There seems to be some confusion."

KEPS is not a good measure for the number of openings, Glass says.

courier-journal.com/story/news/pol…

Tipton pushes for more accurate data, including for crucial hiring times (early August, coming back from winter break).

KEPS is not good for temp checks during those times because districts are doing a lot of hiring and KEPS often lags.

Rep. Russell Webber says the top concern he hears from teachers is a lack of support from school administration.

He says admin are uninterested in reaching out to KDE for help because they don't think KDE will help.

Discipline + lack of feeling safe are other concerns, he says

Webber tells Glass to take a step back and go into classrooms and learn about the real issues.

He tells Glass that Glass' top three concern buckets are not the real top three.

In my reporting, this is a multifaceted issue. All of those concerns are valid.

As a side note, I'm not sure how much KDE can do regarding discipline or physical altercations with students. So much of discipline policies -- and the practices in place -- are determined at the district level.

And of course the decision whether or not to quietly not follow discipline policies or artificially lower referral/suspension figures is a school-level issue. (And it is an issue I've heard accusations of during my entire career)

Rep. Timmy Truett, the cmte vice chair and active elementary school principal, challenges his committee to help change the lack of respect teachers feel and speak more positively about educators.

Rep. Shane Baker brings up KDE guidance that teachers use students' correct pronouns and preferred names, saying they keep infusing politics into teaching.

Glass stands behind an old remark if teachers are unwilling to follow that guidance, they should consider a new profession.

In my reporting, and I've heard from a whole lotta teachers from across the state, I haven't heard from anyone who left teaching because they were asked to respect a student.

Rep. Jared Bauman pushes Glass on *why* KDE can't say definitively why teachers are leaving the profession.

Because there are dozens of reasons or combinations of reasons, much of it anecdotal.

Rep. Josh Calloway asks about the raises most districts gave last year after a small increase in SEEK funding.

The average teacher raise was 3%. Only two districts hit at least 8%.

It wasn't really enough to cover inflation, let alone salary increases that are lucrative.

Rep. Jennifer Decker refers to a study I'm not familiar with about why teachers are leaving and they say discipline and "woke" things.

She acknowledges she can no longer find the study online.

Ah, I am familiar with this - she's referring to a "study" from the conservative blog Chalkboard Review.

Glass: "The people who are making pronouns and transgender issues and 'woke' issues a priority in our education are politicians."

Lots of applause from the educators in the crowd.

KASA is up next. A coalition tied to the group recently announced nine recommendations for lawmakers to consider when they're crafting legislation on the shortage.

A rundown of those nine ideas 👇
apps.legislature.ky.gov/CommitteeDocum…

The guy who owns the company that owns the Galt House is giving a monologue about why we need teachers.

Rest of the panel includes a principal, superintendent and an actual classroom teacher. #KYGA23

Among the recommendations:

-comprehensive study of public education, esp. full benefits package for teachers
-ask EPSB to address several barriers to certification
- $500/week stipends for student teachers

Amanda Sewell, a Fayette Co. teacher, says some of the discipline issues mentioned earlier come from teachers with alternative certification and lacking classroom management training.

The older teachers could mentor, she says, but they're busy covering classrooms w/o a sub.

Sewell, who runs her school's teaching and learning pathway, says it can be difficult to convince students to become educators when so much in the media is negative.

She challenges lawmakers to help challenge that narrative.

"There are lots of student teachers who just can't not work," Sewell says.

She was discouraged from having a job while she was student teaching. Providing a stipend during that semester would help alleviate some of that financial barrier.

Rep. Steve Riley challenges some of the previous comments arguing pay is not pushing teachers out of the classroom: "It is easy for people to say pay is not an issue when they're not the ones receiving the checks."

How are students going to respect teachers when adults don't respect teachers, Riley questions.

People say it is difficult to raise two kids. Try raising 30 of them for an hour? Riley quips. And then another 30 after that hour is up.

"This is a crisis that is about to become a tsunami." - Riley says.

Rep. Lisa Willner, a former JCPS board member, raises a concern about the request for one student teacher scholarship per district.

Asks them to consider making that more equitable based on district size.

Rep. Kevin Jackson likes the idea to create a marketing campaign to highlight the importance of the profession, asks Galt House guy if he's willing to pay for part of it.

He says yes, and he thinks other companies would be in too.

Bauman asks the coalition what advice they would have for teachers struggling with discipline so they can "take back control of their classroom."

Sewell says reduce class sizes.

Tipton says KASS leader Jim Flynn is testifying Thursday on school discipline. Don't know for sure, but that makes me think the Senate Ed Committee will have a similar shortage-specific day.

Some talk of exit interviews or routine anonymous employee surveys to understand the issues.

KDE does offer a survey, as does JCPS.

"If this is not a 'set your hair on fire' issue in education, I don't know what is," Rep. Killian Timoney says.

Meeting adjourning. #KYGA23

Speaking to reporters, Tipton says he was told there are about 1,500 postings as of mid-January.

Sounds like that’s all certified roles, not just classroom teachers. #kyga23

Tipton says he’s been working on shortage legislation for several weeks and came up with some new ideas during the hearing.

He’s hoping to have legislation filed by end of the week, maybe early next.

The House Ed meeting was really the only thing on the agenda for today.

House and Senate gavel in at 2 p.m., with bill filings to come and a House impeachment cmte meeting at some point in the afternoon.

I'm in the Senate and @joesonka is in the House. Both are gaveling in for what is expected to be a riveting afternoon of no votes and lots of bill filings. #kyga23

It sounds like a school choice bill has been filed in the House by Rep. Josh Calloway.

I talked to a school choice advocate earlier who said something would get filed but didn't say what.

Calloway filed an expanded EOA measure with no success a year ago. #KYGA23

Alright, new bill time in Senate - random ones:

- one on freestanding birthing centers
- a pilot program for performance based professional development
- constitutional amendment on medical cannabis

- private and parochial school calendars?

- regulation of firearms

- several resolutions

These are just introduced by title only on the floor, so I don't have details yet.

EdChoice KY just sent out a media alert regarding "Students First Constitutional Amendment" -- which I'm assuming is the House school choice bill, which, if it follows a recent EdChoice poll, would be an amendment allowing public $ to follow kids to private schools.

This would get around questions of constitutionality of education opportunity accounts (ruled uncons.) and charter schools' funding formula. And outright vouchers, too.

But I'm not sure it has the appetite in the legislature. #KYGA23

More Senate bills -

- SB 4 - dealing with energy
- SB 5 - education, emergency
- SB 91 - something about abortion

And the Senate is adjourning until 2 p.m. tomorrow. #kyga23