Monday, January 14, 2008

Kentucky Districts to Receive Federal Improvement Funds

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – The U.S. Department of Education has approved Kentucky's application for School Improvement Funds authorized under Section 1003(g) of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. This is the first year that Congress has appropriated funds under Section 1003(g) to assist schools that are not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Kentucky's School Improvement allocation of $1,828,604 will be distributed to districts with schools identified for a restructuring plan, which are those schools in Tier 4 of NCLB consequences. Districts will receive approximately $50,000 per Tier 4 school. Districts must apply for the School Improvement Funds, and technical assistance on applying for the funds will be provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.

Forty schools in 12 Kentucky school districts are eligible to receive funds:
· Carter County (two schools in Tier 4)
· Christian County (three schools in Tier 4)
· Covington Independent (one school in Tier 4)
· Fayette County (two schools in Tier 4)
· Floyd County (two schools in Tier 4)
· Grayson County (one school in Tier 4)
· Henderson County (two schools in Tier 4)
· Jackson County (one school in Tier 4)
· Jefferson County (22 schools in Tier 4)
· Jessamine County (one school in Tier 4)
· Madison County (one school in Tier 4)
· Union County (one school in Tier 4)

In Kentucky, the School Improvement Funds will be used by districts for leadership intervention programs as a part of the restructuring plans for their Tier 4 schools. The leadership intervention program must either be through the School Leadership Support Team (SLST) or a similar model developed by the district and approved by the Kentucky Department of Education.

The SLST intervention model provides the school with an intensive, collaborative assistance process designed to build capacity at the school and provide essential support and oversight for immediate and sustained improved student achievement. SLST membership is comprised of five people who assist the school in reviewing its needs and in the development and/or implementation of school improvement consequences. Each team will consist of:
· the school principal (who acts as team leader)
· a mentor for the principal (through the Kentucky Association of School Administrators)
· a school council mentor (through the Kentucky Association of School Councils)
· a Kentucky Department of Education representative
· a district administrator (preferably a Title I Coordinator) from the district’s central office to ensure compliance with NCLB school improvement requirements

Districts should begin receiving their funding allocations beginning in mid-February.

SOURCE: KDE press release

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