Education

About two dozen African American pastors on Tuesday called for Jefferson County Public Schools and the Jefferson County Teachers to open ongoing contract negotiations to the public.

The pastors also called for the new contract to allow principals more leeway to dismiss underperforming teacher, students more access to teachers before and after school hours and for struggling teachers to be paired with more experienced students.

Literacy is a gateway skill for the American dream, says Dr. Robert Cooter, dean of Bellarmine's School of Education.

Illiteracy impacts the economy. Children who can't read are less likely to go to college. It can effect their lifespan and it correlates with the School-to-Prison Pipeline.

Jefferson County Teachers Association President Brent McKim says contract negations with the school district could last up to two more weeks as a second group plans to voice its opinion of the union’s proposed contract Tuesday.

“I feel like we are taking the time we need to look at it thoughtfully and improve for the future," McKim says.

This is the first time the JCTA contract will  be updated in eight years, and McKim says they've scheduled up to two more weeks to finish the negotiations that began early this month.

Kentucky Department of Education officials say they want the ACT testing company to run practice tests in the fall to ensure there won’t be similar technical issues experienced this spring.

In May, the ACT and other testing companies nationwide experienced technical problems while thousands of students tried access their tests online. KDE officials say this needs to be addressed as more schools are pushing for online testing.