Tagged: education

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday says despite a legislative session next year that’s likely to focus on pension reform, he expects some key education initiatives to be brought up, discussed and even passed.

According to recommendations from a task force, the state needs to allocate nearly $300 million to honor its pension obligations, which would likely take money away from several other departments.

A clearer picture has emerged of the standoff between the Paducah Sun and the McCracken County Sheriff's Office that prompted a school closure earlier this week.

Clearer, but not prettier.

Authorities now believe that a letter received by the Paducah Sun on Monday referenced an incident the previous week that had already been investigated. A couple of kids in Paducah's Reidland High School were talking about the video game Minecraft; their chatter about placing bombs—part of the game—was misinterpreted as a possible threat.

No harm, no foul.

A new state program will advise young entrepreneurs on how they can turn a bright idea into a business plan. In June, 50 high school students will learn more about innovation and creative thinking at Georgetown College.

Liz Knapp, of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, said she believes some of the ideas will later morph into profit-making products.

Changing the high school dropout age from 16 to 18 is a legislative priority once again for the Kentucky Board of Education. During the board's regular meeting Wednesday, board members approved a legislative agenda for the upcoming session that starts in January.

Previous attempts to change the dropout age have been unsuccessful because of questions about how alternative education programs to help at-risk students would be funded.